Riverside

About Riverside

The Riverside Ground at Chester-le-Street is unlike any other cricket ground in England. While Lord's has its pavilion and The Oval has its gas holders, the Riverside has Lumley Castle — a full-scale, fully intact 14th-century medieval castle that looms dramatically over the Lumley End boundary, visible from every seat in the ground. On a summer evening with the castle lit by the low northern sun and cricket being played in the foreground, this is one of the most striking sporting landscapes in Britain.

Durham CCC were formed in 1992 as the first new first-class county in 70 years, and the Riverside was purpose-built as their home ground, opening in 1995. Hosting its first Test in 2003, the ground has seen several remarkable matches in its relatively short Test history, most notably the 2013 Ashes Test in which Australia were bowled out for 47 — the lowest total by either side in Ashes history at that point.

Best seats at Riverside — honest guide by budget

Getting to Riverside from Newcastle and Durham

By train (recommended): Chester-le-Street station is on the East Coast Main Line, making it accessible from across the country. From Newcastle Central the journey takes around 15 minutes; from Durham city it takes around 10 minutes. The ground is a 15–20 minute walk from the station through the town centre and across the river — or about 12 minutes if you take the direct riverside path. This is easily the best option for visitors from outside the region.

From Newcastle by train: Northern and LNER services both call at Chester-le-Street. Services run every 15–30 minutes. A return from Newcastle is straightforward and removes all parking concerns entirely.

By car: The ground is signed from the A167 and A693 near Chester-le-Street. Junction 63 of the A1(M) is the main approach from the south. Parking is available at and near the ground on match days — more manageable than most Test venues.

From Lumley Castle: A 10-minute walk across the footbridge over the River Wear. The castle is directly across the river from the Lumley End of the ground.

Parking at Riverside

Parking near the Riverside is more manageable than at most Test grounds. The ground opens its own car parks on match days, accessed from the approach road off the A167. Additional overflow parking in nearby fields is available for larger fixtures. Pre-booking via the Durham CCC website is recommended for Tests but the situation rarely becomes as dire as at, say, Headingley or Edgbaston. Arriving by mid-morning should secure a spot within a reasonable walk of the ground.

Lumley Castle — staying on site

Lumley Castle Hotel is a 10-minute walk from the ground and offers a genuinely extraordinary match-day experience. The castle functions as a full-service luxury hotel with a fine dining restaurant in the medieval great hall, a bar in the castle's original vaulted chambers, and bedrooms that range from standard hotel rooms to genuinely medieval-feeling castle suites. Prices reflect the setting — it's not cheap — but for a once-in-a-lifetime Ashes trip, it's hard to beat watching England vs Australia in the afternoon and eating dinner in a 14th-century banqueting hall in the evening.

Book as early as possible for Test match dates. The castle is well-known to cricket fans and sells out for every international fixture at the ground.

Food & drink at Riverside

The ground's catering is solid without being exceptional. Concourse stalls cover the standard range — pies, burgers, hot drinks. The Don Robson Pavilion has a more comfortable bar area for members and hospitality guests. Chester-le-Street town centre, a 15-minute walk, has a reasonable range of pubs and cafes for pre-match options.

The most atmospheric pre-match option is Lumley Castle's bar — even if you're not staying, non-residents are welcome for drinks and the medieval setting is extraordinary. The walk back across the footbridge to the ground is short enough that leaving for a drink at lunch is perfectly practical. The Lambton Worm pub in Chester-le-Street town is the most popular local option for post-match pints.

The pitch — what to expect

The Riverside pitches tend to assist seam and swing, particularly early in matches under the frequently overcast north-east skies. The ground's location and the prevailing wind off the North Sea creates bowling conditions that can be difficult for batters in the first session. The ball moves around more here than at Trent Bridge or The Oval, though rarely as dramatically as on the worst days at Headingley.

The River Wear nearby keeps the outfield lush and slightly slower than at the southern grounds. The pitch can deteriorate noticeably in the final two days of a Test, offering variable bounce and some assistance for spin as the surface cracks. A first-innings score of 270–310 is competitive here. The 2013 Ashes — when Australia's 47 all out remains the most dramatic illustration of what the conditions can produce — was an extreme case, but early-morning swing has been a feature of most Tests at this ground.

Notable moments at Riverside

• Australia were dismissed for 47 all out in the 2013 Ashes First Test — the lowest Ashes total in England for 75 years, with Stuart Broad taking 7 for 44
• Hosted the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy group stage matches, bringing international one-day cricket to the north-east
• Durham CCC were formed in 1992 as the first new first-class county in 70 years — this ground was purpose-built for them
• Steve Harmison, Graeme Onions and Paul Collingwood — three of England's better Test cricketers of the 2000s — all grew up within miles of this ground
• The ground has hosted seven Tests since 2003, producing results in the majority — it rarely produces draws
• Durham won the County Championship three times (2008, 2009, 2013) — remarkable for a county formed just 15 years before their first title

Practical tips from fans

• Take the train from Newcastle or Durham — Chester-le-Street station makes this one of the more straightforward Test ground journeys in the north
• If budget allows, stay at Lumley Castle — it's one of the great cricket-watching accommodation options in England
• The north-east can be cold even in July — layers are essential, and a windproof jacket is not an overreaction even on a forecast sunny day
• The walk from the station through Chester-le-Street and across the river is well-signed and takes about 15 minutes at a comfortable pace
• Lumley Castle's bar is open to non-residents — worth visiting even just for a pre-match drink in genuinely spectacular surroundings
• The Lumley End seats give you the castle view — if this is your main reason for coming, prioritise those over the Don Robson Pavilion

Frequently asked questions