I’ve been to Newcastle once many years ago. To put it into a little perspective for any footy fans out there, Newcastle were playing in the Europa League against Club Bruges. Upon reflection, I suppose it means it’s been over five years ago.
My experience of the city at that time was limited. Cold weather. Lots of rain. An excellent and warm curry house. Winding streets. A football match. Stag dos galore.
The thing is, while much of the city has stayed the same over the past few years (yes – the stag dos are still in full swing. And yes it’s blimmin’ chilly if you’re visiting in March. But the locals will be out in t-shirts and shorts anyways!), plenty has changed. It was back in the days when I wasn’t blogging, so I wasn’t as practiced at researching cities. I didn’t fully know that I should be reading about what’s what, who’s who and what we need to see. But then again, maybe it’s a great thing that I didn’t at the time.
It means that my recent journey up to the north would be a memorable one, exploring it from a totally different perspective. With completely fresh eyes, a hungry stomach and a thirst for the local flavour. Would Newcastle turn out to be one of the most underrated cities? Let’s find out.
Voted the number one place to visit in 2018 by Rough Guides, the city is joined by seven bridges across the River Tyne, Newcastle and Gateshead bringing together a cohesive getaway destination.
Well, if the Tyne is Now, it’s tyne to get started. To make the most of your 36 hours, I’d recommend getting an early train up.
Not quite as early as mine. Because we’ve recently moved out of London, I was traveling up from Hampshire. Booked on a 7am train from King’s Cross wasn’t going to be smooth sailing to get to. One 3:45am alarm later and I was off, out and on my way back into London before boarding our Virgin Trains East Coast service up to Newcastle.
How to get to Newcastle (from London):
Spring for First Class if you can – It’s a little cheaper at the weekends, and typically if you buy a normal standard ticket you can get it upgraded to a Virgin Trains First Class ticket for around £20. Not bad if you’d like to load up on teas and coffees for the next three hours. If you’re traveling from London and LOVE coffee refills and comfy chairs (hello friend), it’s worth it.
What to do in town
We explored Grainger Market to start. Like stepping back in time, the market is famed in the city but honestly unless you’re buying your local produce for dinner that night, you only need to pop in for a few minutes to take a gander. For a quick snack, head to Dumpling and Bun. They’re located in Alley 2 and make the dumplings right in front of you. Truth be told, it was the perfect taster to begin our exploration of Newcastle.
After Grainger Market…. make sure to stop into Fenwick’s. It’s a staple, and they’ve just revamped their food hall. Like a super shiny upgrade – plus they have a super cute wine bar. It’s like a time warp back into the future post-Grainger Market. I’d also recommend trying out some of their local cheeses at the counter. Truly delicious. They also tend to have local pop-ups along, so you get the chance to discover local produce and talent too.
And if you want to add “Instagrammable spot” to the list, the Central Arcade is the one.
Discover the drinks scene
Yes, Newcastle is known for their local brews. And Ouseburn Valley is the Shoreditch of Newcastle. Plenty of local bars, breweries and most importantly, fun. We went on a guided tour with local beer expert and Telegraph coloumnist, Alistair Gilmour. He not only gave us a guided tour, but he also gave us insight into the city and the culture. Spending a few hours on Saturday with Alastair was an absolute treat. If you’d like to follow in our footsteps, I’d recommend stopping off at Arch 2 Brewpub + Kitchen, The Cluny, The Cumberland Arms, and the Free Trade Inn. They’re bursting with local flavour and all sorts of lovely characters.
If you’re looking for an alternative tasting experience, I cannot stress enough how much you need to go to Wylam Brewery. The 30 Barrel Micro Brewery is located at the Palace of Arts in Exhibition Park in what used to be a Science Museum, the building looks a bit like the White House… but for beer. It’s one of the brightest brewery tours I’ve ever experienced. I loved every minute. Dave Stone, who gave us our tour, was truly brilliant. Passionate about beer, Wylam and the city of Newcastle. And to his credit, the beer is absolutely dreamy. My favorite had to be the Futureshock, a darker coloured ale that well, shocks you because it tastes a bit like an IPA.
And don’t EVEN get me started on the food at Wylam Brewery… OH OKAY THEN. It’s a bit of a spoiler for the next subject, but we ended up staying for lunch at Wylam Brewery and honestly it deserves a blog post of it’s own. Yorkshire puddings as big as my head. The best Sunday roast I’ve ever had in my life. And it’s no surprise as their roasts are currently on a three week waiting list to get booked in. So if you know your dates to Newcastle, book in fast.
Fill up on the local grub:
As if you couldn’t imagine from my absolute raving about Wylam Brewery… it’s easy to see that Newcastle is steadily becoming renowned for their food scene.
We stopped into Cook House, founded and created by Anna Hedworth. It opened up nearly three years ago, and is located in a shipping container block just a stone’s throw from Ouseburn Valley. It’s since been featured on Hidden Restaurants with Michel Roux Jr.
The food is dreamy and the location gives off the vibes of Shoreditch meets Dalston meets Notting Hill. Seriously, the Instagrammers from West London to East London would stop, drop and roll over Anna’s fabulous menu and setting. It’s also lunch only or by appointment. I’d advise making an appointment. Spaces are limited (it’s a shipping container pals, come on!)
Oh and if you’re looking for a local dinner menu, take time to visit Dobson & Parnell. It’s the kind of affordable five star dining in a local setting. They focus on fish, which they do very well. I can also confirm they have a pretty delightful Espresso Martini.
Rest your head, feet and treat yourself:
Jesmond Dene House. I probably don’t need to say any more to the locals because they’ll know. It’s about a 15 minute drive out of the city centre, but it’s so beyond worth it. The views are beautiful, service excellent and the rooms are even dreamier. Luckily for us, we arrived with bright skies and sunshine.
With so much of our first day spent out and about, I didn’t get to fully appreciate the Jesmond Dene House until Sunday morning. Spent lazily snoozing in bed until breakfast arrived. I decided to be vaguely healthy with yogurts, cereals and coffee on the menu. But it was all stunning. I felt a little disappointed that Joe couldn’t experience it all with me. And even more so that we didn’t get to try out dinner in the hotel. I think it would have been fantastic so I’ve bookmarked it for another time.
But luckily, we did get to experience Afternoon Tea. We tucked into scones, sandwiches and beautiful desserts. My favorite part? They offered COFFEE. So I ordered Afternoon Coffee, which is the best thing I could have ever hoped for.
I wish we’d actually had more time at the hotel, but as a trip based on the exploration of Newcastle, I guess that would defeat the purpose. Still, I can 100% recommend Jesmond Dene House for a little bit of R&R on a weekend getaway. Oh, and they’re also currently renovating and putting in a spa, so stay tuned because it sounds brilliant.
Take a twenty minute detour to the beach
You can get there by metro, bus or taxi. We chose taxi because we were on a time crunch. But who knew that Newcastle was SO CLOSE TO THE SEA. It’s bloody beautiful as well!
We wandered around by the water in the chilly temperatures. I’d recommend wrapping up well depending on the time of year, because even with the sunshine in March, it’s pretty cold. But OH MY GOODNESS. How dreamy this would be throughout the summertime months. If the locals are flocking here on a cold(ish) March day, I can only imagine how crowded this gets on a sunny July afternoon.
And along your walk, you’ll come across Riley’s Fish Shack. Now, we all queued up, because this place certainly doesn’t take reservations. But halfway through the queue we decided we couldn’t stomach any more. We’d had our fill from Wyalm Brewery that afternoon and couldn’t do anymore. So we eyed up the food instead and carried on our way. But seriously, it’s on my list again for the next time I’m there. I’m so keen to get involved in that menu. (PS. They were also featured alongside Cook House on Hidden Restaurants.)
But really, did you even know Newcastle was that close to the sea? (Only non-locals to answer this please). I had no clue. So it was exciting to pay a visit to a beach somewhere completely different to my usual holiday beach sites.
And a fifteen minute detour to see the Angel of the North
It’s probably best to make friends with the nice taxi drivers. And we had some absolute gems along the way. JP gave us a lift out to see the Angel of the North and of course, take a few snaps of us. The Angel of the North is once of those classic, must-see-once type deals. Funny enough, I’ve seen it twice. But I felt like a trip out there would complete the experience. It’s that signal of entering the north if you’re coming up on the motorway. Joe and I have been before, but um, it was rainy, cold and miserable when we did. This weekend was much nicer.
Is it underrated? And should you plan a visit to Newcastle?
Yes and YES. I’m afraid this is where my current tour ends. I wish I could have explored Newcastle for days on end. But it was back to life and back to reality down south. So we boarded our Virgin Train East Coast service for the three hour journey. Filled up again on coffees and watched the most beautiful sunset out of our train carriage window. It was fitting that for it to end up on such an absolutely beautiful high.
I can’t help but feel that this trip completely changed my view of Newcastle. It’s no longer the place for ‘going “out-out”. It’s full of vibrance, of culture, of incredible people. And now? It’s full of great memories.
So is it a little bit underrated? I think yes! Newcastle lives up to it’s newfound title of 2018, it deserves the number one place to visit in 2018 spot. So if you’re looking to book a cheeky weekend getaway, do it already! (Plus this summer NewcastleGateshead will be hosting the ‘Great Exhibition of the North’ which is 80 days of exhibits, inspired technology, vibrant street performance, take a peek! https://getnorth2018.com/)
PS. This has been a post in collaboration with NewcatleGateshead.com, but all my photos, views, experiences and newfound love for Futureshock beer are my own.