To love living in the North East?

[DrSeuss]

Following yesterday's thread about the "horrors" of living in Manchester and the North in general, what do you love most about the North East? Where do you recommend people to visit? What aspects of life do you like best here? I would nominate Durham, especially the cathedral, the fish and chips in Whitby and the architecture of Grainger Street. Anyone else?

I'm an import to the north east - I live in Chester-le-street now and wouldn't live anywhere else now. I love the north east!

Cahya, Whitby is in Yorkshire - not the North East. Try the beaches around Lindisfarne and Seahouses.

Have any of you read the Joanna Trollope book - the Other Family? It is partially about a Southerner who finds out about the North East. It has wonderful descriptions of Tynemouth and Newcastle.

Pottering I went to school in Ch-Le-St. My parents live near in the village with the castle

My husband teaches in C-le-S! I love the castle - not necessarily going in but every time I drive past it it feels grand!

Going to barter books on Saturday and v excited!

I love wandering around The Quayside in Gateshead on a sunday morning, looking at all the stalls (v expensive cakes and cheese!) and then walking in to Newcastle to have a meal at one of the huge selection of cafes/restaurants.

I love having afternoon cream tea in Lumley Castle for a treat...I can walk to it from my house and it always cheers me up when I'm in the grumps ( people will think I'm on commission as I mention it so much on here!)

I love driving 20 mins to get to a beach, even when it's cold and windy it's still beautiful.Me and hubby tend to go there when we need to decide something. A nice long walk (with hats,scarves,gloves, coats) helps to clear the head.

I love getting a boat out on the river in Durham and pretending to row but actually hubby does all hard work. Only in July or August as i tends to get a bit choppy!

I have to have dinner now but thrilled with this thread and I will be back

By the way....when is our night out? Apologies if it's in the thread but I haven't had time to read it all yet

Summerbird, good god, no, I've never lived in Crook.

I've visited it enough to know what it's like though.

I lived further up the Dale, in a small village - that was enough. :o

Barter Books is brill. We go once a year to stock up on stuff we can't find anywhere else.

I wouldn't recommend Crook either, though my dad grew up there. One of my kids went out with a lassie there for a year+ so I used to drive there fairly often (it was a 3 hr round journey on buses otherwise) - the journey was okay, the place sadly wasn't.

Boyes = best general shop ever.

More good things

Hancocks Museum
Laing Art Gallery
Huge Library in Newcastle, you can spend hours in there and not even know!
Seaham Hall Spa
Fenwicks Food Hall
Fenwicks Make-up Dept
Durham County Cricket ground, within walking distance of our house. This is my dh's suggestion, I wouldn't have bothered (although Austins wine bar in the grounds is v good for a lovely early evening meal)

I enjoyed my life Down South but as soon as I came back to the North East it just felt right. And although I miss friends I haven't missed anything else at all about life in London then Bucks.

Sorry DrSeuss had to go out, so forgot to come back to the thread.

I am just down the A66 road from you in Thornaby
Love going to Preston Park in the summer. DS loves the Butterfly house!

I love this thread, DH is from the NE and we are thinking about moving to Newcastle later in the year...this thread is convincing me Keep it going please!

I feel all teary and nostalgic reading this, nearly wet myself laughing at the mention of Boyes. Used to go there for all my fabric for textiles projects at school.

Does any native NE-er remember 'fadgies'? They were triangular bread rolls sold warm. think they've been renamed scufflers, can't think why. :)
I also used to love to visit Dickens, the Teesside b&q. It had a great pet shop.
Love this thread!

hackneyzoo Do it...you know you want to!

I lived Down South for twenty years(since I was 18) and moved back Up North at the end of 2007. It was the best thing we could have done. My girls love it AND my hubby still enjoys buying a round at the bar because it seems so cheap

I remember fadges - my Dad still calls them that!

Forgot Seaton Deleval genuine Italian ice cream as has been mentioned. Delicious!

Dare I say - going to the match! I know there will be many not of the b and W persuasion but SJP at full voice is great. And a corned beef pasty at half time!

Bimbi's fish&chip shop in Durham...
...the new(ish) Seven Stories children's lit museum in Newcastle...
...rowing on the Wear in Durham...
...the deer park in Bishop Auckland...
all that stuff about Bede around Jarrow...
...Weardale Heritage Railway...

oh and the railway museum at Shildon - brilliant!

Aww, and I thought this thread was going to be about the real NE - Aberdeen, Balmeddie, Stoney, Deeside....

I'm the great grand daughter of an Aberdonian, if that helps and still bear the clan name!

Oooh I forgot about Causey Arches, great for a nice long walk. With a pub or two enroute

Durham city (because I live there!)

Harrogate, because I'm getting married there in 4 weeks!
Olfields restaurant, yum
Fat Buddha for watermelon cocktails
Tea and biscuits in lumley castle
A nice walk round high force then lunch at the Rose & Crown in Romaldkirk
Top floor at the seven stories
Gusto on the quayside for the kids
Feeding the deer at Whitworth Park
Barter books for hours on end,especially if they have the fire on in the waiting room!
Alnwick gardens/castle
Anywhere on the Northumberland coast!

I could go on all day!

my stomach is knotting reading this thread, dont think i ever felt this homesick in 9 years!

Fenwicks make up dept! oh yes - i also got my hair done on the 3rd floor of fenwicks and also my bits (waxing, eyelash tint, facials etc) in that salon next to the toy dept.

also that huge shop that was Callers, Mark One, then Hamleys, then HMV - am i right or am i getting confused.... i know there is a Primark where C&A used to be.

THE NORTHUMBERLAND ARMS!!!!!!! how can one forget - and Trillians!!!

in fact i used to spend my -weekends- pocket money in Fenwicks!

weekends obviously!

Summerbird73 I had forgotten all about Mark One. I used to buy loads of clothes from there. It was cheap and cheerful.Can't believe I'd forgotten all about it.

When I'd finished shopping there I would go to Olivers for a 'Supa Bun' with prawns and spicy onions. They were delicious!