AMBASSADORS for the Durham Heritage Coast were given the chance to see familiar scenes through the eyes of visitors.

The Know Your Durham Coast tourism initiative, which offers local businesses and organisations free tourism business skills training and networking opportunities, took part in a guided tour called Drive Your Durham Coast to gain a fresh perspective on the area.

With the help of a Blue Badge guide and representatives from Seaham Town Council, Durham Heritage Coast and Durham Wildlife Trust, the tour took in many visitor attractions and beauty spots and underlined just how much the area has to offer visitors.

Starting at Seaham, the group visited St Mary's Church, the seafront and the harbour, where they learned more about the regeneration of the town's North Dock and the creation of a marina which will be an important attraction for future visitors.

They then continued on to Noses Point, Easington Village, Blackhall Rocks and finished at the broad sweep of sand at Crimdon.

Niall Benson, project manager Durham Heritage Coast Partnership, said: "This was a fantastic opportunity for our Know Your Durham Coast ambassadors to fully appreciate the experiences of visitors to this area.

"By stepping into the shoes of a visitor they gained a deep understanding about how tourists perceive our coastline and in some cases rediscovered just how much there is to see and do here all year round."

Durham Heritage Coast recently won the prestigious UK Landscapes Award 2010 and will go on to represent Britain at the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg in March.

For more information regarding Know Your Durham Coast, or to register for any of the free networking events and skills workshops, visit www.knowyourdurhamcoast.co.uk or call 0113-252 8397.