h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

With a population of 320,000+ this is the party capital of England. It has more/larger pubs/bars/restaurants/single people than anywhere else in the UK and Ibiza. Traffic isn't bad if you happen to not go driving between 7-9 o'clock in the morning and 16-18 o'clock in the evening. The most commonly spoken language is geordie with English as a seconadary language.

Newcastle is the place to be, as we are bidding for European city for culture in 2008, so on your bike Belgrade!!!

Follow the A1 for directions!!!

not just pubs, bars and restaurants, but lots of cultural things (museums, art galleries etc) an'all - hence the bid for city of culture... btw, supporting the claim, newcastle was recently named one of the eight top creative cities in the world by newsweek international. you could look here for more info: http://www.visitnewcastlegateshead.com/cultureIndex.php?s=10 (sorry, don't know how to do pretty links). interestingly, bbc news online users voted newcastle their top choice with 17.5% of the votes, aginst liverpool, with 14% and oxford with 11.9%. the decision is due from the eu early next year so fingers xd!

newcassel has a rep for being a party place, but don't forget the stunning architecture, the great bridges and the huge range of excellent shops (from yer humungous department stores to yer exclusive designer boutiques). and don't forget that only a few miles away are gorgeous beaches, fascinating castles, the northumberland moors and hadrian's wall. the city has summat for everybody.

it's easy to get to - 2.5 hrs on the train from london, or you can fly, or you can even get the ferry (which is v popular with the danish - a modern viking invasion!) - and once you're there, it's dead easy to travel around, too, thanks to the metro system.

I wasn't terribly impressed by Newcastle myself. The city planners appear to have only just realised that car-friendly cities are a bad idea. Hence as a pedestrian you find yourself always walking beside busy carriageways and waiting forever at crossings. The museums I visited were poorly presented and their prize exhibits appeared to be the junk London musuems didn't want. While many people there are very friendly, there appears to still be a degree of hostility to anyone disabled, homosexual, or born south of the Trent.

That said, it's clear the city has come a long way and is getting better. There is now a cycle path running along the Tyne, the Baltic flour mill sounds interesting. Hopefully things will improve, but I really don't think Newcastle can compete with Manchester or Liverpool let alone Oxford or London.

What clean beaches are you talking about?, I would'nt visit/sunbathe on Whitley Bay or Tynemouth if you paid me. The latter half of the reply from Mammuthus Primigenius is a sterotypical view of all geordies from Newcastle. Even though some people believed Auf Wiedersehen, Pet is a very good picture of what geordies are like and what Middlesborough is like (good quote below). I personally and everyone else in North Tyneside (East of Newcastle) are not like the sterotypical view seen in the programme and you can quote me!!!

(Mum, I always thought we were working class, but when I saw Middlesborough I thought wrongly)

re beaches: any of the northumbrian coastline is well worth a visit. if you make a smidgen of an effort to move beyond the beaten track you will find miles and miles of deserted golden sands and big dunes, and in some places, rock pools, which are great fun with kids (just watch out for the tides).

Very true, but check bus timetables carefully. There's typically 2-4 buses a day, don't miss the last bus home. Once you get away from the city, the coastline is spectacular.

What do you mean, the 308 comes every quarter of an hour!!!

I was thinking further north, getting to Bamburgh, Craster, Seahouses is more difficult especially on Sundays. But worth it.

Alright!!!

not forgetting warkworth, alnmouth, craster, druridge bay, and even amble has its charms.

You can get the train to Bamborough!!!

Can you? The nearest station appears to be Chathill - five miles away, and that has two trains a day.

Does it matter, they celebrate the Northumberland Rain festavil 1st of Januarary to the 31st of December all day anyway, so whats the point of arguing!!!

Dont forget to visit Alnwick if you're out on a day away from newcastle (only 30 mins up the A1)

It has the amazing castle which is in both harry potters so far and the newly opened Alnwick gardens (a multi million pound project born out of the duchesss dream) with its amazing fountains!

http://www.alnwickgarden.com/

http://www.alnwickcastle.com/


CK

I think Warwick castle is better!!!

I spent my formative academic years down the road at Durham, and can vouch for the "evening scene" whose lack of dignity and excessive debauchery is generated by the anæsthetic and liver-damaging effects of the local brew, Newcassel Broon.

For those of a more discerning nature, the coast and parks of Northumbria are full of fortifications and cemetries representing over 2,000 years of border warfare. Today, the brutality is contained within the shadows of St. James Cathedral, sorry, Park.

Thats the largest building in Newcastle I believe, if you sit right at the back, the players are a 1/4 mile away. It means there is a short time delay when people score a goal, and the people at the back are going "Was that a goal?", then they hear "weeaeaaaay", and then get deafened!!!