Although Newcastle’s weather isn’t its main selling feature, the beer terraces and gardens offer a festive atmosphere throughout the warmer months. Additionally, when the trails are less muddy during the summertime, it is the ideal time to embark on the picturesque faux-countryside walk along Jesmond Dene. Find Newcastle hotel breaks for the perfect weekend getaway.
The largest half marathon in the world will take place on Sunday in the city, with tens of thousands of participants and spectators expected to participate. The 40th Great North Run will end near Town Moor on the Great North Road.
How To Move Around
You can hop on a direct train from Newcastle from many of the major cities with your arrival being the location of the world’s first covered station. Queen Victoria inaugurated the train station in 1850. It’s now listed as Grade I. It’s located a short 10-minute walk to the city center.
You can use a combination of Metro hops and buses to move from the city centre and to move around. There are 7 bridges over the Tyne linking Newcastle with Gateshead. Use nexus.org.uk to plan your next journey.
Saturday
Start Your Day
If you’re traveling by car, consider visiting the Angel of the North (7) (right). Deviate off the A1 in Gateshead just south of Newcastle. Use the A167 Gateshead South exit if you’re using the A1. However, if you’re traveling from Newcastle, you can take Angel 21 bus to Eldon Square.
If you’ve admired Antony Gormley’s work from far before, exploring the beauty of the curves from up close is a sight to behold. The masterwork is situated in a former coal mine, and it’s been designed to allow people to walk around and explore the site while learning more. Signs are strewn across the site giving visitors stats. For instance, the wings weigh a hefty 50 tons, and there’re 3,153 individual steel pieces.
Hit The Shops
While the Ouseburn neighborhood is experiencing unrelenting gentrification, it still retains some oddities that make for an exciting site-seeing excursion. A prime example is the Seven Stories (sevenstories.org.uk). The establishment focuses on children’s books and is renowned for having a fantastic selection.
The nearby Ouseburn Farm (ouseburnfarm.org.uk) is the perfect location to enjoy your lunch. For that extra special experience, visit the paid entry section, which has rooms created by some of the best children’s illustrators. It also has interactive displays that allow kids to explore their favorite characters’ various worlds, such as Elmer the patchwork elephant and Maisy the mouse.
Don’t Miss
The Victoria Tunnel is a subterranean wagonway intended to convey coal 2.4 miles from the mine to the River Tyne, beginning opposite Seven Stories. It was transformed into a sizable air raid bunker during World War II. Public visits have recently resumed, but reservations are required. The Ouseburn Trust runs fascinating excursions that explore about 800 meters of the shady tunnels for £30 (ouseburntrust.org.uk).
Time For Drinks
Newcastle has a well-deserved reputation for offering a wild night out. It is a popular spot with three stories and atmospheres that range from cocktails on the terrace to craft brews. Notably, the Bigg Market serves as the center of the festivities. There are plenty of locations to purchase and enjoy drinks, but if you want locations that are a little more understated, visit the deceptively enormous Alvinos.
Dinner Reservation
The centerpiece of an exceptionally renovated friary, Blackfriars restaurant (blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk), is the place to go if you want to have a wander about. The ambiance is maintained inside with deer-antler light fixtures and hefty meals like the grilled North Sea langoustines sold for £27 that you could find at a medieval feast.
Sunday
Enjoy A Stroll
Start your stroll through the city’s center on Grey Street, flanked by stunning sandstone buildings lined with Corinthian columns. The Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas, with its magnificent collection of miniature spires and weathervanes, is to your right.
The city’s name is derived from the castle. There isn’t much left of the castle, but you can still explore the fortress and the sturdy Black Gate. Then take a flight of steep stairs that lead you to the River Tyne, where the tiny white and red Swing Bridge, which resembles a cute little lighthouse out for a stroll, offers the best views of the Tyne Bridge.
Lunch Break
Träkol is located across the river, technically in Gateshead, and it is a shipping container complex. Here, the wildly diverse menu features dishes like North Sea cod with mussels, smoked onion butter sauce, grilled cabbage, and mussels, and Asado duck with sweet-and-sour beetroot. Dry aging and cooking over a fire are the two broad unifying cuisines themes at this spot.
Relaxation Time
In amongst the shipping containers is a bike shop that doubles as a cocktail and coffee joint. There is also a bar street-food market. But for a proper post-lunch wind-down, consider visiting the By the River Brew Co. It offers highly experimental craft beers – the 6.7% raspberry chocolate brownie beer is a crowd favorite.
Treat Yourself
The Discovery Museum (discovery museum.org.uk), just west of Newcastle’s city center, focuses on the unique history, art, and culture of the North East. For instance, the Newcastle Story section exhibits the potted history, Roman history, Norman history, Stuart history, Victorian history, and finally, the Second World War era.
It also has child-friendly sections that are also hands-on. The most popular attraction is the Turbinia, which was the world’s fastest when launched in the 1890s. Access to the museum is free, but you must book ahead of your visit.
