[Closed] What to do. 3 days in Newcastle then onto Northumbria

You could get the Metro to Tynemouth on Saturday morning. There used to be a market inside the station full of antiques and food vans and it's an easy walk to the beach.

As for general food and drink I don't know where to start. There's so much to choose from you can just wander around and jump in whatever takes your fancy.

I'm sure someone who isn't sitting on an uncomfortable chair in a hospital will type up a more detailed answer.

Thanks, that sounds good for a start. Hope the hospital stay isn't too long.

There are a few of us heading to Lindisfarne on the 4th of Sept, some kind of festival taking place down there. I'm a novice to camping and a virgin festival goer but due to me taking the pizza oven our tent is getting driven down and put up
So Lindisfarne or maybe the big castle nearby can't remember it's name but very English castle for a day out

[b] Food: [/b]

Khai Khai

MyDelhi

Sachins

Kaltur

Cook House

Meat Stack

Suhi Rollin’

[b] Drink: [/b]

3Sixty - Champagne bar with massive views

Split Chimp

Box Social

Pleased to Meet You

Yolo

The Town Mouse

I’ll keep updating the list.

[B] Northumberland [/b]

Amble for restaurants, Brewis Beer Co. plus The Cock and Bull for beers

Alnwick Pig and Muck for beer and food. Mumbai Flavous, The Dirty Bottles

Bamburgh - Bamburger, Potted Lobster and The Fish Shack

Ship Inn in Ouseburn is good (or rather it was the last time we went 2 years ago).

Fat Hippo if you fancy a ruddy great big burger or there's a place called Meat:Stack on Bigg Market. Longhorns if you fancy BBQ meat type stuff, Brewdog is round the corner if you like your 'craft' ale with a side of BS about CO2 and workers rights.

Is Wylam brewery still open in Exhibition Park? Nice if you like craft ale and don't want to give a penny to Brewdog.

1/2 day trip to Durham (20 mins by train, do it by train for the view from the station) to see the Cathedral and Castle (if you can - need to book tours in advance)

Best (little) city in the country.

Lots of food and drink if you want, but the cathedral is a must see.

Not been but I stalk these guys on insta and their stuff looks absolutely fantastic.

https://northern-rye.co.uk/

Likewise this place

https://instagram.com/aidanskitchenncl?utm_medium=copy_link

Thali Tray/Newcastle Brewing Co: Indian food and beer in the same place! It's brilliant - then you can stumble down the hill to walk along the Tyne etc
https://thalitray.co.uk/about-the-venue/

Oh my god I wish I could go to Grainger Market right now and grab a couple of massive pizza slices or a tray of Chinese dumplings.

Shame it's 130 miles away.

I’ve never had the dim sum as the queue is always been huge.

Thanks everyone - plenty there and just what I was after.

Any particularly quirky / interesting independent shop type areas of Newcastle to have have a look at ?

For art stuff take a look at The Baltic and Biscuit Factory galleries.

Baltic features both national artists and students from both universities and has some interesting stuff on display.

Biscuit Factory tends to feature more local artists but it’s worth a visit especially for the coffee shop on the top floor and the amazing Cumberland sausage, bacon and egg stotties they sell.

There's millions of shops but I tend not to bother with them unless I actually want something. I can't think of anything particularly interesting or unusual. It depends what you're into but I'll usually go to Westgate Road to drool on motorbikes.

Definitely check out the quayside. It's worth going to the top floor of the Baltic just for the views.

The city centre itself isn't enormous so I wouldn't worry about missing out if you're there for 3 days.

We did a week in Northumberland and based ourselves in Embleton. That was great; couple of pubs, great coastal walking from the door, 20 mins from Alnwick, well placed for days out to Hadrians Wall, Bamburgh, Berwick etc.

Thanks again. Will be having less than 7 nights in Northumberland, seem to be a few self catering Air b n b in Amble that would fit the bill.

Low Newton for a coastal walk and the Ship Inn (with microbrewery) would be top of my list.

I'll forgive you for calling it Northumbria;) As above, the Ship late in the day when the seals are about is magic. Alnmouth is nice, the new restaurant there, The Whittling House is very good.

Is Wylam brewery still open in Exhibition Park?

Yes.

Go for a coffee (or pint) on Grey Street. The finest curved street in Britain according to John Betjeman

Also, don't forget Hadrian's Wall. Vindolanda near Bardon Mill is good and it's a short walk to Sycamore Gap and The Sill.

Big Lamp brewery in Newcastle. The Delaval Arms in New Hartley has its own micro brewery and does great food. Plenty of options on North Shields fish quay which now has more eateries than fishmongers!!

There's a rental cottage next door to the pub/hotel in Rock.

IHN is quite right about Embleton as a great base for coastal walks, easy bus access to Alnwick (bus to Alnmouth means you can walk the coastal path back to Embleton, passing castle and interesting stuff along the way) heading North you can walk to Beadnell along fantastic beaches watch the kite surfers and nesting birds on the estuary.
I won't do a stealth add for my mates place in Embleton as that would be wrong.
But it does have a couple of nice pubs with good beer gardens.

Newcastle, a bit closer to home for me so I can definitely recommend jumping on the Metro to Tynemouth for a day out. Beers at Platform 2 on Tynemouth station and loads of good bars chippies and beaches a short distance.
Try the Ouseburn for a few drinks, everybody needs to visit the Free Trade Inn at least once in their life, the Tyne Bar, Cumberland Arms and many more up that route plenty places to eat. A trip up the Victorian tunnels might be a bit different, same area book in advance.

If you are staying in town for drinks or brewery trips then Wylam is worth a visit, walking distance through town and a nice park.

Pubs wise:

Town Mouse as previously mentioned is a lovely little bar

Mean Eyed Cat

Wobbly Duck is a new addition to Eldon Garden They also run Beer Street in the arches at the rear of Central Station and close to Split Chimp and the Keep (not a pub, but worth a trip for the views across the tyne) leading to the Bridge Hotel.

Modern place but always cracking beer is Bacchus in the middle of town up a cobbled street. If your staying in centre of town The Forth, Town Wall and Gunner Tavern aren't bad either.

Seahouses for a sunset boat trip to the Farnes Islands.

The puffins have gone south now but there have been a lot of dolphins about recently.

Food - this is pre-covid so might be a little different now

If you go to Holy Island the Barn at Beal is a great cafe (much better than the one on the island). Try the Border Tart.

Craster - the cafe is very good but the Seafood restaurant was simply amazing (pre-Covid). The pub there is very average despite aspirations of being a gastro-pub

Berwick - The Corner House cafe is fab

Alnmouth - lots of nice cafes and the Old School House art shop/cafe/pizza pace is great. Lovely coffee and cake too

Alnwick - lots of places to eat and drink but the new large M&S food is ideal for making up a picnic

Seahouses - Elan pizzeria really is great and BYO which is lucky as their wine is very average (we were there t'other week) and great fish & chip shops too

Boulmer - the pub is good and ideal for a pint on your walk

Lucker - Apple Tree Inn and pizza place is very good

Rothbury - the Italian restaurant in the hotel is good

Embleton - Greys Inn is good and decent food

Low Newton - Ship Inn is fab and the crab sandwiches are legendary (if the fisherman don't lose the game of hide and seek with the crabs)

High Newton - Joiners Arms was always good

Any National Trust place such as Cragside will have a half decent cafe

also John Bull pub in Alnwick for good ales and an amazing whisky selection

Anyone tried the tap room at the Almasty brewery?

Really enjoyed all of the beers from there that I've tried so fancy a visit to the source. Assume it's just on some industrial estate out at Walker.

I have said it before, but if you appreciate history, and the incredible development of our understanding of the tides and other scientific understanding, then be sure to visit Jarrow Hall (formerly called 'Bede's World'). It has a reconstructed Saxon village, and farm animals as they would have been known in the seventh and eighth centuries in these isles.

And then, of course, there is Hadrian's Wall, as well as Vindolanda in particular.

All suggestions so far look good.

If you get as far as Berwick (which you should) then go for a few pints in The Curfew. It’s a micro pub tucked away down an alley. They are linked to Bear Claw Brewery in Spittal. They serve a good selection of local beer and other from good craft breweries.

Another Berwick recommendation is Audela. It’s a very good restaurant up the street from The Curfew. The food is beautiful and the staff are friendly but not over the top.

I would recommend a stay in Berwick and explore some of the beaches between there are Holy Island. Much quieter than further south.

Berwick is a lovely little town and is normally quieter than some of the towns and villages closer to Newcastle. The town walls are nice to walk around and if you’re lucky you might see dolphins in the mouth of the river. Loads of places to visit around the area.

Just sayin’ Northumbria

+1 for the Curfew in Berwick. Also the walk around the town walls is great.

@mrb123 I haven't been to Almasty (I is gluten free and their beer isn't) but a few mates do rate the beer, I think it's a bit like Tyne Bank, Anarchy and a couple other tap rooms part brewery part picnic tables in a warehouse vibe. Which usually works for me

Thanks to everyone, and apologies for the Northumberland slip. Have messaged you white 101 about your mates place.

We just spent a very good few days in Alnwick. Loads of eating options but the place is very busy right now and you have to book a table well in advance. We ended up eating fish and chips on the street, which was nice. The best pub we found for good beers is the Tanners Arms, very freindly and has a great juke box. Overall highlights were sea swimming at Alnmouth and Embledon beaches and Alnwick Castle is well worth the £18.50 entry fee!, again book in advance and try to get in early in the day as it gets crowded by midday.

If you find yourself near alnwick with an hour or two to spare you could do a lot worse than popping into Barter Books.

https://www.barterbooks.co.uk/

We just spent a very good few days in Alnwick. Loads of eating options but the place is very busy right now and you have to book a table well in advance

It’s incredibly busy, but the day trippers start to disappear by late afternoon. Worth booking to be safe though or you’ll be sitting on the market cross watching me get slowly pissed. I’ve not been in the Tanners for a few years as it lost some of its charm. Hopefully it’s back on form.

Late to the party, but call Newcastle home so I'll add what I can to some great suggestions already made.

Loads of nice food places in the Grainger (indoor) market in town. Posh burgers, Greek, pizza, dumplings, Indian, fancy mac'n'cheese, coffee. Some with seating too.

The best pizza in town, maybe the country, at Scream for Pizza in Sandyford. They've got a new place opening down on the Quayside imminently, pretty much opposite Backyard Bikes (speaking of which, is in the same place as By the River Brew Co - same people as Wylam Brewery - and Träkol for top notch food). Wylam Brewry itself is only open Thurs-Sat (maybe Sun, not 100%) so bear that in mind.

white101 covered the Ouseburn, but I'll second a visit to the Free Trade, even if you only go for a pint to admire the view from the beer garden.

Anyone tried the tap room at the Almasty brewery?

Surprisingly not, given it's a 10 minute walk from my house, but their beer is exceptional. Anarchy is a a similar set up right next door, and also make some great beer, so you can tick off two breweries. Both have regular food vendors too, and Anarchy are doing gigs now too (worth checking - last time I went just for a catch up with some mates, and they hadn't yet put any sound insulation between the "bar" and "venue" parts of the warehouse, though they said they were going too, and it was pretty loud). Full Circle is another excellent brewery with a similar setup a short walk from the Ouseburn, and Tyne Bank a little bit further on.

Glad someone picked you up on Northumbria/land so I don't have too 😉

PS Independent shopping-wise, not really my area, but places that spring to mind... Tynemouth (inc. market at the metro station Sat and Sun), the High Bridge in town, Jesmond (Acorn Road/Brentwood Ave area), one or two interesting shops scattered round the periphery of the city centre, which is pretty compact.

Side Gallery www.amber-online.com/side-gallery/ &

The Laing https://laingartgallery.org.uk/ are my favourites

cracking views from the Baltic but recent trips haven't had anything on show I was particularly taken by

To continue the tea thread you got to throw in Bari Tea for Alnwick that someone else mentioned. That is if you need a selection of 50 or so teas to pick from to go with your cake after a walk.

Bari Tea is online only now.

I took my Dad out for a run in the car yesterday and we ended up in Rothbury (along with lots of others) had a walk along the river and up into the middle of town for a cuppa at Bewicks or Berwicks (I've forgotten already, sign of age I guess) was very nice for food, he tucked into a great looking scotch egg.

Thanks everyone, definitely everything we are interested in there. Will plan a fortnight as well for next year I think.