Newcastle questions

[User562377]

Ds and I are spending a few days in Newcastle. We've booked a hotel assuming we're getting the train but now we're going to drive.

Plan is to arrive Saturday, drive to Beamish on Sunday, wander around Newcastle on Monday, drive home via some roman sites on Tuesday. This is why we've decided to take the car.

So question 1- what would be a sensible thing to do with the car? Can anyone recommend a relatively safe long stay car park? Hotel doesn't have parking.

Question 2- if you had 1 day, a car and a 14 yr old, which Roman site would you visit? Chesters roman fort or Vindolandia? Or something less well known? Could we visit 2 in one day? We're not in a rush to get home but would rather see one site well than 2 in a rush I think.

Question 3- is a tour of the Victoria tunnels worthwhile?

I think that will pretty much fill our time but id there abything amazing we shoild make sure we see? No interest in football or sport.

Evening recommendations maybe for a 14 yr old? The evenings can be long sometimes. We'll go to the cinema once probably.

Thank you

Is Cragside not just a stately home? I discounted that almost straight away as not being very interesting. I'll look again.

We have cats at home so will give that a miss!

Maybe we should visit the great North museum and get a bit more of a feel for the Roman stuff, I've not got much sense of geography so can't work out what it all looks like on the ground if that makes sense.

As for food, he's not very adventurous. Pizza every night would suit him fine.
I'd love a nice coffee shop I can sit and read my book in for an hour while he wanders around by himself. He likes buildings and architecture and I think I'd be happy to let him walk around with location turned on on his phone if I was nearby.

And Housesteads, I've never heard of that. I'll have a look.

I wish we were going for longer now. Maybe we should skip Beamish and do some other things instead. I thought nist of the Roman sites were north so we should do them on our way home but maybe not. Maybe we could do that over 2 days. Sounds like there's loads to see.

Totally depends which hotel as to which parking

Romans
Corbridge is great, compact and interesting. Good visitor centre.
Chester's is close by much more space and lots still uncovered but well worth a visit.
Housesteads is worth the trek up the hill and you can easily access bits of the wall. Good visitor centre.

I would say the most interesting place is Vindolanda (and the Roman Army Museum). This isn't English Heritage though, it's well worth the money.

I love Beamish but if you're going to do one thing near(ish) to Newcastle go to Cragside. You will be blown away.

I love Beamish but if you're going to do one thing near(ish) to Newcastle go to Cragside. You will be blown away.

Cragside is one of the most spectacular houses in the UK. Art, architecture, and technology (it was all driven by hydroelectric power years before anywhere else), all in lovely sprawling grounds. It was the dream/fantasy home of a Victorian millionaire inventor (even if he got rich mostly from making weapons).

Housesteads might not be the best-preserved or largest fort on the Wall, but it really has a sense of place. Looking north to the hills and forests, or east/west along the ridge-line, is incredibly evocative of the poor sods from the Med posted to the middle of nowhere all those years ago.

The museum at Vindolanda was completely refurbished a few years ago. If any of the locals here haven't visited recently, it's way better than it used to be.

Also you must go to the Fat Hippo on Shakespeare St next to Theatre Royal

There is loads of paid parking near where your hotel is, I would use the 24 hour one on Dean Street, no way I would be parking outside the centre and getting the metro in to save a few quid, not worth the hassle and you would have to pay on the metro anyway.

We did the Victoria tunnel ages ago and thought it was great. Ouse Burn scene is fab, might be a band on Sunday at The Tyne bar.

With my 13 year old in the evening we went to the Wonder Bar at the Gate for a few rounds of interactive darts, she loved it. Also Pizza Punks for food, can design your own pizza.