One of my simplest yet favourite activities to do in my spare time is to find cute cafés and brunch spots, and luckily Newcastle is blessed with a never-ending list of nice ones. My favourite spot in town is Olive and Bean, it has a lovely brunch menu and is very affordable. However, honourable mentions must go to The Dispensary, beside the business school, and Horticulture.
If you live or often venture out of town towards Sandyford or Jesmond, I have a whole other list for you: 1901, Aidan’s Kitchen, Jam Jar and Local to name a few!
If you prefer to skip straight to lunch, Grainger Market has some of the best lunch spots, including Redheads Mac and Cheese, Acropolis, and FED’s Fried Chicken. There are so many other great food spots in town but I won’t get started or I’ll never stop.
If you somehow come across a warm, sunny day any time soon, Newcastle has an array of beautiful parks to explore (I know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry, they are still nice when it’s not sunny too). Jesmond Dene is a personal favourite of mine, with miles of woodland and a river running the whole way through. If you walk far enough you can reach the waterfall, or you can explore Pets’ Corner, where there are rabbits, goats and llamas.
Exhibition Park is located right behind the Philip Robinson Library. It contains Urban Green Café, home to the original ‘Stozza’ (a cross between a pizza and a stottie), and beside this, you can enjoy the sunset on top of the hills in Town Moor. Other parks you might want to check out include Heaton Park and Leazes Park.
With campus being on the other side of town, it is easy to miss the Quayside. But anytime I take the short walk there, I remind myself of how I need to do it more often. A walk along the Quayside provides beautiful views, with great food spots along the way. My biggest recommendations for the Quayside include Urban Garden, which is a great outdoor spot to enjoy a hot drink next to the river, and I Scream For Pizza, which has the nicest pizza slices with a view.
If you go on a Sunday, you can have a look around the Quayside Market. One side is filled with food vendors, and the rest has lots of unique stalls selling crafts, vintage clothes, jewellery, and I’m pretty sure there is also a fortune teller, which I’m a little scared to go near.
The Baltic Centre can be found just on the other side of the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. It hosts a range of beautiful exhibitions across three floors which are always changing, and on the fifth floor there is a viewing box which holds, in my opinion, the prettiest view of Newcastle.
There is also a gift shop and a café where you can spend all of your money because entry to the gallery is free (girl maths).
Ouseburn is one of Newcastle’s cultural gems - it has been voted as the 29th coolest neighbourhood in the world and it’s only a 20-minute walk from town centre. It is home to a thriving live music scene and lots of cute shops, cafés and lunch spots to explore.
Additionally, Ouseburn Farm is perfect if you find yourself missing your pets at home. They hold regular petting and feeding sessions with their animals and entrance to the farm is free.
Pottery painting is the perfect rainy-day activity. I recommend The Pottery Experience in Jesmond - they have so many different ceramics to choose from, lots of design inspiration everywhere and a little cafe so you can sip on a hot drink while you paint.
They glaze them for you after and you can pick them up after a week, so even if you’re an awful painter like me, your pot will still somehow turn out nice.
Newcastle has a thriving community of vintage stores. You could spend days finding and exploring all of them, but here are some of my favourites (so far). My new favourite is Flea Circus which is between Heaton and Ouseburn. Each section is filled with lots of unique bits from different independent sellers, from jewellery and clothes, to posters and knick-knacks. My other recommendations include Analog and The Yesterday Society.
My go-to ‘I’m bored’ activity is taking a trip to Tynemouth Beach. It’s about a 20-minute journey on the metro from Monument and provides such a wholesome day out. Tynemouth is a beautiful town to explore and has so many great foodie spots as well. Longsands Fish Kitchen is award-winning and has easily the best fish and chips I have ever had, and I usually hate doughnuts but Deep North in Tynemouth has somehow converted me into a doughnut lover.
There are a couple of great beaches there, but King Edward’s Bay is very scenic and has Riley’s Fish Shack where you can get drinks and snacks while you enjoy the views.