A Geordie’s tour of Newcastle … and it’s not all lip fillers and nights out in Bijoux
I recently went to Newcastle to visit one of my best friends, Suze. Although she grew up in Newcastle, we met over in Sydney and instantly became besties. During our many crazy nights out in Sydney (shout out to the Metropolitan roof top bar and Establishment (stabbos!)) Suze would tell me about what ‘The Toon’ was like. I will unashamedly admit, I love watching Geordie Shore so I had an idea of what Newcastle was like. But after visiting it and being taken around by a local, I’ve realised it’s so much more than a party city full of ripped men and botoxed women getting “mortal”.
Here is why you should visit Newcastle.
Tynemouth
This quaint seaside borough offers great places to eat and shop. Despite the great views, the restaurants aren’t overly expensive. It’s a chilled part of town and has cute boutique stores. I’d recommend checking out the Green Ginger Shopping Arcade. It’s actually a church that was converted into a shopping arcade about 40 years ago. I bought myself a couple pairs of shoes, but you can also get hand-crafted jewellery and clothes.
Tynemouth has a good café culture and it’s pet friendly. It seems almost everyone in this borough has a dog. This is the perfect area to go for a stroll along the beach and grab a coffee at one of the many cafés.
St Mary’s Lighthouse and St Mary’s Island
Just up the road from Tynemouth in a town called Whitley Bay is St Mary’s Lighthouse. It’s the perfect location for a cute Insta snap. If the tide is low, you can walk across to St Mary’s Island. But don’t forget to check when the tide is coming in, otherwise you may be trapped on the Island for a while.
The architecture and art
Newcastle is full of castles. The main one is called The Castle and it’s what gave Newcastle its name. Situated in the main centre, you’ll be able to glance at it en-route to your next night club on a night out.
Newcastle is also known as the city of bridges. It has seven bridges alone on the Tyne River in the city centre. Check out the Baltic Art Gallery on the river and grab yourself a drink in the upstairs bar. You’ll get amazing views of all of the bridges. If you like your contemporary art, head downstairs for a number of different display rooms. I personally opted to stick to the wine – I wasn’t in the mood to enhance my cultural, artistic knowledge that day.
The pubs
Newcastle has a lot of great pubs, if you’re in the mood for a couple of drinks, or a good pub meal. Coming from London, I found the drinks were ridiculously cheap – it didn’t even cost me a tenner for two large glasses of wine! Most pubs will put on a Sunday roast, which is exactly what your need after hitting the town the night before. We went to The Gibraltar Rock in Tynemouth and it sorted us right out!
Party, party party!!
So, I know I said Newcastle has so much more to offer than a crazy night out, but let’s be honest, it is the place to be if you’re keen for a big one or if you’re on a hen or stag do. The main party strip is on Mosley Street. This is where the likes of Bijoux and Florita’s are. We went to Bijoux (I couldn’t not go after watching Geordie Shore) and it was amazing! it’s super tiny, much smaller than I could imagine. But the tunes were banging and everyone was having a good time. Highly recommend!
Final verdict – Newcastle is a great place to go for the weekend. Go exploring on the Saturday and check out all the sites then party all night. On the Sunday, if you’re feeling fragile, go get yourself a good pub roast and enjoy some fresh ocean air by the beach.