Yarm is best explored through its relationship with the River Tees: the river bend, bridge building and riverside paths offer different ways to discover the town. If you are considering Yarm as a place to stay, you can base your choice on its architectural history, religious architecture or time by the water. Its sights and activities offer a range of different focuses.

River History and Bridge Building

Yarm Town Hall was transformed into the Yarm Town Hall Heritage Centre and features the permanent exhibition “Island in a River”. It celebrates Yarm’s long-standing connection with the River Tees and the town’s location on a horseshoe-shaped bend in the river. During the exterior renovation of the Town Hall, the original brick arches were opened up and restored with new glazing; the work was completed in September 2023.

Yarm Bridge Over River Tees also tells the story of the town by the river. It was built around 1400 for Bishop Skirlaw of Durham and later widened. The bridge has five ashlar arches, as well as semi-octagonal buttresses and pointed cutwaters between the arches. Its construction date and design offer different points of interest if you are interested in historic engineering structures.

Yarm Viaduct, a much later railway link, defines the landscape: the Leeds Northern Railway opened it in 1852 to extend the Leeds & Thirsk Railway Line from Northallerton to Stockton-on-Tees. The viaduct crosses the River Tees on 43 brick and stone arches and still carries trains. The two river crossings thus offer a comparison between medieval bridge building and a 19th-century railway line.

Religious Architecture in Yarm

The Church of St Mary Magdalene was rebuilt in 1730 after a fire. Masonry dating from the Norman period survives in the nave walls; the west front is also largely Norman. The rebuilding and the older features together shape the church’s history.

Yarm Octagonal Chapel offers a different historical focus: it is the oldest octagonal Methodist chapel to have been used continuously as a place of Methodist worship since it was built. While the rebuilding and Norman features stand out at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, its continuous use as a Methodist chapel is a defining feature here.

Paths Along the Tees and Outdoor Activities

True Lovers Walk is a riverside path along the Tees with landscaped gardens, seating and a 19th-century mill wheel. The path combines time by the river with landscaped garden areas and a historic feature. If you would like to experience a landscape different from the riverside path, the Middleton One Row to Yarm section of the Teesdale Way runs through fields and riverside woodland. The two options therefore have different settings: gardens and seating versus fields and riverside woodland.

One activity on the water is the Tees Barrage to Yarm Circular canoe trail. In Yarm, there is a take-out point between the road and railway bridges. Check river conditions and access before setting off. This makes it easy to distinguish planning a paddle from a walk along the river or a section of the Teesdale Way.

A Long-Standing Fair Tradition

Yarm Fair is also part of the town’s history: it has been held for over 100 years. If you are considering Yarm primarily for its culture and history, local traditions are another part of the itinerary, alongside its buildings and riverside landscape.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Stockton-On-Tees, Wolviston, Longnewton, Thornaby On Tees.

Back to the main travel overview: Stockton-On-Tees.