Newcastle & Northeast England

Why Go?

The irrepressible city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne anchors England's northeast. Set on the mighty River Tyne, this former industrial powerhouse's steep hills are lined with handsome Victorian buildings, and many of its one-time factories and warehouses have been transformed into galleries, museums, bars and entertainment venues. Newcastle's nightlife is legendary and revelling in an evening on the tiles here is a quintessential experience.

Newcastle is also an ideal gateway for escaping into the northeast's utterly wild, starkly beautiful countryside – from the rounded Cheviot Hills to brooding Northumberland National Park and the remote North Pennines. Spectacular Hadrian's Wall cuts a lonely path through the landscape, dotted with dramatic fortress ruins that are haunting reminders of the bloody struggle with the Scots to the north, while the region's unspoilt coastline takes in long, desolate beaches, wind-worn castles and tiny, magical islands offshore.

When to Go

AMay in the northeast brings the chance to celebrate all things Roman at the week-long Hadrian’s Wall Festival.

AThe best time to discover the region's miles of wide sandy beaches is during the summer season (June to August), although for surfers, Tynemouth's world-class waves are best (if chilliest) in winter and spring.

ASeptember through October is great for losing yourself in the autumnal landscapes of the North Pennines.

ASeptember is also the month to grab a Newkie Brown ale, or your running shoes, and join the party along the route of Tyneside’s Great North Run, one of the world’s biggest half marathons.

Best Places to Eat

AJolly Fisherman

AMizen Head

ABouchon Bistrot

ABlackfriars

ABroad Chare

Best Places to Stay

AOtterburn Castle

AJesmond Dene House

AAshcroft

A2 The Crofts

AAlnwick Lodge

Newcastle & Northeast England Highlights

1 Exploring a coal wagon tunnel and WWII air-raid shelter beneath Newcastle's streets on a Victoria Tunnel Tour

2 Stargazing from Kielder Observatory in the newly minted Northumberland International Dark Sky Park

3 Negotiating the tidal causeway to reach otherworldly Holy Island (Lindisfarne)

4 Viewing extraordinary objets d'art in the chateau-housed Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle

5 Circumnavigating the Elizabethan walls of England's northernmost city, Berwick-upon-Tweed

6 Cruising on the tranquil River Wear, taking in Durham's city, castle and wondrous cathedral

7 Hiking along the Roman remains of Hadrian's Wall

8 Learning about the fascinating maritime and wartime history of Hartlepool

9 Reliving the northeast's Industrial Age at Beamish Open-Air Museum

a Wandering the halls of Harry Potter's Hogwarts, aka Alnwick Castle

History

Violent history has shaped this region more than any other in England, primarily because of its frontier position. Although Hadrian's Wall didn't serve as a defensive barrier, it marked the northern limit of Roman Britain and was the empire's most heavily fortified line. Following the Romans' departure, the region became part of the Anglian kingdom of Bernicia, which united with the kingdom of Deira (encompassing much of modern-day Yorkshire) to form Northumbria in 604.

The kingdom changed hands and borders shifted several times over the next 500 years as Anglo-Saxons and Danes struggled to seize it. The land north of the River Tweed was finally ceded to Scotland in 1018, while the nascent kingdom of England kept everything below it.

The arrival of the Normans in 1066 saw William I eager to secure his northern borders against the Scots. He commissioned most of the castles you see along the coast, and cut deals with the prince bishops of Durham to ensure their loyalty. The new lords of Northumberland became very powerful because, as Marcher Lords (from the use of 'march' as a synonym of 'border'), they kept the Scots at bay.

Northumberland's reputation as a hotbed of rebellion intensified during the Tudor years, when the largely Catholic north, led by the seventh duke of Northumberland, Thomas Percy, rose up against Elizabeth I in the defeated Rising of the North in 1569. The Border Reivers, raiders from both sides of the border in the 16th century, kept the region in a perpetual state of lawlessness that only subsided after the Act of Union between England and Scotland in 1707.

Coal mines were the key to the 19th-century industrialisation of the northeast, powering steelworks, shipyards and armament works that grew up along the Tyne and Tees. In 1825 the mines also spawned the world's first steam railway, the Stockton & Darlington, built by local engineer George Stephenson. Social strife emerged in the 20th century, however, with mines, shipbuilding, steel production and the railway industry all winding down during the Great Depression and postwar years. Reinventing the northeast has been a mammoth task but regeneration continues apace.

2Activities

Walking and cycling opportunities abound in this region, but be prepared for wind and rain at any time of year and for very harsh conditions in winter. Regional tourism websites all contain walking and cycling information, and tourist offices stock free leaflets, plus maps and guides covering walking, cycling and other activities.

Cycling

The northeast has some of England's most inspiring cycle routes. Part of the National Cycle Network (NCN), a longtime favourite is the Coast & Castles Cycle Route (www.coast-and-castles.co.uk; NCN Route 1), which runs south–north along the glorious Northumberland coast between Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh, Scotland.

The 140-mile Sea to Sea Cycle Route (C2C; www.c2c-guide.co.uk) runs across northern England between the Cumbrian coast (Whitehaven or Workington) and Tynemouth or Sunderland via the northern Lake District and wild North Pennines' hills.

The other coast-to-coast option is the Hadrian's Cycleway (www.cycle-routes.org), a 175-mile route between South Shields or Tynemouth and Ravenglass in Cumbria along Hadrian's Wall.

Walking

The North Pennines – along with the Cheviots further north – are considered 'England's last wilderness'. Long routes through the hills include the famous Pennine Way National Trail, which keeps mainly to the high ground between the Yorkshire Dales and the Scottish border, but also crosses sections of river valley and some tedious patches of plantation. The whole route is around 270 miles, but the 70-mile section between Bowes and Hadrian's Wall is a fine four-day taster.

Hadrian's Wall has a huge range of easy loop walks taking in forts and other historical highlights.

One of the finest walks along the windswept Northumberland coast, between the villages of Craster and Bamburgh via Dunstanburgh, includes two of the region's most spectacular castles.

8Getting There & Around

Bus

Bus transport around the region can be difficult, particularly around the more remote reaches of western Northumberland. Contact Traveline (%0871-200 2233; www.travelinenortheast.info) for information on connections, timetables and prices.

Several one-day Explorer tickets are available; always ask if one might be appropriate. The Explorer North East (adult/child £9/8), available on buses, covers Berwick-upon-Tweed south to Scarborough, and allows unlimited travel for one day, as well as numerous admission discounts.

Train

The East Coast Main Line runs north from London King's Cross to Edinburgh via Durham, Newcastle and Berwick; Northern Rail operates local and inter-urban services in the north, including west to Carlisle.

There are numerous Rover tickets for single-day travel and longer periods; check www.railrover.org.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Pop 279,100

Against its dramatic backdrop of Victorian elegance and industrial grit, this fiercely independent city harbours a spirited mix of heritage and urban sophistication, with excellent new art galleries and a magnificent concert hall, along with boutique hotels, some exceptional restaurants and, of course, interesting bars; Newcastle is renowned throughout Britain for its thumping nightlife, bolstered by an energetic student population.

The city retains deep-rooted traditions, embodied by the no-nonsense, likeable locals. Raised and subsequently abandoned by coal and steel, Geordies (as locals are dubbed, possibly due to support for George II during the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion or to miners' use of safety lamps designed by George Stephenson – no one knows for sure) are united through history, adversity and that impenetrable dialect – the closest language to 1500-year-old Anglo-Saxon left in England.

Allow at least a few days to explore the Victorian city centre and quayside areas along the Tyne and across the river in Gateshead, as well as the rejuvenated Ouseburn Valley to the east, shabby-chic Jesmond to the north, and, on the coast, the surf beaches of Tynemouth.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

1Top Sights

1BALTIC – Centre for Contemporary ArtD3

2Discovery MuseumA3

3Great North MuseumB1

4Life Science CentreA4

1Sights

5Bessie Surtees HouseC3

4Sleeping

10MalmaisonD3

11Royal Station HotelB3

5Eating

12BlackfriarsA2

13Broad ChareC3

14Oak NewcastleC3

15Quay IngredientC3

16Silk RoomC3

6Drinking & Nightlife

17Centurion BarB3

18DigitalA3

19Eazy StreetA3

20LoftA3

21PowerhouseA3

22QB Tea HouseB1

23Trent HouseB1

24World HeadquartersC2

3Entertainment

25Sage GatesheadD3

26St James ParkA1

27Theatre RoyalB2

28Tyneside CinemaB2

7Shopping

29Grainger MarketB2

30Newcastle Quayside MarketC3

1Sights

City Centre

Newcastle's grand Victorian centre, a compact area bordered roughly by Grainger St to the west and Pilgrim St to the east, is one of the most compelling examples of urban rejuvenation in England. Down by the quays are the city's most recognisable attractions – the iconic bridges that span the Tyne and the striking buildings that flank it.

Castle Garth KeepCASTLE

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.castlekeep-newcastle.org.uk; Castle Garth; adult/child £4/free; h10am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun)

The stronghold that put both the 'new' and 'castle' into Newcastle has been largely swallowed up by the train station, leaving only the square Norman keep as one of the few remaining fragments. Inside you'll discover a fine chevron-covered chapel and an exhibition of architectural models ranging from Hadrian's Wall to 20th-century eyesores. The 360-degree city views from the rooftop are the best in town.

oDiscovery MuseumMUSEUM

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.discoverymuseum.org.uk; Blandford Sq; h10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 11am-4pm Sat & Sun)F

Tyneside's rich history is explored at this unmissable museum. Exhibitions are spread across three floors of the former Co-operative Wholesale Society building around the mightily impressive 30m-long Turbinia, the fastest ship in the world in 1897 and the first to be powered by steam turbine. Other highlights are a section on shipbuilding on the Tyne, with a scale model of the river in 1929, and the 'Story of Newcastle' spanning the city's history from Pons Aelius (Roman Newcastle) to Cheryl Cole.

oGreat North MuseumMUSEUM

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-208 6765; www.greatnorthmuseum.org.uk; Barras Bridge; general admission free, planetarium adult/child £3/2; h10am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 4pm Sat, 11am-4pm Sun)

The contents of Newcastle University's museums and the prestigious Hancock Museum's natural history exhibits come together in the latter's neoclassical building. The result is a fascinating jumble of dinosaurs, Roman altar stones, Egyptian mummies, Samurai warriors and impressive taxidermy. Standout exhibits include a life-size Tyrannosaurus rex recreation and an interactive model of Hadrian's Wall showing every milecastle and fortress. There's also lots of hands-on stuff for kids and a planetarium with screenings throughout the day.

Laing Art GalleryGALLERY

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.laingartgallery.org.uk; New Bridge St; h10am-5pm Tue-Sat, 2-5pm Sun)F

The exceptional collection at the Laing includes works by Gainsborough, Gauguin and Henry Moore, and an important collection of paintings by Northumberland-born artist John Martin (1789–1854). Check the 'What's On' section of the website for free events including talks and tours.

oLife Science CentreSCIENCE CENTRE

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-243 8210; www.life.org.uk; Times Sq; family/adult/child £29.50/12/7.50; h10am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm Thurs, 11am-6pm Sun )

Part of a sober-minded institute devoted to the study of genetic science, this centre lets you discover the secrets of life through a fascinating series of hands-on exhibits. The highlight is the Motion Ride, a simulator that lets you 'experience' bungee jumping and the like (the 3D film changes every year). There are lots of thought-provoking arcade-style games, and if the information sometimes gets lost on the way, never mind, kids will love it. Book ahead at busy times.

Bessie Surtees HouseHISTORIC BUILDING

(EH; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.english-heritage.org.uk; 41-44 Sandhill; h10am-4pm Mon-Fri)F

The Tyne's northern bank was the hub of commercial Newcastle in the 16th century and on Sandhill a row of leaning merchant houses has survived from that era. One of them is Bessie Surtees House, where three rooms are open to the public. The daughter of a wealthy banker, feisty Bessie annoyed Daddy by falling in love with pauper John Scott (1751–1838). It all ended in smiles as John went on to become Lord Chancellor.

BRIDGING THE TYNE

The most famous view in Newcastle is the cluster of Tyne bridges, the most famous of these being the Tyne Bridge (1925–28). Its resemblance to Australia's Sydney Harbour Bridge (1923–32) is no coincidence, as both were built by the same company, Dorman Long of Middlesbrough. The quaint little Swing Bridge (1876) pivots in the middle to let ships through. Nearby, the High Level Bridge (1849) designed by Robert Stephenson, was the world's first combined road and railway bridge. The most recent addition is the multiple-award-winning Millennium Bridge (aka Blinking Bridge; 2002), which opens like an eyelid to let ships pass.

Beneath the Tyne between Howdon in North Tyneside and Jarrow in South Tyneside, east of the centre, are the Grade II-listed, 1951-built Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnels (www.tynepedestrianandcyclisttunnels.co.uk) as well as two tollway vehicle tunnels (TT2; www.tt2.co.uk; one-way £1.60, notes & copper coins not accepted).

Ouseburn Valley

Around a mile east of the city centre, Newcastle's 19th-century industrial heartland, Ouseburn Valley, is now an up-and-coming, semi-regenerated district, with potteries, glass-blowing studios and other creative workspaces, along with pubs, bars and entertainment venues.

oVictoria TunnelHISTORIC SITE

(%0191-261 6596; www.ouseburntrust.org.uk; adult/child £6/3; hby reservation)

Walking Newcastle's streets, you'd never know this extraordinary tunnel runs for 4km beneath your feet. Built between 1839 and 1842 as a thoroughfare for coal wagons, it was used as an air-raid shelter during WWII. Volunteer-led, two-hour tours take you through an atmospheric 700m-long level section of the tunnel. Book ahead as numbers are limited to 12 participants, and wear good shoes and a washable jacket for the limewashed walls. Tours usually depart from Ouseburn Farm.

Ouseburn FarmFARM

( GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-232 3698; www.bykerbridge.org.uk/farm; Ouseburn Rd, adjacent Lime St; admission by donation; h9.30am-4.30pm )

Shetland ponies, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and agricultural crops are the last thing you'd expect to find in Newcastle, but you can see them all at this community farm.

Biscuit FactoryGALLERY

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.thebiscuitfactory.com; 16 Stoddart St; h10am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 6pm Sat, 11am-5pm Sun)

No prizes for guessing what this commercial art gallery used to be. These days, it's the UK's biggest contemporary art shop, where you can peruse and/or buy works by artists from near and far in a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, glassware and furniture, many with a northeast theme.

Seven Stories – The Centre for Children's BooksMUSEUM

( GOOGLE MAP ; www.sevenstories.org.uk; 30 Lime St; adult/child £7/6; h10am-5pm Mon-Sat, to 4pm Sun)

A marvellous conversion of a handsome Victorian mill has resulted in Seven Stories, a very hands-on museum dedicated to the wondrous world of children's literature. Across the seven floors you'll find original manuscripts and artwork from the 1930s onwards, and a constantly changing program of kid-oriented exhibitions, activities and events designed to encourage the AA Milnes of the new millennium.

Gateshead

The area of Newcastle south of the Tyne is the 'town' of Gateshead. Local authorities are now promoting the whole kit-and-caboodle–on-Tyne as 'NewcastleGateshead'.

oBALTIC – Centre for Contemporary ArtGALLERY

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.balticmill.com; Gateshead Quays; h10am-6pm)F

Once a huge mustard-coloured grain store, BALTIC is now a huge mustard-coloured art gallery rivalling London's Tate Modern. There are no permanent exhibitions; instead, rotating shows feature the work and installations of some of contemporary art's biggest show-stoppers. The complex has artists in residence, a performance space, a cinema, a bar, a spectacular rooftop restaurant (bookings essential) and a ground-floor restaurant with riverside tables. A 4th-floor outdoor platform and 5th-floor viewing box offer fabulous panoramas of the Tyne.

4Sleeping

Although the number of city-centre accommodation options is increasing, they are still generally restricted to the chain variety – either budget or business – catering to party people and execs. Most of the other properties are in the handsome northern suburb of Jesmond, where the forces of gentrification and student power fight it out for territory.

City Centre

Backpackers NewcastleHOSTEL

(%0191-340 7334; www.backpackersnewcastle.com; 262 Westgate Rd; dm from £18; W)

This clean, well-run budget hostel has just 26 beds, lending it a bit more of a backpacker vibe than its competitors in the city. Great facilities include bike storage, a kitchen, a big games room with an X-box, and power-showers.

Grey Street HotelBOUTIQUE HOTEL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-230 6777; www.greystreethotel.com; 2-12 Grey St; d from £80; aW)

On the classiest street in the city centre, this beautiful Grade II–listed building has been adapted for contemporary needs, including triple-glazing on the sash windows. Gorgeous, individually designed rooms boast flatscreen TVs, big beds and handsome modern furnishings.

Royal Station HotelHOTEL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-232 0781; www.royalstationhotel.com; Neville St; s £53-93, d £80-150, f £90-120; pWs)

Newcastle's hotels don't come better located than this Grade I– and II–listed Victorian beauty attached to Central Station. Above the chandeliered lobby, the 144 streamlined, unfussy rooms include cheaper 'small doubles' (from £55). Staff couldn't be friendlier or more helpful. Arrive early – the 20 free on-street car spaces are first-come, first-served.

MalmaisonBOUTIQUE HOTEL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-245 5000; www.malmaison.com; Quayside; d/ste from £99/174; piW)

The affectedly stylish Malmaison touch has been applied to this former warehouse with considerable success, even down to the French-speaking lifts. Big beds, sleek lighting and designer furniture embellish the bouncy boudoirs and slick chambers.

Jesmond

About a mile-and-a-half north of the centre, Jesmond has a host of budget and midrange accommodation. Catch the Metro to Jesmond or West Jesmond.

Newcastle Jesmond HotelHOTEL

(%0191-239 9943; www.newcastlejesmondhotel.co.uk; 105 Osborne Rd; s/d from £55/65; pW)

Rooms aren't huge at this freshly refurbished red-brick property footsteps from the bars and restaurants of Osborne Rd, but they're cosy, comfy and come with the bonus of free parking (though spaces are limited, so get in quick). Wi-fi can be patchy.

oJesmond Dene HouseHOTEL

( GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-212 3000; www.jesmonddenehouse.co.uk; Jesmond Dene Rd; s/d/ste from £115/130/180; piW)

Large, gorgeous bedrooms at this exquisite property are furnished in a modern interpretation of the Arts and Crafts style and are bedecked with all manner of technological goodies (flatscreen digital TVs, digital radios). Wonderful bathrooms come complete with underfloor heating. The fine-dining restaurant is sublime.

5Eating

The Geordie palate is pretty refined and there are a host of fine dining options in all price categories.

City Centre

Quay IngredientCAFE

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-447 2327; www.quayingredient.co.uk; 4 Queen St; dishes £2-7; h8am-5pm Tue-Sun; W)

Beneath the Tyne Bridge's soaring steel girders, this chic little hole-in-the-wall has a devoted following for its eggs Benedict (and Florentine, and Montreal), but don't discount the rest of the menu – Craster kippers with pickled beetroot, scampi with homemade tartar sauce, pulled beef with bourbon...

oBroad ChareGASTROPUB

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-211 2144; www.thebroadchare.co.uk; 25 Broad Chare; mains £11.50-18.50; hkitchen noon-2.30pm & 5.30-10pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun)

Spiffing English classics – the grilled pork chop with black pudding and cider sauce is divine – and splendid cask ales are served in the dark-wood bar and mezzanine of this perfect gastropub.

Oak NewcastleINTERNATIONAL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-232 3200; www.oaknewcastle.co.uk; Milburn House, Dean St; mains £8-20; hrestaurant 7.30am-11pm Mon-Fri, 10am-11pm Sat & Sun, bar noon-2am daily)

This hybrid restaurant/deli/bar is an equally good spot to pick up takeaways like pies, dine on dishes spanning black truffle risotto to Moroccan lamb burgers, or sip a cocktail while listening to DJs or live music. Energetic staff ensure it all comes together.

Silk RoomINTERNATIONAL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-260 3506; www.silkroom.co.uk; Pandon Bankside, Trinity Gardens; mains £13-28; h11am-2pm & 5pm-midnight Mon-Fri, 5pm-midnight Sat & Sun)

Glamorous fare like Kobe wagyu burgers and kangaroo with port and caramelised pears is complemented with over 25 brands of bubbly and 16 champagne cocktails at this glitzy Quayside establishment.

oBlackfriarsBRITISH

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-261 5945; www.blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk; Friars St; mains £12-25; hnoon-2.30pm & 5.30-11pm Mon-Sat, noon-4pm Sun)S

A 12th-century friary is the atmospheric setting for 'modern medieval' cuisine. Check the tablemat map for the provenance of your cod, woodpigeon or rare-breed pork. Everything else is made from scratch on-site, including breads, pastries, ice creams and sausages. Bookings recommended.

Jesmond

Fat HippoBURGERS

(%0191-340 8949; www.fat-hippo.co.uk; 35a St Georges Tce, West Jesmond; burgers £7.50-14.50; h11.30am-9.30pm Tue-Fri, 9am-9.30pm Sat, 9am-3.30pm Sun)

Humongous burgers arrive on wooden planks with stainless-steel buckets of triple-fried, hand-cut chips at this local success story. The Shenton's three beef patties weigh in at one-and-a-half pounds; veggie options include My Big Fat Bean Burger with halloumi and garlic mayo. Sides (if you can squeeze them in) span deep-fried gherkins to breaded jalapeno poppers with sour cream.

Around the corner, the Little Hippo (%0191-447 2114; www.fat-hippo.co.uk; 7 Acorn Rd, West Jesmond; dishes £4-5.50; h11am-8.30pm) has an array of smaller burgers, street food and specials like pulled pork and mac 'n' cheese.

Pizzeria FrancescaPIZZA

( GOOGLE MAP ; 134 Manor House Rd; pizza & pasta £5-7, other mains £9-17; hnoon-2.30pm & 5-9.30pm Mon-Sat)

This chaotic, cheerful place is how all Italian restaurants should be. Excitable waiters and huge portions of pizza and pasta keep locals queuing at the door – get in line and wait because you can't book in advance.

Jesmond Dene HouseMODERN BRITISH

( GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-212 5555; www.jesmonddenehouse.co.uk; Jesmond Dene Rd; mains £20-35; h7am-9.30pm)S

Head chef Michael Penaluna is the architect of an exquisite regional menu – venison from County Durham, oysters from Lindisfarne and herbs plucked straight from the garden. The result is a gourmet extravaganza.

6Drinking & Nightlife

Are you up for it? You'd better be, because Newcastle's nightlife doesn't mess about. While it's no secret that Geordies love a night on the razzle, the nightlife beyond the coloured cocktails of the boisterous Bigg Market (just south of Newgate St) is infinitely less raucous. Jesmond has loads of bars, while Ouseburn Valley attracts a mellower crowd.

GAY & LESBIAN NEWCASTLE

Newcastle's dynamic gay scene centres on the 'Pink Triangle', formed by Waterloo, Neville and Collingwood Sts, though venues stretch south to Scotswood Rd. Check www.negayscene.co.uk for venues, parties and events.

Eazy StreetPUB

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.eazy-street.co.uk; 8-10 Westmorland Rd; hnoon-3am)

Called Camp David in a previous life, this gay and all-welcoming bar draws a crowd for its nightly feast of DJs and cabaret drag shows.

LoftGAY

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 10a Scotswood Rd; h11pm-3am Sun-Thu, to 4am Fri & Sat)

Small but supremely popular late-night bar.

PowerhouseCLUB, GAY

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.clubph.co.uk; 9-19 Westmorland Rd; h11pm-4am Thu-Mon)

Mixed but mainly gay, this massive four-floor club has flashing lights, a pumping sound system and lots of suggestive posing.

City Centre

QB Tea HouseTEAHOUSE

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-261 4861; www.quilliambrothers.com; Claremont Buildings, 1 Eldon Pl; h10am-midnight Mon-Fri, 9am-midnight Sat)

Set up by a trio of brothers as 'an alternative to Newcastle's boozy scene', this hip Hungarian-style teahouse with post-industrial decor has over 100 types of tea as well as a tiny cinema screening cult films (dates vary), plus various gigs and art events.

Centurion BarBAR

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.centurion-newcastle.com; Central Station; hnoon-11pm Mon-Thu, 11am-midnight Fri, noon-midnight Sat, to 10.30pm Sun)

Dating from 1893, with floor-to-ceiling ornate Victorian tiling, Central Station's former first-class waiting room is ideal for a pre-club drink in style.

World HeadquartersCLUB

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.welovewhq.com; Curtis Mayfield House, Carliol Sq; hfrom 11pm, days vary)

Dedicated to the genius of black music – funk, rare groove, dance-floor jazz, northern soul, genuine R&B, lush disco, proper house, reggae and more – this brilliant club is a world away from commercial blandness.

Trent HousePUB

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 1-2 Leazes Lane; hnoon-11pm)

Old-school boozer Trent House out-cools every other bar because it isn't trying. There's a free jukebox and fabulous atmosphere.

DigitalCLUB

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.yourfutureisdigital.com; Times Sq; h11pm-3am Mon & Wed-Sat)

A two-floored cathedral to dance music, this megaclub was voted one of the top 20 clubs in the world by DJ Magazine thanks to one of the best sound systems you're ever likely to hear. Live acts rock the house, too.

Ouseburn Valley

oTyne BarPUB

(%0191-265 2550; www.thetyne.com; 1 Maling St; h11am-11pm Sun-Thu, to midnight Fri & Sat; W)

An outdoor stage hosting free gigs, a disco ball spinning beneath the Glasshouse Bridge and a sprawling expanse of grass with knock-out river views make this tucked-away waterfront pub a magnet for in-the-know locals.

Ship InnPUB

(%0191-222 1322; www.ship-inn.co.uk; Stepney Bank; h3-11.30pm Mon-Wed, noon-11.30pm Thu, to 12.30am Fri & Sat, to 11pm Sun)

Maritime memorabilia and historic photos of the Ouseburn Valley fill this red-brick charmer, which has been pouring pints since the early 1800s. On busy days the elbow-bending spills out onto the small green in front.

Cumberland ArmsPUB

(www.thecumberlandarms.co.uk; off Byker Bank, Ouseburn Valley; h11am-1am Mon-Sat, noon-12.30am Sun; W)

Sitting on a hill at the top of the Ouseburn, this 19th-century bar has a sensational selection of ales and ciders as well as a range of Northumberland meads. There's a terrace, regular live music and if you can't bear to leave, four comfy B&B rooms upstairs (double £80).

3Entertainment

Free monthly magazine The Crack (www.thecrackmagazine.com), available from clubs, tourist offices and some hotels, contains comprehensive theatre, music, cinema and club listings for the entire northeast.

Sage GatesheadLIVE MUSIC

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-443 4666; www.sagegateshead.com; Gateshead Quays)

Norman Foster's magnificent chrome-and-glass horizontal bottle is a stunner in itself but as the home of the Northern Sinfonia and Folkworks also presents outstanding live music.

Tyneside CinemaCINEMA

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.tynesidecinema.co.uk; Pilgrim St)

Opened in 1937 as Newcastle's first newsreel cinema, this art-deco picture house with plush red-velvet seats still screens newsreels (11.15am daily) as well as mainstream and offbeat movies, and archive British Pathé films. Free one-hour guided tours of the building run at 11am on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.

Theatre RoyalTHEATRE

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %08448 11 21 21; www.theatreroyal.co.uk; 100 Grey St)

The winter home of the Royal Shakespeare Company is full of Victorian splendour and has an excellent program of drama, along with major musicals, pantomimes, opera, ballet, comedy and contemporary dance.

Head of Steam @ The ClunyLIVE MUSIC

( GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-230 4474; www.headofsteam.co.uk; 36 Lime St; hnoon-11pm Mon-Thu, to midnight Fri & Sat, to 10.30pm Sun)

Based at the artist cooperative 36 Lime St, touring acts and local talent – from experimental prog-rock heads to up-and-coming pop goddesses – fill the bill every night of the week.

Newcastle United Football ClubFOOTBALL

(NUFC; www.nufc.co.uk)

NUFC is more than just a football team – it's the collective expression of Geordie hope and pride. The club's hallowed ground, St James Park ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Strawberry Pl), is always packed, but you can get a stadium tour (%0844-372 1892; adult/child £15/8; h11.30am, 12.30pm & 2.30pm daily, 10.30am match days) that includes the dugout and changing rooms. Match tickets go on public sale about two weeks before a game.

7Shopping

Newcastle Quayside MarketMARKET

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-211 5533; under the Tyne Bridge; h9am-4pm Sun)

Stalls displaying jewellery, photographic prints, art, clothing, homewares and more set up along the quays around the Tyne Bridge every Sunday. Buskers and food stalls add to the street-party atmosphere.

Grainger MarketMARKET

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.graingermarket.org.uk; btwn Grainger and Clayton Sts; h9am-5pm Mon-Sat)

Trading since 1835, Newcastle's gorgeous, heritage-listed covered market has over 100 stalls selling everything from fish, farm produce, meat and vegetables to clothes, accessories and homewares. Between alleys 1 and 2, look out for the historic Weigh House, where goods were once weighed.

8Information

Newcastle City Centre Police Station POLICE

( GOOGLE MAP ; %emergency 999, non-emergency 101; www.northumbria.police.uk; Forth Banks; h24hr)

Tourist Office Main BranchTOURIST INFORMATION

( GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-277 8000; www.visitnewcastlegateshead.com; Central Arcade, Market St; h9.30am-5pm Mon-Sat, 2-5pm Sun Jul & Aug, 10am-5pm Mon-Sat Sep-Jun)

8Getting There & Away

Air

Newcastle International AirportAIRPORT

(%0871-882 1121; www.newcastleairport.com)

Seven miles north of the city off the A696, the airport has direct services to many UK and European cities as well as long-haul flights to Dubai. Tour operators fly charters to the USA, Middle East and Africa.

Bus

Local and regional buses leave from Haymarket or Eldon Sq bus stations. National Express buses arrive and depart from the coach station (St James Blvd). For local buses around the northeast, the excellent-value Explorer North East ticket (£9.30) is valid on most services.

Buses X15 and X18 run north to Berwick-upon-Tweed (£6.50, two hours, nine daily). National Express offers services to Edinburgh (£14.90, three hours, two daily), London (£16, seven hours, nine daily) and Manchester (£12.50, 4½ hours, four daily).

Train

Newcastle is on the main rail line between London and Edinburgh and is the starting point of the scenic Tyne Valley Line west to Carlisle.

AAlnmouth (for bus connections to Alnwick) £9.70, 25 minutes, hourly

ABerwick-upon-Tweed £23.60, 45 minutes, hourly

ACarlisle £15.50, 1½ hours, hourly

AEdinburgh £48, 1½ hours, every 30 minutes

AHartlepool £8.90, 45 minutes, hourly

ALondon King's Cross £121, three hours, every 30 minutes

AYork £32, one hour, every 20 minutes

8Getting Around

To/From the Airport

The airport is linked to town by the Metro (£3.30, 20 minutes, every 12 minutes).

Public Transport

There's a large bus network, but the best means of getting around is the excellent Metro, with fares from £1.80. Several saver passes are also available. The tourist office can supply you with route plans for the bus and Metro networks.

The DaySaver (£2.60 to £4.50) gives unlimited Metro travel for one day for travel after 9am, and the DayRover (adult/child £6.80/3.70) gives unlimited travel on all modes of transport in Tyne and Wear for one day for travel any time.

Taxi

On weekend nights taxis can be as rare as covered flesh; try Noda Taxis ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-222 1888; www.noda-taxis.co.uk), which has a kiosk outside the entrance to Central Station.

Around Newcastle

Angel of the North

Angel of the NorthLANDMARK

Nicknamed the Gateshead Flasher, this extraordinary 200-tonne, rust-coloured, winged human frame has loomed over the A1 (M) some 6 miles south of Newcastle since 1998. At 20m high and with a wingspan wider than a Boeing 767, Sir Antony Gormley's iconic work (which saw him knighted in 2014) is the UK's largest sculpture and most viewed public artwork. Buses 21 and 22 from Newcastle's Eldon Sq (£2, 20 minutes) stop here. ᠎There's a free car park by the base.

Tynemouth

Pop 67,520

One of the most popular Geordie days out is to this handsome seaside resort some 9 miles east of Newcastle. The mouth of the Tyne is one of the best surf spots in England, with great all-year breaks off the immense, crescent-shaped Blue Flag beach, which occasionally hosts the National Surfing Championships.

1Sights & Activities

Tynemouth PrioryRUIN

(EH; www.english-heritage.org.uk; adult/child £4.80/2.90; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 4pm Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar)

Built by Benedictine monks on a strategic bluff above the mouth of the Tyne in the 11th-century ruins, Tynemouth Priory was ransacked during the Dissolution in 1539. The military took over for four centuries, only leaving in 1960, and today the skeletal remains of the priory church sit alongside old military installations, their guns aimed out to sea at an enemy that never came.

Tynemouth Surf CompanySURFING

(%0191-258 2496; www.tynemouthsurf.co.uk; Grand Pde; h10am-5.30pm)

For all your surfing needs, call into this friendly surf company, which also provides two-hour group lessons for £25 per person.

5Eating & Drinking

Opposite the priory, village-like Front St runs inland from the ocean and is lined with bars, restaurants, cafes and arty shops.

Barca Art CafeCAFE

(%0191-257 7959; www.barcaart.co.uk; 68 Front St; mains £10.50-19; hkitchen 5-10pm Mon-Sat, noon-4pm Sun, bar noon-1am)

This funky hybrid restaurant, bar and art gallery (the works by local artists are all for sale) has an ambitious, contemporary menu, though vegetarian options, aside from starters like mezze boards to share, are few. DJs spin on Saturday nights from 10pm.

Turks HeadPUB

(%0191-257 6547; www.johnbarras.com; 41 Front St; h11am-11pm Mon-Wed, to 11.30pm Thu-Sat, noon-11.30pm Sun; W)

Encased in ivory-coloured tiles, this salt-of-the-earth 1850-built traditional pub is great for a pint of real ale while watching a Newcastle United match.

8Getting There & Away

From Newcastle, the easiest way to reach Tynemouth is by Metro (£3.20, 25 minutes).

Segedunum

SegedunumHISTORIC SITE

(%0191-236 9347; www.twmuseums.org.uk; Buddle St, Wallsend; adult/child £5.50/free; h10am-5pm Apr-Aug, to 4pm Sep & Oct, 10am-2.30pm Mon-Fri Nov-Mar)

The last strong post of Hadrian's Wall was the fort of Segedunum, 5 miles east of Newcastle at the 'wall's end', now the Newcastle suburb of Wallsend. Beneath the 35m-high tower, which you can climb for terrific views, is an absorbing site that includes a reconstructed Roman bathhouse (with steaming pools and frescoes) and a museum offering a fascinating insight into life during Roman times.

Segedenum is a three-minute walk from the Wallsend Metro station (from Newcastle £3.95, 20 minutes).

Hartlepool

Pop 88,895

Steelworks and shipyards made this North Sea coastal town's fortunes in the 19th century, but also made it a WWI target. On 16 December 1914, it was hit by 1150 shells, killing 117 people including 29-year-old Durham Light Infantry Private Theophilus Jones, the war's first soldier killed on British soil. Hartlepool's defence batteries returned fire, damaging three enemy ships and becoming England's only coastal battery to fire its guns in the conflict.

After WWII, the collapse of both the steel and ship-building industries saw Hartlepool languish until the revitalisation of its marina around the turn of the millennium, and it makes a fascinating stop to explore its wartime and maritime heritage.

1Sights

Hartlepool's Maritime ExperienceINTERPRETATION CENTRE

(%01429-860 077; www.hartlepoolsmaritimeexperience.com; Jackson Dock, Maritime Ave; adult/child £8.95/6.85, museum free; h10am-5pm Apr-Oct, 11am-4pm Nov-Mar)

This superb family attraction incorporates both the Museum of Hartlepool, with exhibits from the Bronze Age to today, and the 1817-built HMS Trincomalee, the oldest British warship still afloat, as well as recreated businesses – gunsmith, swordsmith and so on – along its historic quayside. Costumed staff and audioguides do a great job of bringing it to life.

Heugh Gun Battery MuseumMUSEUM

(%01429-270 746; www.heughbattery.com; Moor Tce; adult/child £5/3; h10am-4pm Thu-Sun)

Atop the windswept Hartlepool Headland, about 2 miles west of the centre, you can visit the underground magazines, parade ground, museum and panoramic observation tower at the 19th-century Heugh (pronounced 'yuff') Gun Battery – one of Hartlepool's two defence batteries to return WWI fire.

4Sleeping

Hillcarter HotelHOTEL

(%01429-855 800; www.hillcarterhotel.com; 31-32 Church St, enter via Whitby St; s £65, d £75-85, f £95; pW)

This central Hartlepool landmark was built in 1887 as the Hill and Carter department store and converted to a hotel a century later. Rooms are spacious and comfortable, service is top notch and there's an enclosed rooftop restaurant, a bar serving meals, and two nightclubs, plus nearby late bars, so beware noisy Friday and Saturday nights (other nights are quiet).

5Eating & Drinking

By far the best place to eat and/or drink is Navigation Point, where a slew of bars, cafes and restaurants serving a wide range of cuisines – traditional and contemporary British, Chinese, Indian, Italian – overlook the boats moored at Hartlepool Marina.

CinnamonsBANGLADESHI

(%01429-269 666; 29 Navigation Point, Hartlepool Marina; mains £6-11; hnoon-2pm & 5.30-11.30pm Mon-Sat, 5.30-11.30pm Sun)

Fresh, fiery Bangladeshi cuisine at this elegant restaurant spans clay oven tikka and tandoori favourites, Bengal curries, baltis and countless chingri (prawn) dishes.

8Information

Tourist OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION

(%01429-869 706; www.destinationhartlepool.com; Church Sq; h10am-5.30pm Tue-Sat, 2-5pm Sun)

At the Hartlepool Art Gallery.

8Getting There & Away

Trains link Hartlepool with Newcastle (£8.90, 45 minutes, hourly). Bus 22 to/from Durham (£5.70, 1¼ hours, hourly) stops at the train station.

County Durham

Spread across the lonely, rabbit-inhabited North Pennines and Teesdale's ochre hills, County Durham's star attraction is its county town. Its cathedral and adjoining castle were the seat of the once powerful prince bishops, rulers since 1081 of the Palatinate of Durham, a political entity created by William the Conqueror as a bulwark against Saxons and Scots.

The county was at the heart of the region's coal-mining industry, a brutal business that saw the last pit close in 1984 and left the landscape with some fast-dissolving yet evocative scarring.

Durham

Pop 47,785

England's most beautiful Romanesque cathedral, a huge castle, and, surrounding them both, a cobweb of hilly, cobbled streets usually full of upper-crust students attending England's third university of choice (after Oxford and Cambridge) make Durham an ideal day trip from Newcastle or overnight stop.

Durham

1Top Sights

1Durham CastleB3

2Durham CathedralB4

2Activities, Courses & Tours

Browns BoathouseC2

3Prince Bishop River CruiserC2

4Sleeping

4Cathedral ViewD1

5Gadds TownhouseD3

5Eating

6Cellar Door DurhamC3

7OldfieldsC2

8TealiciousC3

6Drinking & Nightlife

9Shakespeare TavernC3

1Sights

oDurham CathedralCATHEDRAL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.durhamcathedral.co.uk; by donation, tower £5, guided tours adult/child £5/free; h7.30am-6pm Mon-Sat, to 5.30pm Sun)

This monumental cathedral is the definitive structure of the Anglo-Norman Romanesque style, a resplendent monument to the country’s ecclesiastical history and, since 1986, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Beyond the main door – and the famous Sanctuary Knocker, which medieval felons would strike to gain 37 days asylum within the cathedral before standing trial or leaving the country – the interior is spectacular. Climbing the tower's 325 steps rewards you with show-stopping vistas.

Durham was the first European cathedral to be roofed with stone-ribbed vaulting, which upheld the heavy stone roof and made it possible to build pointed transverse arches – the first in England, and a great architectural achievement. The central tower dates from 1262, but was damaged in a fire caused by lightning in 1429 and unsatisfactorily patched up until it was entirely rebuilt in 1470. The western towers were added in 1217–26.

The northern side of the beautiful, 1175-built Galilee Chapel features rare surviving examples of 12th-century wall painting (thought to feature portraits of Sts Cuthbert and Oswald). Galilee Chapel also contains the tomb of the Venerable Bede, the 8th-century Northumbrian monk turned historian: his Ecclesiastical History of the English People is still the prime source of information on the development of early Christian Britain. Among other things, Bede introduced the numbering of years from the birth of Jesus. He was first buried at Jarrow, but in 1022 a miscreant monk stole his remains and brought them here.

Other highlights include the 14th-century Bishop's Throne; the beautiful stone Neville Screen (1372–80), which separates the high altar from St Cuthbert's tomb; and the mostly 19th-century Cloisters where you'll find the Monk's Dormitory, now a library of 30,000 books, with Anglo-Saxon carved stones. There are audiovisual displays on the building of the cathedral and the life of St Cuthbert.

oDurham CastleCASTLE

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-334 2932; www.dur.ac.uk/durham.castle; admission by guided tour only, adult/child £5/3.50; hby reservation)

Built as a standard motte-and-bailey fort in 1072, Durham Castle was the prince bishops' home until 1837, when it became the University of Durham's first college. It remains a university hall, and it's possible to stay here (contact the castle for information and availability). Highlights of the 45-minute tour include the groaning 17th-century Black Staircase and the beautifully preserved Norman chapel (1080).

Each successive prince bishop sought to put his particular imprint on the place, but heavy restoration and reconstruction were necessary in any case as the castle is built of soft stone on soft ground.

WORTH A TRIP

BEAMISH OPEN-AIR MUSEUM

Beamish Open-Air Museum MUSEUM

(%0191-370 4000; www.beamish.org.uk; adult/child £17.50/10; h10am-5pm Apr-Oct, 10am-4pm Tue-Thu, Sat & Sun Nov-Mar)

County Durham's living, breathing, working museum offers an unflinching glimpse into industrial life in the northeast during the 19th and 20th centuries. Spread over 121 hectares, it is instructive and fun for all ages. Allow at least three hours here, but check ahead in the winter months as some sections close.

Beamish is about 8 miles northwest of Durham. Take buses 28 and 28A from Newcastle (£4.70, one hour, every 30 minutes) or 128 from Durham (£3.20, 30 minutes, hourly).

Highlights include going underground, exploring mine heads, visiting a working farm, school, dentist and pub, and marvelling at how every cramped pit cottage seemed to find room for a piano. Don't miss a ride behind an 1815 Steam Elephant locomotive or a replica of Stephenson's Locomotion No 1.

2Activities

Prince Bishop River CruiserBOAT TOUR

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-386 9525; www.princebishoprc.co.uk; Browns Boathouse, Elvet Bridge; adult/child £7/4; hcruises 12.30pm, 2pm & 3pm Jun-Sep, call for times Oct-May)

Wonderfully scenic one-hour cruises on the Wear.

Browns BoathouseBOATING

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-386 3779; Elvet Bridge; per hr per adult/child £5/4; hdawn-dusk Apr-Oct)

Rent a row boat for a romantic river excursion.

4Sleeping

Honest LawyerINN

(%0191-378 3780; www.honestlawyerhotel.com; Croxdale; d £68-88; pW)

An easy 3-mile drive south of Durham on the A167, this handy spot has mostly motel-style rooms with countrified chequered fabrics and parking outside the door. The main building has a timber bar and restaurant serving good pub grub in generous portions.

Cathedral ViewB&B

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-386 9566; www.cathedralview.com; 212 Gilesgate; s/d from £75/90; pW)

This discreet Georgian house has no sign, but inside, two of its six large rooms decorated with lots of cushions and coordinated bed linen and window dressings indeed have sensational cathedral views. Breakfast, including home-baked bread, is cooked to order and served on the terrace or in the art-lined dining room.

Gadds TownhouseBOUTIQUE HOTEL

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-384 1037; www.gaddstownhouse.com; 34 Old Elvet; d £110-250; W)

Each of Gadds' 11 opulent rooms has a theme, with Le Jardin featuring a shed and garden furniture, a huge projection screen and popcorn machine in Premiere, and the Edwardian Express recreating a night in a yesteryear sleeper compartment. The most 'normal' room is the Garden Lodge, complete with outdoor tub and underfloor heating. The restaurant is superb.

5Eating

TealiciousCAFE

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-340 1393; www.tealicioustearoom.co.uk; Elvet Bridge; dishes £2-5.25; h10am-4pm Tue-Sat)

A gingerbread-house replica of this quaint pastel-blue and white building sits in the window, while inside, amid vintage decor, treats include homemade cakes (such as white chocolate cheesecake or ginger and lime), soups, and over a dozen blends of tea served from individual pots on fine bone china. It's tiny so book ahead.

Cellar Door DurhamMODERN BRITISH

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-383 1856; www.thecellardoordurham.co.uk; 41 Saddler St; mains £14-17.50; h11.30am-10.30pm)

Accessed from an inconspicuous door on Saddler St, this 12th-century building has glorious river views, including from the alfresco terrace. The Mediterranean-meets-Britain menu features starters such as twice-baked goats cheese soufflé, mains such as seared venison with chestnut dressing, and desserts including brioche bread-and-butter pudding. Service is spot on.

OldfieldsBRITISH

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-370 9696; www.oldfieldsrealfood.co.uk; 18 Claypath; 2-/3-course lunch £10/13, dinner mains £12-17.50; hnoon-10pm; W)S

Serving strictly seasonal menus that use only local or organic ingredients sourced within a 60-mile radius of Durham – such as North Sea fish casserole, pan haggerty and wild boar pie – this award-winning restaurant, in the 1881 boardroom of the former HQ of the Durham Gas Company, is passionate about great British food.

6Drinking

Shakespeare TavernPUB

( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.shakespearedurham.com; 63 Saddler St; h11am-11.30pm)

Built in 1190, this authentic-as-it-gets locals' boozer is complete with dartboard, cosy snugs, a terrific selection of beers and spirits and wise-cracking characters propping up the bar – as well as, allegedly, a resident ghost. Folk music jam sessions take place on Wednesday evenings.

8Information

Tourist OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION

(World Heritage Site Visitor Centre; GOOGLE MAP ; %0191-334 3805; www.thisisdurham.com; 7 Owengate; h9.30am-6pm Jul & Aug, to 5pm late Mar-Jun & Sep, to 4.30pm Oct-late Mar)

Small but helpful, with all the usual tourist information.

8Getting There & Away

Bus

Destinations include Hartlepool (bus 22; £5.70, 1¼ hours, hourly), London (National Express; £32, 6½ hours, four daily) and Newcastle (bus 21, 43, 44, X2, X21, X41; £3.60, one hour to 1¾ hours, several hourly).

Train

The East Coast Main Line provides speedy connections to many destinations including Edinburgh (£56.20, two hours, hourly), London King's Cross (£121, three hours, hourly), Newcastle (£5.10, 15 minutes, four hourly) and York (£30.50, 50 minutes, four hourly).

8Getting Around

Pratt'sTAXI

(%0191-386 0700; www.prattstaxis.co.uk)

Reliable taxi company.

WORTH A TRIP

RABY CASTLE

Raby CastleCASTLE

(www.rabycastle.com; adult/child £10/4.50; h1-4.30pm Sun-Fri Jul & Aug, Sun-Wed May, Jun & Sep)

About 7 miles northeast of Barnard Castle, sprawling Raby Castle was a stronghold of the Catholic Neville family until it engaged in some ill-judged plotting (the 'Rising of the North') against the oh-so Protestant Queen Elizabeth in 1569. Most of the interior dates from the 18th and 19th centuries, but the exterior remains true to the original design, built around a courtyard and surrounded by a moat. Bus 8 zips between Barnard Castle and Raby (£3, 15 minutes, eight daily).

There are beautiful formal gardens and a deer park.

Barnard Castle

Pop 7040

The charming market town of Barnard Castle, better known as 'Barney', is a traditionalist's dream, full of antiquarian shops and atmospheric old pubs that serve as a wonderful setting for its twin draws: a daunting ruined castle at its edge and an extraordinary French chateau. If you can drag yourself away, it's also a terrific base for exploring Teesdale and the North Pennines.

1Sights

Barnard CastleCASTLE

(EH; www.english-heritage.org.uk; adult/child £4.60/2.80; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar)

Built on a cliff above the River Tees by Guy de Bailleul and rebuilt around 1150, Barnard Castle was partly dismantled some four centuries later, but still manages to cover more than two very impressive hectares with wonderful river views.

oBowes MuseumMUSEUM

(www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk; adult/child £9/free; h10am-5pm)

About half a mile east of town a monumental chateau contains the lavishly furnished Bowes Museum. Funded by 19th-century industrialist John Bowes, and opened in 1892, this brainchild of his Parisian actress wife, Josephine, was built by French architect Jules Pellechet to display a collection the Bowes had travelled the world to assemble. The star attraction is the marvellous 18th-century mechanical swan, which performs every day at 2pm. If you miss it, a film shows it in action.

Look for works by Canaletto, El Greco and Goya as well as 55 paintings by Josephine herself. Among the 15,000 other objets d'art are incredible dresses from the 17th century through to the 1970s as part of an exhibit on textiles through the ages, and clocks, watches and tableware in gold and silver in the precious-metals section.

4Sleeping & Eating

Old Well InnINN

(%01833-690130; www.theoldwellinn.co.uk; 21 The Bank; s/d/f from £50/70/96; W)

Built over a huge well (not visible), this old coaching inn has 10 enormous rooms. No 9 is the most impressive with its own private entrance, flagstone floors and a bath. The pub has a reputation for excellent grub like rabbit and black pudding casserole (mains £7.50 to £9) as well as regional real ales that you can sip in the leafy beer garden in fine weather.

Jersey Farm Country HotelHOTEL

(%01833-638223; www.jerseyfarmhotel.co.uk; Darlington Rd; s/d from £72/99; hkitchen noon-2pm & 6-9pm; pW)

Another genteel farmhouse conversion, right? Wrong. Rooms here sport cool retro colour schemes and gadgets galore. The restaurant is a clean-cut affair (mains £10 to £19). It's a mile east of town just off the A67.

8Information

Tourist OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION

(%01833-631107; www.thewitham.org.uk; 3 Horsemarket; h10am-4pm Mon & Wed-Sat)

In the Witham building's new arts and community centre.

8Getting There & Away

From Durham, take bus 75 via Darlington (£3.80, 1½ hours, twice hourly).

North Pennines

The North Pennines stretch from western Durham to just short of Hadrian's Wall in the north. In the south is Teesdale, the gently undulating valley of the River Tees; to the north is the much wilder Weardale, carved by the River Wear. Both dales are marked by ancient quarries and mines – industries that date back to Roman times. The wilds of the North Pennines are also home to the picturesque Derwent and Allen Valleys, north of Weardale.

For information on the area check out www.northpennines.org.uk and www.exploreteesdale.co.uk.

Hadrian's Wall

What exactly have the Romans ever done for us? The aqueducts. Law and order. And this enormous wall, built between AD 122 and 128 to separate Romans and Scottish Picts. Named in honour of the emperor who ordered it built, Hadrian's Wall was one of Rome's greatest engineering projects, a spectacular 73-mile testament to ambition and the practical Roman mind. Even today, almost 2000 years after the first stone was laid, the awe-inspiring sections that remain are proof that when the Romans wanted something done, they just knuckled down and did it.

It wasn't easy. When completed, the mammoth structure ran across the narrow neck of the island, from the Solway Firth in the west almost to the mouth of the Tyne in the east. Every Roman mile (0.95 miles) there was a gateway guarded by a small fort (milecastle) and between each milecastle were two observation turrets. Milecastles are numbered right across the country, starting with Milecastle 0 at Wallsend (where you can visit the wall's last stronghold, Segedunum) and ending with Milecastle 80 at Bowness-on-Solway.

A series of forts were developed as bases some distance south (and may predate the wall), and 16 lie astride it.

Carlisle, in Cumbria, and Newcastle are logical start/end points; Haltwhistle, Hexham and Corbridge make good bases. The B6318 follows the course of the wall from the outskirts of Newcastle to Birdoswald. The main A69 road and the railway line follow 3 or 4 miles to the south.

Every May the Hadrian's Wall Festival features lots of recreations of Roman life along the wall – contact tourist offices for details.

2Activities

Hadrian's Wall PathWALKING

(www.nationaltrail.co.uk/hadrianswall)

This 84-mile National Trail runs the length of the wall from Wallsend in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west. The entire route should take about seven days on foot, giving plenty of time to explore the rich archaeological heritage along the way. Local bookshops and tourist offices sell detailed guides.

8Information

Hadrian's Wall CountryTOURIST INFORMATION

(www.visithadrianswall.co.uk)

The official portal for the whole of Hadrian's Wall Country.

Northumberland National Park Visitor CentreTOURIST INFORMATION

(%01434-344396; www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk; Bardon Mill, Once Brewed; h9.30am-5.30pm Apr-Oct, 10am-3pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar)

On Military Rd (B6318).

8Getting There & Around

Bus

The AD122 Hadrian's Wall bus (one-day adult/child £12/6, five daily, April to October) is a hail-and-ride service that runs between Hexham and Carlisle, with one bus a day starting and ending at Newcastle's Central Station and not all services covering the entire route. Bikes can be taken aboard AD122 buses, but space is limited. Bus 185 zips from Haltwhistle to Carlisle the rest of the year (Monday to Saturday only).

West of Hexham the wall runs parallel to the A69, which connects Carlisle and Newcastle. Bus 685 runs along the A69 hourly, passing 2 miles to 3 miles south of the main sites throughout the year.

All these services can be used with the Hadrian's Wall Rover Ticket (adult/child one-day £9/4.50, three-day £18/9, seven-day £36/18), available from bus drivers and tourist offices, where you can also get timetables.

Car & Motorcycle

Your own wheels are the easiest way to get around, with one fort or garrison usually just a short hop from the next. Parking costs £4/15 per day/week; tickets are valid at all sites along the wall.

Train

The railway line between Newcastle and Carlisle (Tyne Valley Line; £12.20, one hour, hourly) has stations at Corbridge, Hexham, Haydon Bridge, Bardon Mill, Haltwhistle and Brampton. Not all services stop at all stations.

Corbridge

Pop 2950

Above a green-banked curve in the Tyne, Corbridge's shady, cobbled streets are lined with old-fashioned shops and pubs. Inhabited since Saxon times when there was a substantial monastery, many of its charming buildings feature stones nicked from nearby Corstopitum.

1Sights

Corbridge Roman Site & MuseumHISTORIC SITE

(EH; www.english-heritage.org.uk; adult/child £5.60/3.40; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar)

What's left of the Roman garrison town of Corstopitum lies about half a mile west of Market Pl on Dere St, once the main road from York to Scotland. It's the oldest fortified site in the area, predating the wall itself by some 40 years. Most of what you see here though dates from around AD 200, when the fort had developed into a civilian settlement and was the main base along the wall.

You get a sense of the domestic heart of the town from the visible remains. The Corbridge Museum displays Roman sculpture and carvings, including the amazing 3rd-century Corbridge Lion.

4Sleeping & Eating

o2 The CroftsB&B

(%01434-633046; www.2thecrofts.co.uk; B6530; d from £80; pW)

By far the best place in town to drop your pack, this secluded B&B occupies a beautiful period home around half a mile's walk east of the town centre on Newcastle Rd. The three high-ceilinged, spacious rooms are all en suite and the energetic owners cook a mean breakfast.

Corbridge LarderDELI, CAFE

(%01434-632 948; www.corbridgelarder.co.uk; 18 Hill St; dishes £4-7; h9.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5.30pm Sat)

Gourmet picnic fare at this fabulous deli includes bread, over 100 varieties of cheese, chutneys, cakes, chocolates and wine (you can get hampers made up) as well as made-to-order sandwiches, pies, quiches, tarts, and antipasti and mezze delicacies. Upstairs from the wonderland of provisions there's a small sit-down cafe.

Black BullBRITISH

(Middle St; mains £8-17; hkitchen noon-9pm; Wc)

A menu of British comfort food, such as beef burgers, fish in beer batter and slow-cooked lamb, and a series of low-ceilinged, atmospheric dining rooms, make this tavern a cosy spot to hole up. Sundays offer a choice of five different roasts.

8Information

Tourist OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION

(%01434-632815; www.thisiscorbridge.co.uk; Hill St; h10am-4.30pm Mon-Sat Easter-Oct, 11am-4pm Wed, Fri & Sat Nov-Mar)

Occupies a corner of the library.

8Getting There & Away

Buses 85, 685 and X85 between Newcastle and Carlisle come through Corbridge (£4.70 to either, up to one hour, every 30 minutes), as does the half-hourly bus 10 from Newcastle (£5, one hour) to Hexham (£2.90, 20 minutes), where you can connect with the Hadrian's Wall bus AD122.

Corbridge is also on the Newcastle–Carlisle railway line.

Hexham

Pop 11,390

Bustling Hexham is a handsome if somewhat scuffed market town centred on its grand Augustinian abbey. Its cobbled alleyways have more shops and amenities than any other wall town between Carlisle and Newcastle, making it a good place to pick up supplies if you're heading out into the windswept wilds beyond.

1Sights

Hexham AbbeyMONASTERY

(www.hexhamabbey.org.uk; h9.30am-5pm, Saxon crypt 11am & 3.30pm)

Dominating tiny Market Pl, Hexham's stately abbey is a marvellous example of Early English architecture. It cleverly escaped the Dissolution of 1537 by rebranding as Hexham's parish church, a role it still has today. The highlight is the 7th-century Saxon crypt, the only surviving element of St Wilifrid's Church, built with inscribed stones from Corstopitum in 674.

Old GaolHISTORIC BUILDING

(adult/child £4/2; h11am-4.30pm Tue-Sat Apr-Sep, Tue & Sat only Oct-Nov & Feb-Mar)

Completed in 1333 as England's first purpose-built prison, today this strapping stone structure's four floors tell the history of the jail in all its gruesome glory. The history of the Border Reivers – a group of clans who fought, kidnapped, blackmailed and killed each other in an effort to exercise control over a lawless tract of land along the Anglo-Scottish border throughout the 16th century – is also retold, along with tales of the punishments handed out in the prison.

4Sleeping & Eating

Hallbank Guest HouseB&B

(%01434-605567; www.hallbankguesthouse.com; Hallgate; s/d from £70/90; pW)

Behind the Old Gaol, this fine Edwardian house combines period elegance with stylishly furnished rooms equipped with flatscreen TVs and huge beds. It's very popular so book ahead.

Deli at Number 4DELI, CAFE

(%01434-608091; www.deliatnumber4.co.uk; 4 Beaumont St; dishes £2-5; h9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 11am-4pm Sun)

Opposite Hexham's abbey, colourful window displays of breads, cheeses, olives, jams, homemade cakes and more entice you in, and the aromas from the kitchen tempt you upstairs to dine on soups, sandwiches and various specials.

oBouchon BistrotFRENCH

(www.bouchonbistrot.co.uk; 4-6 Gilesgate; mains £12-20; hnoon-2pm & 6-9.30pm Mon-Sat)

Hexham may be an unlikely setting for some true fine dining, but this Gallic affair has an enviable reputation. Classically inspired dishes range from proper French onion soup with gruyère or garlic snails to pan-fried Coley fillet with watercress velouté. Ingredients are as fresh as nature can provide and the wine list is an elite selection of champagnes, reds and whites.

8Information

Tourist OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION

(%01434-652220; www.visitnorthumberland.com/hexham; Wentworth Car Park; h9.30am-5pm Mon-Sat, 11am-4pm Sun Apr-Oct, 10am-4.30pm Mon-Sat Nov-Mar)

Northeast of the town centre.

8Getting There & Away

Buses 85, 685 and X85 between Newcastle and Carlisle come through Hexham (£4.70, 1¼ hours, every 30 minutes); the AD122 Hadrian's Wall bus connects with other towns along the wall. Bus 10 (£5.40, 1¼ hours, every 30 minutes) links Hexham with Newcastle.

Hexham is on the scenic railway line between Newcastle (£6.60, 30 minutes, hourly) and Carlisle (£5, one hour, hourly).

Chesters Roman Fort & Museum

Chesters Roman Fort & MuseumHISTORIC SITE

(EH; %01434-681379; www.english-heritage.org.uk; adult/child £5.60/3.40; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar)

This Roman cavalry fort's superbly preserved remains are set among idyllic green woods and meadows near the village of Chollerford. Originally constructed to house a unit of troops from Asturias in northern Spain, they include part of a bridge (best appreciated from the eastern bank), four gatehouses, a bathhouse and an underfloor heating system. The museum has a large Roman sculpture collection. It's served by Hadrian's Wall bus AD122.

Haltwhistle & Around

Pop 3790

It's one of the more intriguing debates in Britain: where exactly is the centre of the mainland? The residents of Haltwhistle, basically one long street just north of the A69, claim it's here. But then so do the folks in Dunsop Bridge, 71 miles to the south.... No matter, Haltwhistle is a handy spot to get some cash and load up on gear and groceries. Thursday is market day.

1Sights

Vindolanda Roman Fort & MuseumHISTORIC SITE

(www.vindolanda.com; adult/child £6.50/4, with Roman Army Museum £10/5.50; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep,to 5pm Oct, to 4pm Nov & Dec)

The extensive site of Vindolanda offers a fascinating glimpse into the daily life of a Roman garrison town. The time-capsule museum is just one part of this large, extensively excavated site, which includes impressive parts of the fort and town (excavations continue) and reconstructed turrets and temple.

It's 1.5 miles north of Bardon Mill between the A69 and B6318 and a mile from Once Brewed.

Highlights of the Vindolanda museum displays include leather sandals, signature Roman toothbrush-flourish helmet decorations, and numerous writing tablets recently returned from the British Library. These include a student's marked work ('sloppy'), and a parent's note with a present of socks and underpants (things haven't changed – in this climate you can never have too many).

Roman Army MuseumMUSEUM

(www.vindolanda.com; adult/child £5.25/3, with Vindolanda £10/5.50; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov & Dec)

A mile northeast of Greenhead, near Walltown Crags, this kid-pleasing museum provides lots of colourful background detail to Hadrian's Wall life, such as how the soldiers spent their R&R time in this lonely outpost of the empire.

Housesteads Roman Fort & MuseumHISTORIC SITE

(EH; www.english-heritage.org.uk; adult/child £6.40/3.80; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct, to 4pm Nov-Mar)

The most dramatic site of Hadrian's Wall – and the best-preserved Roman fort in the whole country – is at Housesteads, 2.5 miles north of Bardon Mill on the B6318, and about 6 miles from Haltwhistle. From here, high on a ridge and covering 2 hectares, you can survey the moors of Northumberland National Park, and the snaking wall, with a sense of awe at the landscape and the aura of the Roman lookouts.

Housesteads' remains include an impressive hospital, granaries with a carefully worked out ventilation system and barrack blocks. Most memorable are the spectacularly situated communal flushable latrines. Information boards show what the individual buildings would have looked like in their heyday. There's a scale model of the entire fort in the small museum at the ticket office.

Birdoswald Roman FortHISTORIC SITE

(EH; %016977-47602; www.english-heritage.org.uk; adult/child £5.60/3.40; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar)

Technically in Cumbria, the remains of this once-formidable fort on an escarpment overlooking the beautiful Irthing Gorge are on a minor road off the B6318, about 3 miles west of Greenhead; a fine stretch of wall extends from here to Harrow's Scar Milecastle.

Lanercost PrioryRUIN

(EH; www.english-heritage.org.uk; adult/child £3.60/2.20; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar)

Situated 2.6 miles northeast of Brampton, these peaceful raspberry-coloured ruins are all that remain of a priory founded in 1166 by Augustinian canons. Post-dissolution it became a private house and a priory church was created from the Early English nave.

4Sleeping

Once Brewed YHAHOSTEL

(%0845-371 9753; www.yha.org.uk; Military Rd, Bardon Mill; dm/d from £19.50/37.50; hMar-Nov; p)

This modern, well-equipped hostel, with a kitchen, laundry and meals available, is central for visiting the Roman forts of Vindolanda, 1 mile away, and Housesteads, 3 miles away. The Hadrian's Wall bus AD122 drops you at the door.

GreenheadHOSTEL

(%01697-747411; www.greenheadhotelandhostel.co.uk; Greenhead; dm from £15)

A converted Methodist chapel by a trickling stream and a pleasant garden houses this independent hostel 3 miles west of Haltwhistle near the Roman Army Museum. There's a laundry and roomy kitchen, but if you don't feel like cooking, Greenhead's hotel across the road has a restaurant and bar. It's served by the Hadrian's Wall bus AD122.

oAshcroftB&B

(%01434-320213; www.ashcroftguesthouse.co.uk; Lanty's Lonnen, Haltwhistle; s/d from £65/89; pW)

British B&Bs don't get better than this elegant Edwardian vicarage surrounded by nearly 1 hectare of beautifully manicured, terraced lawns and gardens. Inside, the nine rooms – some with private balconies and terraces – have soaring ceilings and come with every gadget 21st-century beings need. The dining room is grander than some snooty hotels and the welcome certainly more genuine.

Holmhead Guest HouseB&B

(%01697-747402; www.bandbhadrianswall.com; Greenhead Brampton; dm/s/d from £12.50/56/72, camping per person £7; pW)

Built using recycled bits of the wall on whose foundations it stands, this superb farmhouse half a mile north of Greenhead offers comfy rooms, a basic bunk barn and unpowered campsites. The Pennine Way and the Hadrian's Wall Path pass through the grounds and Thirwall Castle's jagged ruins loom above. Ask to see the 3rd-century Roman graffiti.

8Information

Tourist OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION

(%01434-322002; www.northumberland.gov.uk; Mechanics Institute, Westgate; h10am-4.30pm Mon-Sat Apr-Oct)

Northumberland National Park

England's last great wilderness is the 405 sq miles of natural wonderland that make up the country's least populated national park. The finest sections of Hadrian's Wall run along its southern edge and the landscape is dotted with prehistoric remains and fortified houses – the thick-walled peles were the only solid buildings built here until the mid-18th century.

Adjacent to the national park itself, the Kielder Water & Forest Park is home to Kielder Water, Europe's largest artificial lake, holding 200,000 million litres. Surrounding its 27-mile-long shoreline is England's largest forest, with 150 million spruce and pine trees.

The lack of population here helped see the area awarded dark-sky status by the International Dark Skies Association in late 2013 (the largest such designation in Europe), with controls to prevent light pollution.

The towns of Wooler (population 1990) and Rothbury (population 2330) make handy bases for exploring the area.

1Sights

oKielder ObservatoryOBSERVATORY

(%07805-638469; www.kielderobservatory.org; off Shilling Pot; public observing session adult/child £15/10; hby reservation)

For the best views of the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park, attend a stargazing session at this state-of-the-art, 2008-built observatory. In addition to public observing there are a host of events including family astronomy, astrophotography and star camps. Book well ahead for all events, which sell out quickly, and dress as you would for the ski slopes (it's seriously chilly here at night). At the signs towards Kielder Observatory and Skyspace, turn left; it's a 2-mile drive up the track.

Cragside House, Garden & EstateHISTORIC BUILDING, GARDENS

(NT; %01669-620333; www.nationaltrust.org.uk; adult/child £15.85/7.90, gardens & estate only £10.20/5.20; hhouse 1-5pm or 11am-5pm Tue-Sun depending on the month, gardens 10.30am-5pm Tue-Sun mid-Mar–Oct)

Situated 1 mile northeast of Rothbury is the astonishing country retreat of the first Lord Armstrong. In the 1880s the house had hot and cold running water, a telephone and alarm system, and was the first in the world to be lit by electricity, generated through hydropower. The sprawling Victorian gardens feature lakes, moors and one of Europe's largest rock gardens. Visit late May to mid-June to see Cragside's famous rhododendrons in bloom. It's just off the B6341.

Chillingham Castle CASTLE

(%01668-215359; www.chillingham-castle.com; adult/child £9/5; hnoon-5pm Sun-Fri Apr-Oct)

Steeped in history, warfare, torture and ghosts, Chillingham is said to be one of the country's most haunted places, with spectres from a phantom funeral to Lady Mary Berkeley seeking her errant husband. Owner Sir Humphrey Wakefield has passionately restored the castle's extravagant medieval staterooms, stone-flagged banquet halls and grisly torture chambers. Chillingham is 6 miles southeast of Wooler. Bus 470 (three daily Monday to Saturday) between Alnwick (£3.70, 25 minutes) and Wooler (£3.10, 20 minutes) stops at Chillingham.

It's possible to stay at the medieval fortress in one of eight self-catering apartments where the likes of Henry III and Edward I once snoozed. Doubles start from £100.

2Activities

The most spectacular stretch of the Hadrian's Wall Path is between Sewingshields and Greenhead in the south of the park.

There are many fine walks through the Cheviots (including a clamber to the top of the 815m-high Cheviot, the highest peak in the range), frequently passing by prehistoric remnants; local tourist offices can provide maps, guides and route information.

Though at times strenuous, cycling is a pleasure here; roads are good and traffic is light.

Kielder Water is a water-sports playground (and midge magnet; bring insect repellent). There are also walking and cycling trails here as well as great birdwatching. Visit www.visitkielder.com for more information.

4Sleeping & Eating

Wooler YHAHOSTEL

(%01668-281365; www.yha.org.uk; 30 Cheviot St; dm/d from £15.50/32; hMar-Nov; pW)

In a low, red-brick building above Wooler, this handy hostel contains 57 beds in a variety of rooms including four handcrafted 'shepherds' huts', a modern lounge and a small restaurant.

oOtterburn Castle Country House HotelHISTORIC HOTEL

( GOOGLE MAP ; %01830-520620; www.otterburncastle.com; Main St, Otterburn; s £59-69, d £99-119, f £129; pW)

Founded by William the Conqueror's cousin Robert Umfraville in 1086 and set in 13 hectares of grounds, this storybook castle's 18 rooms (some with four-poster beds) are recently refurbished and astonishing value. Rates include breakfast, served in the wood-panelled Oak Room restaurant. Cheaper meals are available in the Stable Bar & Bistro.

Katerina's Guest HouseB&B

(%01669-620691; www.katerinasguesthouse.co.uk; High St, Rothbury; d £78; W)

Beamed ceilings, stone fireplaces and en suite rooms with fridges and canopied four-poster beds make Katerina's one of Rothbury's best choices. Bakeries, cafes and pubs abound along the street.

8Information

For information, contact the National Park (%01434-605555; www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk). As well as tourist offices in towns including Wooler (%01668-282123; www.wooler.org.uk; Cheviot Centre, 12 Padgepool Pl; h10am-4.30pm Apr-Oct, 10am-4.30pm Mon-Sat Nov-Mar) and Rothbury (%01669-620887; www.theheartofnorthumberland.co.uk; Church St; h10am-4.30pm), there's a national park office in Once Brewed (%01434-344396; Military Rd; h9.30am-5pm Apr-Oct, 10am-3pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar). All offices can help find accommodation.

8Getting There & Around

Public transport options are limited – to explore properly you really need your own wheels.

AKielder Bus 880 (£3.50, 50 minutes, two daily, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday) runs between Hexham and Kielder.

AOtterburn Bus 808 (£3.50, 55 minutes, three daily, Monday to Saturday) runs between Otterburn and Newcastle. A National Express service calls at Otterburn (£5.80, 50 minutes, daily) between Newcastle and Edinburgh.

ARothbury Bus 14 runs hourly between Morpeth and Rothbury (£5, 1¼ hours, hourly, Monday to Saturday).

AWooler Buses 470 and 473 link Wooler and Alnwick (£3.70, 50 minutes, nine daily). Buses 267 and 464 run between Wooler and Berwick-upon-Tweed (£3.70, 50 minutes, nine daily).

Northumberland Coast

Like Northumberland's wild and remote interior, its coast is also sparsely populated. You won't find any hurdy-gurdy seaside resorts, but instead charming, castle-crowned villages strung along miles of wide, sandy beaches that you might just have to yourself.

`2`Driving Tour
Northumberland Coast

Start Newbiggin-by-the-Sea

End Berwick-upon-Tweed

Length 78 miles; one day

It's possible to shadow the coast to the Scottish border from Tynemouth, but the scenery really picks up at 1Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. Newbiggin's beach was recently restored, when over 500,000 tonnes of Skegness' sand was relocated here to counteract erosion, and Sean Henry's gigantic bronze sculpture The Couple was installed offshore.

Continuing north along the A1068 coast road for 13 miles brings you to the fishing port of 2Amble, with a boardwalk along the seafront and puffin cruises. Less than 2 miles north, biscuit-coloured 3Warkworth is a cluster of houses around a loop in the River Coquet, dominated by the craggy ruin of 14th-century Warkworth Castle. The castle features in Shakespeare’s Henry IV Parts I and II, and the 1998 film Elizabeth was shot here. A few hundred yards upriver, the tiny 14th-century Warkworth Hermitage is carved into the rock.

Some 5 miles north of Warkworth is 4Alnmouth, with brightly painted houses and pretty beaches. It's another 5 miles inland to the bustling town of 5Alnwick to see its imposing castle – which starred as Harry Potter's Hogwarts – and glorious Alnwick Garden. Turn back towards the coast and follow the B1339 for 4.7 miles before turning east on Windside Hill to 6Craster, famed for its smoked kippers, which you can buy direct from the smokery. Don't miss a meal at the Jolly Fisherman, which has spectacular views of brooding Dunstanburgh Castle. Around 5 miles north at 7Low Newton-by-the-Sea, in Embleton Bay, pause for a pint brewed at the Ship Inn.

Past the village of Seahouses (the jumping-off point for the Farne Islands), quaint 8Bamburgh is home to the most dramatic castle yet. Another 17 miles on, via a tidal causeway (check tide times!), the sacred priory ruins of isolated, other-worldly 9Holy Island (Lindisfarne) still attract spiritual pilgrims. Return to the mainland where, 14 miles north, you can walk almost the entire length of the Elizabethan walls encircling England's northernmost city, beautiful aBerwick-upon-Tweed.

Alnwick

Pop 8120

Northumberland's historic ducal town, Alnwick (pronounced 'annick') is an elegant maze of narrow cobbled streets beneath the watchful gaze of a colossal medieval castle. Alnwick is also home to an enchanting bookshop and spectacular Alnwick Garden.

1Sights

oAlnwick CastleCASTLE

(www.alnwickcastle.com; adult/child £14.50/7.50, with Alnwick Garden £26.25/10.40; h10am-5.30pm Apr-Oct)

The outwardly imposing ancestral home of the Duke of Northumberland, and a favourite set for film-makers (it was Hogwarts for the first couple of Harry Potter films), has changed little since the 14th century. The interior is sumptuous and extravagant; the six rooms open to the public – staterooms, dining room, guard chamber and library – have an incredible display of Italian paintings, including Titian's Ecce Homo and many Canalettos.

Various free tours include several focusing on Harry Potter and other productions that have used the castle as a backdrop, including British comedy series Blackadder.

The castle is set in parklands designed by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. The woodland walk offers some great aspects of the castle, or for a view looking up the River Aln, take the B1340 towards the coast.

Alnwick GardenGARDENS

(www.alnwickgarden.com; adult/child £13.75/4.40; h10am-7pm Jan-Oct, noon-6pm Nov & Dec)

This 4.8-hectare walled garden has been transformed from a derelict site into a series of magnificent green spaces surrounding the breathtaking Grand Cascade – 120 separate jets spurting more than 30,000L of water down 21 weirs for everyone to marvel at and kids to splash around in.

There are half a dozen other gardens, including the Franco-Italian-influenced Ornamental Garden (with more than 15,000 plants), the Rose Garden and the fascinating Poison Garden, home to some of the deadliest – and most illegal – plants in the world, including cannabis, magic mushrooms, belladonna and tobacco.

4Sleeping & Eating

Alnwick fills up at weekends from Easter onwards so book ahead. B&Bs cluster near the castle.

oAlnwick LodgeB&B

(%01665-604363; www.alnwicklodge.com; West Cawledge Park, A1; sites from £12, s/d/f from £55/72/100; pW)

Situated 2 miles south off the A1, this gorgeous Victorian farmstead has 15 antique-filled rooms with quirky touches like free-standing, lidded baths. Cooked breakfasts are served around a huge circular banqueting table. You can also go 'glamping' in restored gypsy caravans, wagons and shepherds' huts (from £45, linen per bed £15; shared bathrooms), or pitch up on the sheltered meadow.

White Swan HotelHOTEL

(%01665-602109; www.classiclodges.co.uk; Bondgate Within; d/f from £105/115; pW)

Alnwick's top address is this 300-year-old coaching inn in the heart of town. Its rooms are all superbly appointed (LCD TVs, DVD players and free wi-fi), but its showpiece is the fine-dining restaurant (mains £11 to £19), fitted with the original dining room decor from the Olympic, sister ship to the Titanic – elaborate panelling, ceiling and stained-glass windows included.

Art HouseINTERNATIONAL

(www.arthouserestaurant.com; 14 Bondgate Within; mains £10-16; h11am-11pm Thu-Mon)

Located partially within the 15th-century Hotspur Tower (aka Bondgate Tower), this hip restaurant/art gallery serves upmarket comfort food like sausages with wholegrain mustard mash, pulled pork burgers and steaks with Alnwick rum sauce.

7Shopping

oBarter BooksBOOKS

(%01665-604888; www.barterbooks.co.uk; Alnwick Station; h9am-7pm Mon-Sat Apr-Sep, 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 7pm Sat Oct-Mar)

If you're familiar with the renaissance of the WWII 'Keep Calm and Carry On' slogan, it's thanks to this wonderfully atmospheric secondhand bookshop in Alnwick's Victorian former railway station. While converting the station, the owner came across a set of posters – the framed original is above the till – and turned it into a successful industry.

Coal fires, velvet ottomans, reading rooms and a cafe make this a place you could spend days in, the silence interrupted only by the tiny rumble of the toy train that runs along the track above your head.

8Information

Tourist OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION

(%01670-622152; www.visitalnwick.org.uk; 2 The Shambles; h9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm Sun Easter-Oct, 9.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat Nov-Easter)

By the marketplace.

8Getting There & Away

Alnwick's nearest train station is at Alnmouth, connected to Alnwick by bus X18 (£2.65, 10 minutes, hourly). Buses X15 and X18 run to Berwick-upon-Tweed (£5.90, 50 minutes, 10 daily) and Newcastle (£5.90, one hour, 10 daily).

Craster

Pop 435

Sandy, salty Craster is a small, sheltered fishing village about 6 miles northeast of Alnwick, and is famous for its kippers. In the early 20th century, 2500 herring were smoked here daily. The kippers they still produce today often grace the Queen’s breakfast table, no less.

1Sights

Dunstanburgh CastleCASTLE

(EH & NT; www.english-heritage.org.uk; adult/child £4.30/2.60; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 4pm Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar)

The dramatic 1.5-mile walk along the coast from Craster (not accessible by car) is the most scenic path to this moody, weather-beaten castle. Its construction began in 1314, it was strengthened during the Wars of the Roses, but left to crumble, becoming ruined by 1550. Parts of the original wall and gatehouse keep are still standing and it's a tribute to its builders that so much remains.

You can also reach the castle on foot from Embleton (1.5 miles).

5Eating

oJolly FishermanPUB

(%016650-576461; www.thejollyfishermancraster.co.uk; Haven Hill, Craster; lunch mains £7-10, dinner mains £12-20; hkitchen 11am-3pm & 5-8.30pm Mon-Sat, noon-7pm Sun; c)

Crab (in sensational soup, sandwiches, fish platters and more) is the speciality of this superb gastropub, but Paul Bocuse–trained chef John Blackmore's other amazing creations include apricot-stuffed pheasant leg and Northumbrian venison with juniper berry jus. Great wine list, wonderful real ales, a roaring fire in the bar and a stunning beer garden overlooking Dunstanburgh Castle, too.

7Shopping

Robson & SonsFOOD

(%01665-576223; www.kipper.co.uk; Haven Hill, Craster; kippers per kilo £6)

Four generations have operated this traditional fish smokers. It's best known for its kippers, but also smokes salmon and other fish.

8Information

Tourist OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION

(%01665-576007; Quarry Car Park; h10am-5pm Easter-Oct)

8Getting There & Away

Bus X18 runs to Berwick-upon-Tweed (£5.90, 1½ hours, nine daily) and Newcastle (£5.40, 1½ hours, nine daily). Bus 418 links Craster to Alnwick (£4.90, 30 minutes, hourly).

Embleton Bay

Beautiful Embleton Bay, a pale wide arc of sand, stretches from Dunstanburgh past the endearing, sloping village of Embleton and curves in a broad vanilla-coloured strand around to end at Low Newton-by-the-Sea, a tiny whitewashed, National Trust–preserved village.

1Sights & Activities

Behind the bay is a path leading to the Newton Pool Nature Reserve, an important spot for breeding and migrating birds such as black-headed gulls and grasshopper warblers. There are a couple of hides where you can peer out at them. You can continue walking along the headland beyond Low Newton, where you’ll find Football Hole, a delightful hidden beach between headlands.

Dunstanburgh Castle Golf ClubGOLF

(%01665-576562; www.dunstanburgh.com; green fee per round weekday/weekend £26/30; hby reservation)

First laid out in 1900, this stunning course was improved upon by golf legend and ‘inventor’ of the dogleg, James Braid (1870–1950) in 1922.

4Sleeping & Eating

Joiners ArmsPUB

(%01665-576112; www.joiners-arms.com; High Newton-by-the-Sea; d £140-155; pW)

Locals love this gastropub and for good reason: ingredients are sourced nearby, the seafood and steaks are excellent (mains £8 to £21) and families are warmly welcomed. But for visitors, it's also a fantastic place to stay – five contemporary guest rooms are individually and exquisitely decorated with details like exposed brick, free-standing baths and four-poster beds.

Ship InnPUB

(%01665-576262; www.shipinnnewton.co.uk; Low Newton-by-the-Sea; mains £8.50-18; hbar 11am-11pm Mon-Sat, noon-11pm Sun, kitchen noon-2.30pm daily & 7-8pm Wed-Sat)S

Set around a village green, this wonderful pub brews 20 different beers – blond, wheat, rye, bitter, stout and seasonal – using local Coquet river water. Food is first-rate, too, from local crab to slow-cooked Peelham Farm lamb shanks with lemon and parsley couscous. No credit cards.

8Getting There & Away

Bus X18 to Newcastle (£5.40, 1¾ hours, nine daily) and Berwick-upon-Tweed (£5.40, 1¼ hours, nine daily) stops outside the Joiners Arms. Bus 418 (£4.90, 40 minutes, hourly) links the village of Embleton with Alnwick.

Farne Islands

Farne IslandsWILDLIFE RESERVE

(NT; %07901-922143; www.nationaltrust.org.uk; adult/child excl boat transport £6.80/3.50; hby reservation, season and conditions permitting)

During breeding season (roughly May to July), you can see feeding chicks of 20 species of seabird, including puffin, kittiwake, Arctic tern, eider duck, cormorant and gull, as well as some 6000 grey seals on this rocky archipelago about 3 miles offshore from the fishing village of Seahouses, reached from its dock with operators including Billy Shiel (%01665-720308; www.farne-islands.com; 2½hr tour adult/child £13/9, 6hr tour £30/18).

Crossings can be rough (impossible in bad weather); wear warm, waterproof clothing and an old hat to guard against the birds!

Inner Farne is the more interesting of the two islands accessible to the public (along with Staple Island); its tiny chapel (1370; restored 1848) commemorates St Cuthbert, who lived here for a spell and died here in 687.

8Information

Tourist OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION

(%01670-625593; www.seahouses.org; Seafield car park; h10am-5pm Apr-Oct, 11am-3pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar)

8Getting There & Away

Seahouses bus connections include bus X18 to Berwick-upon-Tweed (£5.70, nine daily, 45 minutes) and Newcastle (£6.20, nine daily, two hours). Bus 418 runs to Alnwick (£5.10, 55 minutes, hourly).

Bamburgh

Pop 280

Roosting high up on a basalt crag, Bamburgh's mighty castle looms over the quaint village – a clutch of houses around a pleasant green – which continues to commemorate the valiant achievements of local heroine, Grace Darling.

1Sights

Bamburgh CastleCASTLE

(www.bamburghcastle.com; adult/child £9.95/4.50; h10am-5pm mid-Feb–Oct, 11am-4.30pm Nov–mid-Feb)

Northumberland's most dramatic castle was built around a powerful 11th-century Norman keep by Henry II. The castle played a key role in the border wars of the 13th and 14th centuries, and in 1464 was the first English castle to fall during the Wars of the Roses. It was restored in the 19th century by the great industrialist Lord Armstrong, and is still home to the Armstrong family.

Its name is a derivative of Bebbanburgh, after the wife of Anglo-Saxon ruler Aedelfrip, whose fortified home occupied this basalt outcrop 500 years earlier. Antique furniture, suits of armour, priceless ceramics and artworks cram the castle's rooms and chambers, but top billing goes to the neo-Gothic King's Hall with wood panelling, leaded windows and hefty beams supporting the roof.

RNLI Grace Darling MuseumMUSEUM

(www.rnli.org; 1 Radcliffe Rd; h10am-5pm Easter-Sep, 10am-4pm Tue-Sun Oct-Easter)F

Born in Bamburgh, Grace Darling was the lighthouse keeper's daughter on Outer Farne who rowed out to the grounded, flailing SS Forfarshire in 1838 and saved its crew in the middle of a dreadful storm. This recently refurbished museum even has her actual coble (row boat) as well as a film on the events of that stormy night. Grace was born just three houses down from the museum and is buried in the churchyard opposite.

Her ornate wrought-iron and sandstone tomb was built tall so as to be visible to passing ships.

5Eating

oMizen HeadMODERN BRITISH

(%01668 214 254; www.mizenheadhotel.co.uk; Lucker Rd; mains £10-29; hnoon-2pm & 6-9pm; pW)

Since it opened in 2011, Bamburgh's best place to eat and/or stay is this stunning restaurant with rooms. Local seafood – lobster thermidor, roast turbot with asparagus, tarragon and lemon butter – is the kitchen's speciality, along with chargrilled steaks. Its six rooms with chequered fabrics and black-and-white coastal prints are light, bright and spacious (doubles from £100 to £140). Switched-on staff know their stuff.

There's wi-fi in public areas only.

8Getting There & Away

Take bus X18 north to Berwick-upon-Tweed (£5.90, 35 minutes, nine daily) or south to Newcastle (£5.90, two hours, nine daily).

Holy Island (Lindisfarne)

Pop 160

There's something almost other-worldly about this tiny, 2-sq-mile island. Connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway that only appears at low tide, it's fiercely desolate and isolated, scarcely different from when St Aidan arrived to found a monastery in 635.

As you cross the empty flats, it's easy to imagine the marauding Vikings who repeatedly sacked the settlement between 793 and 875, when the monks finally took the hint and left. They carried with them the illuminated Lindisfarne Gospels (now in the British Library in London) and the miraculously preserved body of St Cuthbert, who lived here for a couple of years but preferred the hermit's life on Inner Farne. A priory was re-established in the 11th century, but didn't survive the Dissolution in 1537.

Pay close attention to the crossing-time information, posted at tourist offices and on notice boards throughout the area, and at www.holy-island.info. Every year drivers are caught midway by the incoming tide and have to abandon their cars.

1Sights

Lindisfarne PrioryRUIN

(EH; www.english-heritage.org.uk; adult/child £5.40/3.20; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct, 10am-4pm Sat & Sun Nov-Mar)

The skeletal, red and grey ruins of the priory are an eerie sight and give a glimpse into the isolated life led by the Lindisfarne monks. The later 13th-century St Mary the Virgin Church is built on the site of the first church between the Tees and the Firth of Forth, and the adjacent museum displays the remains of the first monastery and tells the story of the monastic community before and after the Dissolution.

Lindisfarne Heritage CentreMUSEUM

(www.lindisfarne-centre.com; Marygate; adult/child £4/2; h10am-5pm Apr-Oct, reduced hr Nov-Mar)

Twenty pages of the luminescent Lindisfarne Gospels can be flicked through on touch-screens here, though there's normally a queue. While you wait your turn there are fascinating exhibitions on the Vikings and the sacking of Lindisfarne in 793.

Lindisfarne CastleCASTLE

(NT; www.nationaltrust.org.uk; adult/child £7.40/3.70; h10am-3pm Tue-Sun Mar-Oct)

Half a mile from the village stands this tiny, storybook castle, moulded onto a hunk of rock in 1550, and extended and converted by Sir Edwin Lutyens from 1902 to 1910 for Mr Hudson, the owner of Country Life magazine – you can imagine some of the decadent Gatsby-style parties to have graced its alluring rooms. Opening times can vary due to tide times.

4Sleeping & Eating

It's possible to stay on the island, but you'll need to book well in advance.

Crown & AnchorINN

(%01289-389215; www.holyislandcrown.co.uk; Market Place; d £75-100)

The only locally run inn on the island is a relaxed, down-to-earth spot with brightly coloured guest rooms and solid pub grub (steak-and-ale pie, rib-eye steak with onion rings; mains £8 to £18), but the biggest winner is the beer garden with a postcard panorama of the castle, priory and harbour.

Lindisfarne InnINN

(%01289-381223; www.lindisfarneinn.co.uk; Beal; s/d from £60/85; W)

Although on the mainland (on the A1 next to the turn-off to the causeway), this is a handy alternative to staying and/or dining on the island if you're cutting it fine with crossing times. Its 21 spotless, modern rooms are set far back enough that road noise isn't a problem. Well-above-average bar food includes a catch-of-the-day fisherman's pie (mains £9 to £15).

There's wi-fi in the bar only.

Open GateGUESTHOUSE

(%01289-389222; www.aidanandhilda.org; Marygate; s £48-58, d £78-85)

An Elizabethan farmhouse is the setting for this Christian retreat. In addition to four en suite rooms, the top floor has some cheaper single rooms that share bathrooms (£38).

8Getting There & Around

The sea covers the causeway and cuts the island off from the mainland for about five hours each day.

Holy Island can sometimes be reached by bus 477 from Berwick-upon-Tweed (£4.50, 40 minutes, depends on tides); check with Berwick's tourist offices for updated information.

Drivers need to park in one of the signposted car parks (£4.60 per day). A shuttle bus (£2 return) runs from the car park to the castle every 20 minutes.

Berwick-upon-Tweed

Pop 13,265

England's northernmost city is a picturesque fortress town, cleaved by the River Tweed, which is spanned by the Grade I–listed Berwick Bridge (aka Old Bridge), built from sandstone between 1611 and 1624, and the Royal Tweed (1925–28).

Berwick is the stubborn holder of two unique honours: it is the most fought-over settlement in European history (between 1174 and 1482 it changed hands 14 times between the Scots and the English); and its football team, Berwick Rangers, are the only English team to play in the Scottish League (albeit in lowly Scottish League Two). Although firmly English since the 15th century, Berwick retains its own identity, with locals south of the border speaking with a noticeable Scottish whirr.

1Sights & Activities

Berwick WallsWALLS

(EH; GOOGLE MAP ; hdaylight hr)F

You can walk almost the entire length of Berwick's hefty Elizabethan walls, begun in 1558 to reinforce an earlier set built during the reign of Edward II. The mile-long walk is a must, with wonderful, wide-open views. Only a small fragment remains of the once-mighty border castle, most of the building having been replaced by the train station.

Berwick BarracksMUSEUM, GALLERY

(EH; GOOGLE MAP ; www.english-heritage.org.uk; The Parade; adult/child £4.20/2.50; h10am-6pm Mon-Fri Apr-Sep, to 4pm Oct)

Designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, Britain's oldest purpose-built barracks (1717) now house an assortment of museums and art galleries, covering a history of the town and British soldiery since the 17th century. The Gymnasium Gallery hosts big-name contemporary art exhibitions.

Cell Block MuseumMUSEUM

( GOOGLE MAP ; Marygate; adult/child £2/50p; htours 10.30am & 2pm Mon-Fri Easter-Sep)

The original jail cells in the upper floor of the town hall (1750–61) have been preserved as a chilling museum devoted to crime and punishment. Tours take in the public rooms, museum, jail and belfry.

TTours

Time to Explore Guided ToursWALKING TOUR

( GOOGLE MAP ; %01289-330218; www.visitberwick.com; 106 Marygate; Town & Walls adult/child £5/free, Hidden Berwick adult/child £6/free; hby reservation Easter-Oct)

Passionate local Derek Sharman leads 1¼-hour Town & Walls tours taking in the town's highlights, and 1¾-hour Hidden Berwick tours including entry to an Elizabethan bastion and the 18th-century gunpowder magazine, which aren't normally open to the public. Tours depart from the tourist office.

4Sleeping

Accommodation in Berwick is limited – the tourist office can help find places to stay.

Berwick YHAHOSTEL

( GOOGLE MAP ; %01629-592700; www.yha.org.uk; Dewars Lane; dm/d from £18/59; iW)

A 240-year-old granary has been converted into a state-of-the-art hostel with contemporary facilities: comfortable dorms, a handful of en suite doubles, a TV room, a laundry and wi-fi in common areas. Staff are terrifically friendly and helpful.

Granary GuesthouseBOUTIQUE B&B

( GOOGLE MAP ; %01289-304403; www.granaryguesthouse.co.uk; 11 Bridge St; s/d from £80/96; pW)S

In a charming town-centre location, Berwick's most romantic B&B has three fresh, elegant and contemporary guest rooms, locally sourced and/or organic breakfasts and an on site beauty treatment room offering massages.

5Eating & Drinking

AudelaMODERN BRITISH

( GOOGLE MAP ; %01289-308827; www.audela.co.uk; 41-47 Bridge St; breakfast dishes £3-8, lunch mains £5-9.50, dinner mains £8-19; h9am-9pm; c)S

Named for the last vessel to be built at Berwick Shipyard (in 1979), this brand-new addition to Berwick's dining scene has become the town's top table. Local suppliers provide the ingredients for dishes like twice-baked blue cheese soufflé, halibut with lemon butter sauce and herb-crusted rack of lamb, served in a striking sage-green dining room.

Barrels AlehousePUB

( GOOGLE MAP ; 59-61 Bridge St; hnoon-midnight; W)

Berwick's best watering hole attracts a mixed, laid-back crowd who can be found sipping real ales and micro-distilled gins and whiskies at all hours. There's regular live music in the atmospherically dingy basement bar.

8Information

Tourist OfficeTOURIST INFORMATION

( GOOGLE MAP ; %01670-622155; www.visitberwick.com; 106 Marygate; h10am-5pm Apr-Oct, 10am-4pm Mon-Sat Nov-Mar)

8Getting There & Away

Bus

Buses stop on Golden Sq (where Marygate becomes Castlegate). National Express coaches between Edinburgh (£11.60, 1¼ hours, twice daily) and London (£36.50, eight hours, twice daily) stop here. Other options include buses X15 (via Alnwick) and X18 to Newcastle (£6.50, 2½ hours, nine daily) and bus 477 to Holy Island (£4.50, 35 minutes, depends on tides; check with Berwick's tourist offices for updated information).

Train

Berwick is almost exactly halfway between Edinburgh (£19.90, 40 minutes, every 30 minutes) and Newcastle (£23.60, 45 minutes, every 30 minutes) on the East Coast Main Line linking London and Edinburgh.

Newcastle & Northeast England

Newcastle & Northeast England

Why Go?

When to Go

Best Places to Eat

Best Places to Stay

Newcastle & Northeast England Highlights

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

City Centre

BRIDGING THE TYNE

Ouseburn Valley

Gateshead

City Centre

Jesmond

City Centre

Jesmond

GAY & LESBIAN NEWCASTLE

City Centre

Ouseburn Valley

Around Newcastle

Angel of the North

Tynemouth

Segedunum

Hartlepool

County Durham

Durham

WORTH A TRIP

BEAMISH OPEN-AIR MUSEUM

WORTH A TRIP

RABY CASTLE

Barnard Castle

North Pennines

Hadrian's Wall

Corbridge

Hexham

Chesters Roman Fort & Museum

Haltwhistle & Around

Northumberland National Park

Northumberland Coast

2Driving TourNorthumberland Coast

Alnwick

Craster

Embleton Bay

Farne Islands

Bamburgh

Holy Island (Lindisfarne)

Berwick-upon-Tweed

`2`Driving Tour
Northumberland Coast