Home > Tyne & Wear > Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne City Tours begin again next week from Sunday 27th April 2014.

You can see the eight page Newcastle upon Tyne city tours leaflet for 2014 below…

The 2014 Newcastle upon Tyne tour program is as follows…

Jesmond Old Cemetery
Meet at Jesmond Old Cemetery gates, on the south side of Jesmond Road.

Explore this 19th century private cemetery – the resting place for many of Newcastle upon Tyne’s eminent citizens, including the architect John Dobson and shopkeepers Fenwick, Bainbridge and Parrish.

Gateshead Grand and Grim
Meet outside Gateshead Town Hall, West Street, Gateshead.

Finish at Gateshead Interchange.

Victorian Gateshead was a town of contrasts – civic splendour vying with hovels.

Come and explore how people lived and discover a panoramic view from Gateshead’s first park at Windmill Hills.

Deeds Not Words
Meet at Haymarket Metro Station.

Finish at Central Station, Neville Street.

This is a walk to celebrate the life of the suffragette Emily Wilding Davison.

Find out where she was arrested in Newcastle upon Tyne and how Newcastle women met, marched, and behaved badly, in order to win the vote.

Summerhill Sunday
Meet at Cardinal Hume Statue opposite Central Station, Neville Street.

Finish at Discovery Museum.

An early 19th century development, Summerhill is a delightful but little-known backwater.

Come and explore this hidden area, home to some of Newcastle upon Tyne’s prominent Quaker families.

Find out where Robert Stephenson lived and where the Victorian cricketer W G Grace played bowls.

Saints and Sinners
Meet at Grey’s Monument.

Finish at St John the Baptist Church.

A stroll around central Newcastle upon Tyne with stories of the real goodies and baddies who lived here – true historical gossip!

Discovering Bensham
Meet outside St Cuthbert’s Church, Bensham Road, Bensham.

Finish on Barrington Place, Bensham Road.

Bensham was Gateshead’s first suburb but how did it begin and why?

How has it changed?

Roll back the years and discover something of Bensham’s unique but often very hidden history.

Blue to the Biscuit
Meet at the Laing Art Gallery.

Finish at The Biscuit Factory.

Walk over the new bridge across the old Pandon Burn looking at the new Northumbria University buildings, a popular washhouse and end up at an unusual setting for an art gallery.

The Witches of Newcastle
Meet at The Guildhall, Quayside.

In 1649 15 people were hanged on the Town Moor for the crime of Witchcraft.

Come and hear their stories re-enacted in The Guildhall courtroom and discover the shocking way in which they were found guilty.

Riverside Ramble
Meet at The Guildhall, Quayside.

Finish at Sage Gateshead.

The River Tyne has been the lifeblood of the region for almost 2,000 years.

Take a walk with us along the riverside to see panoramic and close-up views of both Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne, and hear how it has developed from a busy port to a vibrant and lively area on both sides of the River Tyne.

Nostalgia in North Shields
Start and finish at North Shields Metro Station, North Shields.

From the origins of a small fishing port to the growth of a town, discover buildings and stories – why coal caused conflict, where a Hollywood legend spent his youth and how he is now remembered.

Shopping Spree
Meet at Grey’s Monument.

Finish on Market Street.

A look at famous retailers in Newcastle upon Tyne past and present.

Learn about local names, their history and beginnings, some of whom are still trading.

Gannin te Blaydon Races
Meet and finish at Grey’s Monument.

Discover how race goers of 1862 would have seen Newcastle upon Tyne as they set off for Blaydon Races – see the sites on this walk and hear about the characters as they left Newcastle upon Tyne for a day out at Blaydon Races.

Fire and Strife
Meet at Grey’s Monument.

Finish at the Castle Keep, Castle Garth – scene of the final surrender.

The Time Bandits (a historical re-enactment group) and the City Guides meet in an exciting retelling of the siege of 1644 when Newcastle upon Tyne was besieged for almost 3 months during the Civil War.

Greatly outnumbered by the enemy, the townspeople put up such a spirited resistance that Newcastle upon Tyne is said to have been granted its motto Fortiter Defendit Triumphans in recognition.

Industry and Invention
Meet at Grey’s Monument.

Finish at Quayside.

Industry and innovation flourished in Newcastle upon Tyne in the nineteenth century.

Find out where Stephenson built locomotives, where Swan first demonstrated his electric light bulb and how Armstrong and Parsons established factories which eventually employed thousands of workers.

The 1800’s were described as the ‘Wonderful Century’ and Newcastle upon Tyne played a major part in it.

Eastenders – Bygone Byker
Meet at Morrison’s supermarket on Shields Road, Byker.

Finish at Byker Metro Station.

Shields Road was once the main route leading from Newcastle upon Tyne to North Shields.

Enjoy a stroll and remember bygone times when Byker was a busy community bustling with shops and industry.

Rosie and Thomas
Meet at Grey’s Monument.

Finish at St Thomas’ Church, Haymarket.

Starting at Grey’s Monument we wander away from the main streets of the city centre to visit some interesting nooks and crannies with tales of places and people from bygone Newcastle upon Tyne.

The Changing Face of Benwell

Meet and finish at St James’ Church, Benwell Lane, Benwell.

In the 19th Century Benwell was home to some of the most wealthy and powerful people on Tyneside and was a peaceful and rural area.

See how Benwell has changed and developed since then and hear of the many powerful people who lived here.

Burt and Erick
Meet at Grey’s Monument.

Finish on Northumberland Street.

An unexpectedly interesting tour which looks at part of the city not often seen, behind the shops and office blocks of Northumberland Street and beyond.

Gorgeous Gosforth
Meet at the corner of High Street and Moor Road South, Gosforth.

Finish at All Saints Church.

Enjoy a stroll around Gosforth looking at many of the great houses, remembering when this was the place for the seriously rich to live.

Kings and Keelmen
Meet at All Saints Church, near the Tyne Bridge.

Finish at Holy Jesus Hospital.

The City Road area now seems to be nothing but roads and railways but there’s more to it than that.

This walk includes where Henry VIII turned a medieval friary into his King’s Manor (or ‘Manors‘).

There are also substantial buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries including All Saints Church, Holy Jesus Hospital, Keelmen’s Hospital and the remains of our medieval Town Walls.

Unfinished Vision
Meet at Grey’s Monument.

Finish at Quayside.

Hidden among the famed cityscapes of Newcastle upon Tyne is a lost city of the 1960’s, scorned and forgotten.

Explore walkways in the sky, deserted squares, subways, a bridge to nowhere and views from Newcastle upon Tyne’s first multi storey car park.

This is a walk with a difference.

Ouseburn Valley
Meet and finish at the Ship Inn, bottom of Stepney Bank, Ouseburn.

A kaleidoscope of old and new with bridges towering above and a burn down below.

Today the old industrial buildings are being reborn and include art studios, music venues and the like.

Whitley Bay Wander
Meet and finish outside Whitley Bay Metro Station entrance on the town centre/coast side of Whitley Bay.

See how the little village of Whitley grew into the major seaside resort of Whitley Bay.

Hear how the famous Spanish City developed into a landmark tourist attraction, how its popularity declined and what the present plans are to restore it to its former glory.

Walk along the Promenade, visit the giant sand castles, historic street lamps that burned sewer gas and discover one of the rarest telephone boxes in the country.

Railways and Riverside
Meet at the west door of the Sage Gateshead.

Finish at the Swing Bridge (Gateshead end).

Discover how early railways, industries and bridges have now been joined by modern art and find out just what the Sage Gateshead’s car park was originally used for!

Heaton Highlights
Meet and finish outside St Teresa’s Church, Heaton Road, Heaton.

Enjoy a pleasant summer afternoon stroll through Heaton Park and the surrounding area.

Recently revitalised, this is one of Newcastle upon Tyne’s best Victorian parks, with a surprising history and many intriguing features.

Lovely Low Fell
Meet and finish at Barclays Bank, Durham Road, Low Fell.

Discover how a pitman, an enterprising publican and the development of a new road changed Low Fell from an area of desolate waste to a prosperous Victorian suburb.

Lest We Forget
Meet at St Thomas’ Church, Haymarket.

Finish at Grainger Market.

This is a walk about Newcastle upon Tyne in time of conflict, not just in the Great War whose centenary falls this year, but throughout the centuries.

Join Newcastle City Tours to remember the fallen as well as some of those who survived.

Newcastle Civic Centre
Meet under the Council Chamber, Newcastle Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne.

See behind the scenes, and walk the corridors of power around our fine town hall with a rare opportunity to climb the Carillon Tower to look across Newcastle upon Tyne.

Wonderful Newcastle Women
Meet at Haymarket Metro Station.

Finish at Sandhill.

Women with a pioneering spirit, women who were “the power behind the throne” and women who went against the tide and risked their lives in the process!

Join Newcastle City Tours on a walk to celebrate womankind.

Newcastle Port
Meet at The Guildhall, Quayside.

Finish outside The Tyne Bar pub in Ouseburn.

Take a walk along Newcastle upon Tyne’s Quayside looking at how it has developed from an overcrowded slum area to a Victorian port and, most recently, an exciting place to live and work.

Central Station, Old and New
Meet at Cardinal Hume Statue, opposite Central Station, Neville Street.

Finish at the International Centre for Life.

Inspect Central Station’s latest facelift, and find out what other changes have taken place in a walk round this great building which has dominated the town since 1850.

St Mary’s Cathedral Pageant
Meet at St Mary’s Cathedral, Clayton Street West.

Walk around this Pugin designed building and meet characters from the past who tell about the Irish on Tyneside, Newcastle upon Tyne’s WW2 VC hero and much more.

Reasonably priced refreshments available at the excellent The Cloister Café and Restaurant before or after your tour.

Saints, Sailors and Sea Air – Tynemouth
Meet and finish at Queen Victoria’s statue on the village green near Tynemouth Metro Station, Tynemouth.

Stroll down the centuries in this historic coastal village to hear the stories of seafarers and saints, inhabitants and invaders of old Tynemouth on this re-titled Tynemouth circular walk.

Secret Newcastle
Meet and finish at Grey’s Monument.

Discover the hidden city looking at less familiar sights and features which thousands of people pass every day and just don’t notice.

After all, which other city has a vampire rabbit?

Saltwell Park Stroll
Meet and finish at Saltwell Park entrance opposite the Little Theatre Gateshead at the corner of Saltwell View and East Park Road, Gateshead.

Walk around this beautiful Victorian park discovering stories of past and present.

Find out the oddities of Saltwell Towers, the tale of the park’s oldest inhabitant and the story of the disappearing bandstands!

Treading the Boards
Meet at Theatre Royal, Grey Street.

Finish at Live Theatre, Broad Chare.

From Newcastle upon Tyne’s oldest theatre, discover other places where plays were performed, where actors hung out with rogues and vagabonds and follow the history of theatre back to the Guilds Mystery plays.

We finish at the Live Theatre, a new venue in an historical building.

Jesmond and St George’s
Meet and finish at St George’s Church, junction of Osborne Road and Lindisfarne Road in Jesmond.

Nearest Tyne & Wear Metro station – West Jesmond Metro Station.

This tour goes through North Jesmond and part of Jesmond Dene and visits the sites of some of the magnificent mansions and grand houses in the area including those of shipbuilder Charles Mitchell and industrialist Sir William Armstrong.

After this two hour walk a guided tour will be available of the Grade 1 listed St George’s Church with optional refreshments afterwards.

West Walls and Blackfriars
Meet at Grey’s Monument.

Finish at Blackfriars Medieval Friary.

Medieval Newcastle upon Tyne had one of the strongest town walls in England.

See the West Wall with its towers and unique turrets before reaching Blackfriars Medieval Friary, one of the country’s few remaining medieval friaries.

In Sickness and in Health
Meet at Castle Keep, Castle Garth.

Finish at corner of St Thomas’ Street.

Old hospitals for the poor, the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Dr Gibb, “Dirty Dick’s” and Lucozade are just some of the medical topics you will hear about on this fascinating tour.

Grass Roots Gosforth
Meet at the car park of The County hotel, High Street, Gosforth.

Finish at St Nicholas Church, opposite South Gosforth Metro Station.

A park, a pit and some prefabs.

A look at the east side of the High Street and how ordinary people lived, worked and spent their leisure time.

Secret Garden
Meet at Grey’s Monument.

Finish opposite Central Station, Neville Street.

This was last year’s mystery walk and is back by popular demand.

The route via Chinatown covers familiar territory but there are unusual things to see including a banana warehouse and secret walled garden.

Grisly Tales
Meet at Grey’s Monument.

Finish at the Castle Keep, Castle Garth.

Enjoy some historical gossip about some of the grisly goings on in Newcastle upon Tyne in centuries past.

High Life in Low Fell
Meet and finish at Barclay’s Bank, top of Belle Vue Bank, Low Fell.

Discover the stories of some of the Victorian industrialists who built their grand houses in Low Fell.

Swinging 60’s Newcastle upon Tyne
Meet under the Council Chamber, Newcastle Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Finish on Westgate Road.

These boots are made for walking – are yours?

This tour will recreate the social culture of the swinging 1960’s.

Visit the hip and trendy places of the day, see the modern buildings and recall your shopping sprees.

Put on your mini skirts and flares and join Newcastle City Tours on a magical mystery tour of yesteryear, when man stepped on the moon, Strawberry Fields were forever and a pound in your pocket could last you all week.

Ghostly and Grisly Quayside Tales
Meet and finish at The Guildhall, Quayside.

A circular walk with ghost stories, witches, bodies fished out of the river and murders on both sides of the River Tyne.

Walk on the Dark Side
Meet at Grey’s Monument.

Finish at Quayside.

Do you dare join Newcastle City Tours at Halloween?

Who will we bump into on this walk around haunted Newcastle upon Tyne?

Winter Warmer Wander – Doon the Quay
Meet at The Guildhall, Quayside.

Finish at St Mary’s Heritage Centre, Gateshead Quays.

One hour informal walk crossing the Gateshead Millennium Bridge with seasonal refreshments at St Mary’s Heritage Centre.

Free walk, refreshments are £2 to be paid in advance when booking.

Winter Warmer Wander – Along the Riverside
Meet at The Guildhall, Quayside.

Finish at St Mary’s Heritage Centre, Gateshead Quays.

Enjoy a short tour along Close and Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead’s historic riverside with seasonal refreshments at St Mary’s Heritage Centre.

This is a different walk to Winter Warmer Wander – Doon the Quay.

Free walk, refreshments are £2 to be paid in advance when booking.

If you are looking for hotel accommodation for your visit to NewcastleGateshead our bed and breakfast best price and room availability is here Book Online.

Room information including photographs can be found on the Accommodation page of our website.

For more ideas of places to visit while staying with us visit Places to Visit.

Published on 20th April 2014 12:47.

Read more on our blog about...

All Saints Church (Gosforth), All Saints Church (Newcastle upon Tyne), Barras Bridge, Barrington Place, Belle Vue Bank, Bensham, Bensham Road, Benwell, Benwell Lane, Blackfriars Medieval Friary, Blandford Square, Blaydon, Broad Chare, Byker, Byker Metro Station, Castle Garth, Castle Keep, Central Station, Chinatown, City Road, Clayton Street West, Close, Discovery Museum, Durham Road (Gateshead), East Park Road, Ellison Place, Fenwick, Gateshead, Gateshead Interchange, Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Gateshead Town Hall, Gosforth, Grainger Market, Grainger Street, Grey Street, Grey's Monument, Haymarket, Haymarket Metro Station, Heaton, Heaton Park, Heaton Road, High Street, Holy Jesus Hospital, International Centre for Life, Jesmond, Jesmond Dene, Jesmond Old Cemetery, Jesmond Road, Keelmen’s Hospital, Laing Art Gallery, leaflets and guidebooks, Lindisfarne Road, Little Theatre Gateshead, Live Theatre, Low Fell, Manors, Market Street, Moor Road South, NE1, NE15, NE2, NE25, NE26, NE3, NE4, NE6, NE8, Neville Street, Newcastle Civic Centre, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Newcastle upon Tyne, NewcastleGateshead, North Shields, North Shields Metro Station, North Tyneside, Northumberland Street, Northumbria University, Osborne Road, Ouseburn, Pandon, places to visit, Promenade, Quayside, River Tyne, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Sage Gateshead, Saltwell Park, Saltwell Towers, Saltwell View, Sandhill, Shieldfield, Shields Road (Byker), Ship Inn, South Gosforth Metro Station, Spanish City, St Cuthbert's Church, St George's Church, St James' Church, St John the Baptist Church, St Mary's Cathedral, St Mary's Heritage Centre, St Nicholas Church, St Teresa's Church, St Thomas' Church, St Thomas' Street, Stepney Bank, Stoddart Street, Summerhill, Swing Bridge, The Biscuit Factory, The Cloister Café and Restaurant, The County (Gosforth), The Glasshouse International Centre For Music, The Guildhall, The Tyne Bar, Times Square, tourist information, Town Moor, Town Walls, Tyne & Wear, Tyne Bridge, Tynemouth, Tynemouth Metro Station, walking guide, West Jesmond Metro Station, West Street, Westgate Road, Whitley Bay, Whitley Bay Metro Station, Windmill Hills

Accommodation   Book Online

Full English Breakfast   Special Offers