I'm just completing my Classical Studies degree at Durham (I started out doing Classics but switched after deciding that 9 years of Latin was enough!) and I must admit that the Durham Classics and Ancient History dept has been quite disappointing.
Don't get me wrong- Durham is a wonderful Uni but looking back I probably should have chosen a larger dept with more scope.
On the plus side, the fact that the dept is small (there are 180 in my year covering all the available Classics degree courses) has meant that I have got to know a few of my lecturers quite well, but to be honest most of them are more interested in their research and couldn't give a damn about the students. That is not the case across the board however, and some, such as (the famous) Edith Hall, Barbara Graziosi and Ashley Clements, have been fantastic.
Also, I chose Durham because I thought it provided the widest choice and variation in modules so you had the chance to really focus on what you enjoyed, but that has been narrowed so much that there aren't that many options left.
I thought, 3 years ago, that Durham Classics was on the way up, having managed to get the likes of Prof. Hall, but I believe the fact that she is leaving this year proves the downward trend of the faculty.
However, this is all simply my own opinion and others may well think differently. It could even be that this is the case across most Uni's. If anyone wants to know any more about Durham feel free to PM me. Not all of it is bad-promise!!