At first glance Newcastle virtual capital of the area between Yorkshire and Scotland - may appear to be just another northern industrial conurbation, but the banks of the Tyne have been settled for nearly two thousand years and the city consequently has a greater breadth of attractions than many of its rivals. The Romans were the first to bridge the river here, and the "new castle" appeared as long ago as 1080. In the seventeenth century a regional monopoly on coal export brought wealth and power to Newcastle and - as well as giving a new expression to the English language - engendered its other great industry, shipbuilding. At one time, a quarter of the world's shipping was built here, and the first steam train and steam turbine also emerged from Newcastle factories. In its nineteenth-century heyday, Newcastle's engineers and builders gave the city an elegance which has survived the ravages of recent development
Transportation in Newcastle
By Car: Newcastle is well served by the A1(M) and the A1 from the south of England and London (journey time about 5 hours) although a frequently used alternative route is the M1(Leeds) M18 and A1. From the West Coast, the best route is the A69 Carlisle-Newcastle road, which takes you through the beautiful scenery of the Tyne Valley and Hadrian’s Wall country. This route links the West Coast M6 to Birmingham and beyond to the South West via the M5 and the M4 into South Wales. This also is the fastest route from Glasgow and South West Scotland.
By Train: Direct train services operate from most cities in Britain to Newcastle's Central Station. Journeys are fast and comfortable. Travelling times are: to London 2.45 hours; Edinburgh 1.25 hours; York 1 hour. Train service operators serving Newcastle directly are Virgin Trains and Arriva Trains.
By Coach: Express and regular coach services to Newcastle are fast, frequent and luxurious. The London-Newcastle route is especially well served operating from Victoria Coach Station. National Express serves Newcastle from towns and cities throughout Britain.
By Air: Newcastle International Airport has direct scheduled services to Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Stansted, London City, Southampton and Cardiff.
By Ferry: Newcastle ferry port is situated 8 miles east of Newcastle City Centre on the north bank of the River. There are scheduled ferry sailings departing from Newcastle to Stavanger, Bergen, Haugesund, Gothenburg, Kristiansand and Amsterdam make Newcastle ferry port the ideal gateway to the North Sea.
Vibrant place, with a resilience that's symbolized commercially by the hugely successful MetroCentre shopping mall across the river at Gateshead, and artistically by Antony Gormley's Angel of the North , a magnificent steel sculpture the size of a jumbo jet that welcomes anyone approaching the city from the south by rail or road. There's an impressive energy about Newcastle's handsome city centre, too - encapsulated in the International Centre for Life , which combines a cutting-edge biotechnology research centre with noisy and edifying science lessons at the state-of-the-art LIFE Interactive World - while its revitalized Quayside , scene of much of the city's nightlife , goes from strength to strength. Indeed, there's a sharper edge to Newcastle's carousing these days, with new cafés, bars and clubs rivalling the traditional knees-up antics of the notorious Bigg Market. Culturally, too, Newcastle boasts the best traditional art gallery in the Northeast, the Laing, and a slew of good theatres and all-round arts venues.
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