“EXPELLIARMUS!” Even for those muggles who are not Harry Potter fans, shouting out this spell in Durham Cathedral doesn’t feel too out of place.

Quite the opposite, in fact, given more Potter movie scenes than you can wave a wand at have been shot in this historic city.

Mix your gin with magic by visiting the historic northern city of DurhamCredit: Alamy

Cathedral Chapter House where Maggie Smith’s Prof McGonagall taught wizardingCredit: Shutterstock

Durham Castle makes a perfect destination for all the familyCredit: Alamy

And No1 filming location for fans of JK Rowling’s magical tales to visit is surely the Norman cathedral, dating to the 11th Century.

It is this building that brought the fictional wizarding school of Hogwarts to life in the films.

Inside is the Chapter House, where the early monks’ daily business was carried out. Built in around 1075, it was used as the set for Professor McGonagall’s classroom in Potter films The Philosopher’s Stone and The Chamber Of Secrets.

Dame Maggie Smith’s character led transfiguration lessons in this very room, as the young students in her charge attempted to turn animals into goblets.

There’s also the cathedral cloisters, built in the late 12th century, which on the big screen served as eerily atmospheric walkways between Hogwarts’ classrooms.

Then, of course, you have the city’s castle, now owned by Durham University and home to University College — where the magnificent Great Hall inspired the Hogwarts version where Harry and his pals sat down to feast.

Durham is not all old hallways and ancient sites, though. Visiting with my partner Charlotte, on day one we set off to concoct some potions with Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore. OK, that’s not strictly true — but we did make our own bottle of gin at the Durham Gin Distillery, with managing director Jon Chadwick.

With his wild, white hair and beard he certainly reminded us of a young Dumbledore.

During the two-hour session, we picked ingredients to make our own gin. I went for mango, pear, lime peel and chilli — and Dumbledore, I mean Mr Chadwick, recommended I add Angelica roots to create an earthier taste.

Magic show bar

Every bottle of gin has about 30 to 40 per cent juniper berries and ten per cent coriander, we learn. The other flavours were up to us.

We were tasting as it was distilled, then chucking it back into the distillery pot to ensure it was perfect, then tasting again.

After all those tipples, it was just lucky we weren’t driving back to our hotel — the Kingslodge Inn, a 15-minute walk from the distillery and city centre.

Renovated from its 18th-century glory in 2016, it now features 23 charming rooms, with tartan carpets and a bistro-style restaurant serving a top steak as well as elegant dishes of mussels in white-wine sauce.