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    Pocket Rough Guide British Breaks Newcastle & Northumbria (Travel Guide with Free eBook)
    Pocket Rough Guide British Breaks Newcastle & Northumbria (Travel Guide with Free eBook)
    Pocket Rough Guide British Breaks Newcastle & Northumbria (Travel Guide with Free eBook)
    Ebook295 pages2 hours

    Pocket Rough Guide British Breaks Newcastle & Northumbria (Travel Guide with Free eBook)

    By Rough Guides

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    About this ebook

    Discover the best of Newcastle & Northumbria with this compact, practical, entertaining Pocket Rough Guide. This slim, trim treasure trove of trustworthy travel information is ideal for travellers on short trips, and covers all the key sights such as BALTIC, Hadrian's Wall and Chillingham Castle, restaurants, shops, cafes and bars, plus inspired ideas for day-trips, with honest independent recommendations from expert authors.

    The Pocket Rough Guide Newcastle & Northumbria covers: Grainger Town, Quayside and Gateshead, Ouseburn & Jesmond, Tyneside and the coast, The Northumberland Coast, The Northumberland interior, Durham and around and Further Afield

    Inside this travel guide you will find:

    RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EVERY TYPE OF TRAVELLER
    Experiences selected for every kind of trip to Newcastle & Northumbria, from off-the-beaten-track adventures in Tyneside to family activities in child-friendly places, like Grainger Town or or chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas, like The Northumberland Coast.

    INCISIVE AREA-BY-AREA OVERVIEWS
    Covering Grainger Market, Ouseburn Valley, Steel Rig and more, the practical Places section provides all you need to know about must-see sights and the best places to eat, drink, sleep and shop.

    TIME-SAVING ITINERARIES
    The routes suggested by Rough Guides' expert writers cover top attractions like Durham and Jesmond, and hidden gems like The Old George pub and Victoria Tunnel.

    DAY-TRIPS
    Venture further afield to Tees Valley or Darlington. This tells you why to go, how to get there, and what to see when you arrive.

    HONEST INDEPENDENT REVIEWS
    Written with Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and expertise, our expert writers will help you make the most of your trip to Newcastle & Northumbria.

    COMPACT FORMAT
    Packed with pertinent practical information, this is a convenient companion when you're out and about exploring Hadrian's Wall.

    HANDY PULL-OUT MAP
    With every major sight and listing highlighted, the pull-out map makes on-the-ground navigation easy.

    ATTRACTIVE USER-FRIENDLY DESIGN
    Features fresh magazine-style layout, inspirational colour photography and colour-coded maps throughout.

    PRACTICAL TRAVEL TIPS
    Includes invaluable background information on how to get to Newcastle & Northumbria, getting around, health guidance, tourist information, festivals and events, plus an A-Z directory and a handy language section and glossary.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherInsight Guides
    Release dateJun 15, 2022
    ISBN9781839057861
    Pocket Rough Guide British Breaks Newcastle & Northumbria (Travel Guide with Free eBook)
    Author

    Rough Guides

    Rough Guides are written by expert authors who are passionate about both writing and travel. They have detailed knowledge of the areas they write about--having either traveled extensively or lived there--and their expertise shines through on every page. It's priceless information, delivered with wit and insight, providing the down-to-earth, honest read that is the hallmark of Rough Guides.

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      Book preview

      Pocket Rough Guide British Breaks Newcastle & Northumbria (Travel Guide with Free eBook) - Rough Guides

      9781839057861.jpg

      CONTENTS

      Introduction

      What’s new

      When to go

      Things not to miss

      Places

      Grainger Town

      Quayside and Gateshead

      Ouseburn and Jesmond

      Tyneside and the coast

      The Northumberland coast

      The Northumberland interior

      Durham and around

      Further afield

      Accommodation

      Essentials

      Arrival

      Getting around

      Directory A–Z

      Festivals and events

      Chronology

      NEWCASTLE AND NORTHUMBRIA

      The Northeast of England is large and contains multitudes. ‘Northumbria’ is not an official term but a historic one, which in the tenth century referred to a kingdom which stretched across northern England and southern Scotland, from the River Mersey to the Firth of Forth. In modern parlance, it refers more often to the Northeast of England – Northumberland, Durham, Teesside and Tyne & Wear – and that is the definition worked along within this book. In Newcastle upon Tyne the region finds its cultural capital, a vibrant and forward-thinking city which is nonetheless firmly rooted in its long and colourful past; more historic still is Durham, which ranks among England’s prettiest cities. Beyond the urban conurbations, the countryside is characterised by wild, wide-open spaces, littered with evidence of a turbulent past – lush in places, barren in others, and often beautiful.

      Bamburgh beach and castle

      Shutterstock

      Londoners, Scousers and Mancunians all fly the flag proudly for their home city, but it’s hard to imagine anywhere in England which engenders such a sense of local pride as Newcastle. Geordies are a gregarious bunch, and they will happily hold forth to visitors on subjects as varied as Roman history, the correct serving size for Newcastle Brown Ale, and the tribulations (and latent triumphs) of Newcastle United Football Club. That fierce pride and local identity extends beyond Newcastle and to the wider Northeast, notwithstanding a great many local rivalries – a particularly lively example being that which continues to simmer between Newcastle and Sunderland. For all their quibbles, though, the towns and cities of this region are united by a salt-of-the-earth sense of humour and a grit formed in the furnaces of industry. Coal mining put this area at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution, and in the twentieth century Britain’s major shipbuilding yards grew up along the Tyne and Wear rivers; the region endured a difficult period of industrial decline during the 1970s and ‘80s, but has since undergone a rejuvenation powered by an emphasis on historical preservation and cutting-edge culture. Even in its former industrial heart, though, the Northeast harbours grace and prettiness: the Victorian and Georgian architecture of Newcastle’s Grainger Town, for example, is among the most attractive in the country. Today, visitors to Newcastle will be struck by the city’s concentration of museums and art galleries, many of which are cropping up alongside voguish restaurants, bars and cafés in former industrial warehouses and shipbuilding yards.

      What’s new

      Newcastle’s industrial roots and vibrant modern arts and culture scenes are nowhere better represented than the Ouseburn Valley. Here, former warehouses and factories are being repurposed for use as voguish venues, restaurants and bars like Arch2, The Cluny, and Wylam Brewery; there’s also a city farm. Another area reborn is Gateshead, where trendy restaurants like Riverbeat are springing up on the banks of the Tyne – perfect for dinner after a day exploring world-class cultural institutions like Sage Gateshead or the BALTIC modern art gallery.

      Monument Metro station in Newcastle

      NewcastleGateshead Initiative

      The Northeast’s geographical location has made it one of the most significant regions in Britain’s history. It has variously found itself at the frontier of the Roman Empire; as a violent borderland between the auld enemies of England and Scotland; and as the port of entry for a varied cast of invaders from the Vikings to the Normans. Relics of this long and colourful history are everywhere in the countryside’s bleak northern hills – the last flourish of the Pennines before they cross the borders into Scotland. This was a grim posting for Roman soldiers stationed along Hadrian’s Wall, but it appealed to the Christians, who chose lonely Lindisfarne on the wild, sandy Northumbrian shore as a bastion and exemplar of the early church. Incursions came from the Vikings, who left their language in such local dialect names as stell (sheepfold) and beck (stream): the local Geordie dialect is the strongest in England. The Normans came next, ravaging Northumbria in their pitiless Harrying of the North; but they were builders, too, and they raised the mighty cathedral at Durham. The Scottish border was always a volatile place and, for some 300 years until the early 17th century, rustic gangsters called reivers ruled the roost. Today, the farming community is finding life as hard as anywhere in Britain. A tourism campaign has dubbed the north Pennines England’s last wilderness and at Kielder, the country’s largest man-made forest has proved a great attraction, as has Kielder Observatory, with its organic yet space-age architecture. The Northumberland Coast, dotted with crumbling castles, is one of the most scenic stretches of coastline in England.

      Field of red poppies, near Corbridge

      Shutterstock

      When to go

      Like the rest of England, Newcastle and Northumbria have a generally temperate, maritime climate, which means largely moderate temperatures and a decent chance of at least some rain whenever you visit. That said, Newcastle’s sheltered position behind the North Pennines means it’s one of the UK’s driest cities, while its northerly latitude – on a par with Copenhagen – and exposed setting facing the North Sea mean it can feel very chilly. If you’re attempting to balance the clemency of the weather against the density of the crowds, even given regional variations and microclimates the best months to come to England are April, May, September and October.

      Where to…

      Shop

      The opportunities for retail therapy are boundless in the Northeast, whether you’re after homemade handicrafts or high-street designers. In fact, shopping has such an esteemed history in Newcastle that a couple of establishments are almost tourist attractions in themselves – the department store Fenwick is one of the oldest in the country, dating back to 1882, while the Georgian arches of Grainger Market shelter the charming Penny Bazaar, the smallest outlet in the Marks and Spencer portfolio, which opened in 1895. The city centre has its share of modern shopping centres – Eldon Square has all the high street fashion names, alongside chain restaurants, and was redeveloped in 2016 – but there’s much more interesting finds to be had in the many boutiques and artisan producers which can be found in Newcastle and across the region’s towns, cities, and countryside. Even the monks of Holy Island tapped into the area’s spirit of enterprise, making and selling their own Lindisfarne mead.

      OUR FAVOURITES: Fenwick, St. Aidan’s Winery, The Mugwump.

      Eat

      It’s hard not to think of seafood when talking about eating in the Northeast, with some of nation’s finest fruits de mer being hauled in by the region’s hardy fishermen each day. The jewel in a glittering crown is the Craster kipper, the product of the coastal Northumberland village of the same name – this smoked, butterflied herring is a favourite breakfast dish in these parts, and a must-try while you’re here. Smoked haddock also often features on menus, as does the catch from Whitby, which is particularly famous for its scampi. It’s not all about seafood, though. Other famous Northeast foods include the stottie, a filling and restorative bread with a cake-like, doughy texture; and pease pudding, a traditional savoury pea soup, often served with ham or bacon. Teesside’s great contribution to world cuisine, meanwhile, is the parmo: a dish of breaded chicken covered with béchamel sauce and cheddar cheese which is, quite literally, not for the faint of heart.

      OUR FAVOURITES: Riley’s Fish Shack, Blackfriars, The Jolly Fisherman.

      Drink

      Say what you like about Geordies, but never let it be said that they don’t know how to drink. The notorious ‘trebles bars’ are packed with locals and students drawn in by the offer of cut-price deals on eye-wateringly strong (or should that be watered-down?) highballs, while the Bigg Market on a Saturday night is worth a visit perhaps only if you have an interest in anthropology. Happily, Newcastle is also full of lovely old riverside pubs, while the Ouseburn Valley in particular is packed with cool bars and music venues housed in repurposed industrial buildings. The smaller towns and cities and the surrounding countryside also boast a high concentration of inns and pubs, which often double as atmospheric places to stay, particularly in rural areas.

      OUR FAVOURITES: Old George Inn, Arch2, The Redhouse.

      15 THINGS NOT TO MISS

      It’s not possible to see everything that Newcastle and Northumbria has to offer in one trip – and we don’t suggest you try. What follows is a selective taste of the area’s highlights, from Roman ruins to modern art galleries.

      Shutterstock

      Angel of the North

      Presiding over southern Gateshead in grand style is this world-famous sculpture by Antony Gormley, a masterpiece of modern art and a symbol of the Northeast.

      Shutterstock

      Tyne Bridge

      The great symbol of Newcastle is one of the country’s great bridges: 7,122 tonnes of green-painted steel spanning the River Tyne in a graceful arch.

      Kielder Observatory

      Kielder Observatory

      Rising from the forests and fells of Kielder Forest is this cuttingedge observatory, which hosts fascinating stargazing evenings most days of the year.

      Shutterstock

      Jesmond Dene

      Right in the heart of Jesmond is this forested valley, flanked by woodland and with ivy-strewn bridges and tumbling waterfalls along the Ouseburn River.

      Shutterstock

      The Literary and Philosophical Society

      Newcastle’s ‘Lit & Phil’ is much loved by those in the know, but this gorgeous old library remains off the radar of many tourists.

      Shutterstock

      BALTIC

      One of the country’s finest modern art museums sits right on the River Tyne in Gateshead, and has become a symbol of Newcastle’s regeneration since reopening in 2002.

      Graeme Peacock/BALTIC

      Hadrian’s Wall

      Once the northern frontier of the Roman Empire, the once-mighty Wall is now a much-loved walking trail home to some of the country’s best ancient ruins.

      Shutterstock

      Chillingham Castle

      You can spend the night at Britain’s most haunted castle, or pay a visit to one of the world’s last remaining herds of wild cattle.

      Shutterstock

      Bamburgh Castle

      The most eye-catching of the castles on the Northumberland Coast stands silent guard over the pleasant village of Bamburgh.

      Shutterstock

      Holy Island

      Separated from the world periodically by the shifting tides, Holy Island is ethereal and beautiful and echoes with spirituality.

      NewcastleGateshead Initiative

      Beamish Museum

      One of England’s finest open-air museums brings to life the way things were in this part of the country in the early 20th century.

      Shutterstock

      Durham Cathedral

      Said to be the finest Norman building in Europe, this aweinspiring cathedral soars above the River Wear.

      Shutterstock

      Ouseburn Valley

      Industrial warehouses are reborn as hip bars, clubs and venues in this pulsating Newcastle neighbourhood – there’s also a city farm with a petting zoo.

      Shutterstock

      Kielder Water

      England’s largest reservoir is surrounded by

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