Newcastle / Gateshead
Saltwell Park · Photo: Steve McShane
Two stops only, both free: a small city farm where little ones can meet pigs, sheep and goats, then Gateshead's Victorian park with its hedge maze, play areas and boating lake. Lunch is in the turreted tearoom so nap time can happen in the buggy on the paths afterwards.
Farm · 10:00–11:30 (1h30m)
Free farm visit while the animals are lively; a snack at Cafe Beam if needed.
A small working city farm in the Ouseburn Valley, a short walk from the Quayside, with pigs, sheep, goats, poultry and other animals plus growing gardens. Entry is free and it pairs easily with Seven Stories and the Victoria Tunnel next door.
Photo: ouseburnfarm.org.uk
Park · 11:45–14:30 (2h45m)
Lunch in the Saltwell Towers tearoom, then play areas, the maze and duck-spotting round the lake.
An outdoor park in Gateshead.
Photo: Steve McShane
North EastCoulby Newham, Middlesbrough
A farm park with big animals, a petting barn, sand pits and soft play on buggy-friendly paths, followed by a gentle hour in Stewart Park with its playground, animal paddocks and the small Captain Cook museum.
Newham Grange Farm → Captain Cook Birthplace Museum
North EastEast Lodge, Home Farm, Belford
Settle into East Lodge and its willow den, then head to Bamburgh's huge beach before dark. The next day is all castles and gardens: Bamburgh Castle in the morning, lunch in Alnwick's old station, and the fountains and labyrinth of The Alnwick Garden in the afternoon.
East Lodge, Home Farm → Bamburgh Beach → Bamburgh Castle → Barter Books + 1 more
North EastNewcastle city centre / Quayside
A walkable Newcastle day that starts under the cathedral's lantern spire, crosses the Tyne on the tilting 'blinking eye' bridge and follows the river east into the Ouseburn valley. Lunch is among the pigs and goats at a free city farm, and the afternoon goes underground on a guided tour of a Victorian coal-wagon tunnel that sheltered people in the Blitz.
Newcastle Cathedral → Gateshead Millennium Bridge → Ouseburn Farm → Victoria Tunnel
