The city of Durham is in a region which has as its natural boundaries the River Tyne and its valley to the north and the River Tees to the south. The landscape ranges from bleak moorland areas and the Pennine chain, rising to over 2,400 feet, on the west to a coastal plain on the east which lies at sea level. Although this region was described by medieval chroniclers as impoverished border country, it had many natural resources which could be exploited by its inhabitants. It was an area rich in mineral deposits such as lead, which was mined in Weardale in the middle ages. The bishop of Durham held some of the most valuable coal mines in medieval England at Gateshead and Whickham. The gently rolling countryside to the south-east of Durham was farmed by the monks of Durham Priory for its grain. There was cattle farming in the north of the region, with sheep grazing on the higher land to the west. Surplus agricultural produce was brought to the market towns of the area including Durham, Darlington and Stockton, and goods were shipped in and out of the region from the ports of Gateshead and Hartlepool. Furthermore, there was a network of small agricultural settlements, particularly in the east lowland areas of the county, like Boldon, Pittington, Easington and Billingham. Accordingly, Durham was surrounded by a relatively rich and varied hinterland.

The town itself stands in a lowland area some fifteen miles from the coast, an area which is by no means lacking in visual and geological interest.