Rainton Gate

West Rainton is a village in the civil parish of West Rainton and Leamside, in County Durham, England. It is situated between Durham and Houghton-le-Spring. Leamside is about one-half mile (0.80 km) to the west, and the south-western end of the village is known by the separate name of Rainton Gate. The village straddles a ridge parallel to the A690 with extensive views to the west. At the 2001 census it had a population of 2,255, increasing to 2,316 at the 2011 Census.

Belmont Junction railway station was a railway station that served the civil parish of Belmont in County Durham, North East England, from 1844 to 1857. It was located at the junction between the main line and Gilesgate branch of the Newcastle & Darlington Junction Railway .

Leamside railway station served the villages of Leamside and West Rainton, in County Durham, England from 1844 to 1953 on the Leamside line.

Rainton Meadows railway station served the village of West Rainton, County Durham, England from 1840 to 1844 on the Durham Junction Railway.

Pittington railway station served the village of Pittington, County Durham, England, from 1837 to 1960 on the Durham and Sunderland Railway.

Rainton railway station briefly served the village of West Rainton, County Durham, England, in 1844 on the Leamside Line.

Leamside is a small village close to the city of Durham, County Durham, in England. It is situated to the west of West Rainton. It is part of the civil parish of West Rainton.

Middle Rainton was a small hamlet between West Rainton and East Rainton in the City of Sunderland, north east England. It was subject to a schedule D notice and hence ceased to exist in the 1970s. The site of Middle Rainton is now a Nature Reserve open to the Public. It lies on the A690 road, about 3 miles (5 km) east of the A1(M).

Pittington Hill is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham, England. It lies adjacent to the village of Pittington, some 6 km north-east of Durham city. A disused quarry occupies part of the site. The hill slopes and former quarry support an extensive area of primary magnesian limestone grassland. Blue moor-grass, Sesleria albicans, a characteristic plant of such grassland, is present but not abundant in the primary grassland on the hill slopes, where herbs such as rock-rose, Helianthemum nummularium, are more common; blue moor-grass is more plentiful in the secondary grassland on the quarry floor and spoil heaps, where it is associated with species such as quaking grass, Briza media, salad burnet, Sanguisorba minor, and autumn gentian, Gentianella amarella.

Pittington is a village and civil parish in County Durham, in England. It is situated a few miles north-east of Durham. The population as taken at the 2011 census was 2,534.Pittington is made up of the neighbouring settlements of Low Pittington and High Pittington, which were developed for coal mining by Lambton Collieries from the 1820s. High Pittington, the larger of the two, now includes the old hamlet of Hallgarth. Hallgarth is a conservation area, designated in 1981. It is a small conservation area focussed on the Church of St Laurence, a Grade I listed building, and Hallgarth Manor Hotel (Grade II). The civil parish of Pittington includes both villages and the neighbouring village of Littletown. Pittington Hill is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

East Rainton is a village found in the outskirts of Durham, in the City of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, in the north east of England. It is situated alongside the A690 road between Sunderland and Durham, near Houghton-le-Spring. The village is home to East Rainton cricket club, which was founded before 1851 and which has seen many successes throughout its long history. The 2nd XI are current North East Durham League champions. The village also boasts a football team: East Rainton FC, the second team from the village to bear the name. The village once had four pubs: 'The Rose and Crown', 'The Blacksmiths Arms', 'The Village Tavern' and the last-remaining 'The Olde Ships Inn' (previously known as 'The Travellers Rest' - a name derived from it being a staging post on the Durham to Sunderland coaching road which passed through the village). In 2016, the Olde Ships Inn was bought by new owners and became part of the 'Angelo's' restaurant chain, serving Italian cuisine to its customers rather than the traditional pub meals the building once sold. The Highfield Hotel bar is open to non-residents. Other village facilities include a small premier shop, East Rainton Primary School, the church of St Cuthbert, and the Methodist chapel. The village post office closed in 2011 and its space was used to expand the local shop. The village is located just by the outskirts of Durham on the area of high ground to the south of Houghton-le-Spring, and the name Rainton is thought to stem from the Anglo-Saxon - Rennington or Renn's settlement.

Joe's Pond (formerly known as Nicholson's Pond) is a four hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest that lies to the east of, and adjacent to, the Rainton Meadows nature reserve in Tyne and Wear, England.