This morning I took a short train ride to Durham to take a walk and explore some (new to me) corners of the city. This activity and the prompts I used to guide me were inspired by Andrew Eberlin.

Here’s what I found…

  1. Pick any direction and walk in a straight line. After 100 paces take a photo of what is in front of you. The path of a footbridge over a road.

  2. At the next opportunity turn right. Photograph the oldest and newest building on the street. An old church tower.An ugly modern block of flats.

  3. Turn down the next street that starts with a vowel. Photograph something that moves. A merry-go-round in a childrens play park.

  4. Head in the noisiest direction and find somewhere to take a self portrait. A mirrored traffic sign nestled in an overgrown wall.

  5. Wave and smile at the next surveillance camera. Photograph it. An old building with ivy growing up its side. A surveillance camera is attached to the wall overlooking the entrance.

  6. Turn left. Find a place to sit for a while and watch the world go by. Walk to the subject that most captivates you. A statue of Neptune on a plinth in front of a decorative white building with lots of windows.

  7. Go north until you see something red or yellow. Or both. Take its photo. A courtyard with multiple small trees growing in wooden planters that are painted with the colours of the rainbow.

  8. Take two lefts and photograph the middle of the road. If it’s safe to do so. A major road pictured from a footbridge over the carriageway.

  9. Take the next right and photograph something wonderful. Red geranium flowers.

  10. Find something that no longer works. Looking up from underneath an old lamp attached to the side of a building.

  11. Meander to a nearby tree. Photograph it close up and far away. A small tree with overhanging branches growing in the middle of a grass lawn.

  12. Take a typical photo of Durham. A view from a bridge crossing the River Wear. Trees line both banks. A double scull boat is in the water. Durham Cathedral peaks out from behind the treetops on the right riverbank.

  13. And then photograph something discarded or lost. A fridge sitting on the pavement outside the walls of a churchyard.

  14. Stand somewhere and photograph a passer-by. Two people walking in the road in front of an old church building now a museum.

  15. Walk until you notice something unreasonable. Document your experience. Sign in a window reading 'You Should Have Gone to Hatfield'.

  16. Continue until you want to photograph something. You choose the subject. It’s a free world. Side of a concrete building with multiple narrow vertical windows and a small bust of the architect Ove Arup sitting on a plinth attached to the wall.

The End.

The walk took about 90 minutes in total with 60 minutes time on the move. This final image is the route the prompts took me in.

I enjoyed seeing some new parts of this small city. I know it a little but definitely found some areas new to me, and appreciated some places I used to frequent during my lunch breaks when I worked here briefly. I’ll definitely do this again and maybe see what new perspectives it can bring to my home town.