Beyond the city (and if you get the chance) the Northumberland coast is well worth exploring. The beaches from Alnmouth up through Bamburgh are absolutely stunning.
Alnwick is a lovely little market town. Good castle (where some of Harry Potter was filmed), and it has the largest second hand bookshop in the country, housed in a converted railway station (it’s amazing).
Have basically been to three places since I moved here ten days ago
Had really great pizza here
https://www.theherbgardenuk.com
Also both the Box Social bar and the Split Chimp (both in the railway arches near the station - as is Herb Garden) have good selections of beers
This sounds brilliant. Just told my brother about it too. Should be easy enough to get to by train by the looks of it!
Barter Books is the most relaxing place I’ve ever been. So good on a rainy day. I love sitting in front of the fire with strangers’ dogs.
How long are you going there for?
A trip to Alnwick (including the castle, gardens and town) can easily fill a day, and a trip up the coast to the various bays and castles could swallow a week.
posted this before with recommendations: Top five cities/places you've been to - #98 by nestor
for music worth checking wylam, cluny and star & shadow. also the old police house in gateshead for more leftfield stuff
Really miss it. Favourite city in the UK by a distance
Sorry pal, I don’t live there anymore but this thread is pretty comprehensive. Have a stonker of a time!
I’m off down for some solo days there in a few days, any more up to date recs?
Pubs, restaurants, shops, cafes, museums, anything!
I’m there this weekend.
Super Natural Cafe (Grainger St)
Little Dumpling House (Ridley Pl)
Dabbawal (just off Brentwood Pl)
Little Green Cafe (Goldspink Ln)
Cook House (Ouseburn)
Thali Tray (under Byker Bridge, if it’s still open - it’s closing soon)
Ernest Cafe (Boyd St)
Visited earlier this year for the first time in ages.
Seemed to be plenty going on in Ouseburn way and it had a cool market place.
Drinks wise I wanted to get to Wylam Brewery but didn’t get a chance, did drink at Wobbly Duck, Free Trade Inn and Cumberland Arms all which were good. Also at Elder Beer Cafe but probably a bit out of the way on Clippingham Road but combined it with Flint Pizza there mainly as friends were staying that way. Also had Korean food at Mannaza which was good, if hard to find. Then Pink Bakery came in handy for train treats home.
Heaton park was nice for a short wander round. Also did the classic trip out to walk Whitley Bay to Tynemouth, couldn’t make it into Riley’s Fish Bar so just went to one of the chippies on the main road instead.
Mosaic Tap, Mean Eyed Cat, Town Mouse, Split Chimp, Beer Street, Wobbly Duck, The Forth are all good city centre drinking spots.
Newcastle Tap is fairly average for beer but does really great pizza.
If you go over the High Level Bridge to Gateshead you’ve also got Axis, Microbus (with a great donut place inbetween) and the Central all very close, and then By The River by, er, the river
(There’s also a great donut place next to Mosaic)
Recommend Pablo Eggsgobao for breakfast rolls but with the warning that it’s outdoor seating only!
Pink Lane Bakery also does good pasties and stuff.
Next door to Pablos is the Lubber Fiend, a new DIY venue that has music and occasionally films on.
There’s also the Alphabetti theatre on that block which is the new writing play and usually PWYW.
Others have mentioned Ouseburn but would also add that Two by Two have a new taproom there, and a bit further down the river you’ve got Full Circle. There’s also a farm there (but it is half term here right now) which is great fun.
Pablo Eggsgobao is an astonishingly good name
Thanks @marckee @ghostly @guntrip for all those suggestions!
Any of those drinking establishments especially good for a solo pint & book read?
I’ll be hanging around Newcastle from Thursday night until Tuesday morning (staying in Jesmond), so if anyone fancies a DiS pint, just send me a DM! I’m driving down from Glasgow for a wee change of scenery.
As not a local best to take advice of others but Wobbly Duck on a Friday still seemed fairly chilled out and had dogs lazing about. Cumberland Arms had a cozy old pub feel to it and assume the log burner will be on the go which is always good company with a book.
With mentioning Jesmond had a giant and tasty bagel there from Dot Bagels. Not a coffe drinker but North Coffee had a van on Moorfield road which my friends use and seem to rate.
Hope everyone is okay with me moving this to the Travel board? Feel free to move back if not (does @foppyish still post?)
Second @ghostly’s suggest for Dot Bagels, they are huge and ridiculous.
There’s also Cake Stories there, which is the best cake place.
Pub wise Jesmond is a little sparse but the Punch Bowl is a nice spot, and has Bobiks upstairs which has music/comedy on most nights.
Also go to Jesmond Dene, it is lovely, and you can walk down most of the way to where it turns into the Ouseburn.
(You’ve also got Rehills…)
Looks like dot bagels closed a few weeks ago according to their instagram 
Oh that’s a shame!
Honestly, my partner got one once and it was so huge it lasted her three meals…