“Are you carrying coal to Newcastle?” I was asked good-naturedly when I first informed my friends about my plan to visit this beautiful city in north England. Indeed, coal is what you first recall in connection with Newcastle. That is because coal and its ancillary industries were what brought this town into international prominence many years ago. That is all in the past now; and though that glory has faded with time, Newcastle is worth a visit for a number of other, more favourable, reasons. So, as our train from London chugged into the station, coal mines were farthest from my mind. There were other, far more interesting scenes jostling for space in my brain. In fact, the journey too was a very pleasant one. British train services are wonderful and usually on time. My compartment was a ‘silence zone’, so no one spoke loudly on their mobile phones and no groups chatted loudly. My neighbour snored gently, but that was certainly not a big problem. The gently rolling countryside outside, in fact, lulled me to sleep after a while.

Best time to visit: April to October
Best from: London (take a train, bus or self-drive)
You need: 2-3 days
Type: Leisure

The Gateshead Millennium Bridge. Newcastle is connected by seven bridges to Gateshead, which is on the southern bank of the Tyne