New days in Newcastle

You've all been a tremendous help, thanks to everyone. I've made copious notes and now I'm sure that we'll have a wonderful time. Looking forward to it more than ever
for everyone xx

Course we are friendly, we are geordies. Most people will talk to strangers, Im a bit reserved but if a stranger was seeking directions I would help and they reckon that if you go to the bigg market on a Friday night someone will buy you a drink.
they also reckon that down south they are much less friendly than here, however I have not found that, I visited London and the south many times alone as a teenager and everyone was pleasant too. It takes all sorts.

The natives are very friendly too

I'm clearly missing out on a great place to visit!
Have a great time yogagran!

Yer canna beat it man (Geordie dialect)

Hi
I'm actually a City guide in Newcastle. We have a City Highlights walk which starts at 10.30am in the Central Arcade Newcastle. It takes in the main points of interest and gives you a brief history of Newcastle. I'd recommend the recently revamped Black Gate and the Castle for a visit (great views from the top). Go shopping in the Grainger Market if you want real atmosphere. Bessie Surtees house on the Quayside is free to visit. Walk along the Quayside, cross the Milennium Bridge and see the Baltic then climb up to the Sage, or just keep walking and then walk back across the High Level Bridge. There are a couple of Premier Inns in the town centre and lots of newly opened hotels. Full details of our walks at www.newcastlegateshead.com/city-guides
This site has lots of tourist info as well.

Ogle is so pretty, so is Bolam lake to the west, good picnic area. Im making myself homesick I cant wait to get out in the fine weather.

Ethel - you're making me so homesick! I knew all those places well, we were evacuated to Rothbury for a short time during WW2, and my parents retired to Ogle, a village near Belsay Hall.
Certainly worth a tour around if you have a car.

It used to be the 508, but maybe it has changed. I used to get the 508 and go all up the coast to Rothbury, my favourite town ever. I could have taken my car but I couldn't see the lovely scenery so well.
Have to put another extra lottery ticket on (still hoping to be able to retire to Rothbury).
Lovely stately homes to visit too, there is Cragside at Rothbury, the bus stops there, Belsay Hall to the east. If you drive towards Rothbury, then go east towards Cambo you will find it (well signposted).

There is a brilliant bus from Newcastle which more or less tours the coast. It stops off at Craster and the Earl Grey stately home. Someone else may know the number but if you have a bus pass you will see some lovely scenery just from the top of the bus.

Warkworth is worth a visit too, there is a hermitage that has been there for centuries, you have to be rowed over the river in a boat by the current custodian, it was on tv recently when Robson Green was exploring Northumberland. Warkworth and nearby Alnwick are also lovely for coffee shops, country pubs and quirkly little shops. (Have to have a day out as soon as the weather is finer). Not forgetting Alwick castle which someone has already mentioned-fab.

A few years ago we went on a walking tour of Newcastle. It lasted about 2 hours, full of interesting snippets of information, not expensive and booked from Tourist Information.

There is a craft/ flea market in Tynemouth Station at the weekend. Walk along the beach - there are some great cafes for coffee and cake. You can get everywhere on the Metro. The Laing Art Gallery in the centre of town is very good. If you are taking a car drive to Alnwick and visit Barter Books which claims to be the largest 2nd hand bookshop in the country.

I agree about Beamish, Stansgran. In fact, I'm getting withdrawal symptoms as I haven't been there yet this month.
The bus to get there is the Red Kite line, as it goes through lovely red kite country.

No point being in Newcastle and going to the Metro Centre, when there is Eldon Square to shop in, and the Bigg Market.
There's the Baltic Centre, next to the Sage as well.

How long are you staying? You'll soon realise you'll have to come back.

Ethel - you're right, there's no metro station at the Metro Centre. When I lived in Gateshead we walked it a few times.
Another outing from Newcastle where you can get to by Metro is the beautiful Northumberland coast - it goes to Tynemouth, Cullercoats and Whitley Bay.

Beamish is worth a visit and living in Durham I have to say we have a lovely city but don't tell anyone. Tynemouth is good for shops and views and North Shields for the freshest of fish'nchips.

I was brought up in a small Cumbrian town about 50 miles from Newcastle and every time we went east I felt as if I was going home. I get a lovely warm feeling the nearer I get to Newcastle, even now. I must have been a Geordie in a past life!

Yes, that's the one jen. OH and I stayed a couple of nights there a couple of years ago, on a two for one deal in November. We went to see parts of Newcastle we didn't know very well.

The station hotel is lovely, at work we do our training conferences there, its so old fashioned, love it. The Hilton is good too, just over the river in Gateshead and there are several Premier Inns, you need to check online.
The shops are great in Newcastle and the Metro centre but to go to the Metro centre you need to get a bus from Eldon Square takes about 15 mins, or an mainline train from central station as there is no metro station at Metro centre, you can get a metro train to Gatehead then a bus to the shops. So complicated.
The theatre royal in Grey street is fabulous, always something good on, I used to go regularly when I was younger, do have a walk down to Bigg Market by grey street and see the culture (maybe not on a Friday night though). There are so many bars and pubs, you could spend weeks and not get tired of Newcastle.
As someone else says, you can get a train to Alnmouth, or Morpeth and be in reach of lovely countryside or keep on the train to Edinburgh. You are making me envious just thinking about our lovely county.

It wasn't noisy when we were there, or not enough to have made an impression. We were on the front facing a busy road and the railway's at the back, but there was good double glazing. Not to mention good, solid, Victorian walls!

wheniwasyourage - I had looked at the Station Hotel on line and it does look fabulous, my slight worry was that it might be noisy as it's obviously next to the station. What do you think?

Do you mean the Newcastle Quayside, hilda? It's right next to the Tyne Bridge, opposite the Sage.
We've stayed there before, as well. It's the perfect position.

There is a Premier Inn which is fairly central. I have stayed there. It was very too, good and quiet. I'm afraid I can't remember the address, but it's near the blue pavement.

We stayed in the Royal Station Hotel when we were down for a funeral a few years ago. It is an old building, but comfortable, friendly and right at the station.

Hello yogagran unfortunately I'm going to be way for the whole of June, or I would volunteer to organise a meet up for you. I can't personally recommend any of the hotels but there's a wide choice if you look online at booking.com or similar. The ones in the Quayside are probably the most convenient, but if you stayed in Jesmond there are metro trains and buses into the town.
There's always lots on at the Sage m.sagegateshead.com
The Laing Art Gallery is good too. They currently have an exhibition of Art of the Spanish Civil War which runs till August.
You can get buses out to Hexham and other places if you want to see the surrounding countryside, and the Northumberland Coast is stunning - you can get a train up to Alnmouth which is very pretty.
The best place to eat in the City Centre for a cheap lunch or dinner is definitely Pani's Cafe on High Bridge, near the Theatre Royal.
Hope you have a great time.