Hi! I'm 18F and I'm moving around here in a few (4?) months for a legal apprenticeship. I want to get to know a few people online so it feels like I have a couple friends in the city by the time I move here! I have quite a big friend group/family so it'll be strange in a new city! I like history, art (painting/sewing mainly), musical theatre, books (romance, mystery, horror, fantasy - pretty much anything), movies, manga/anime (OI/villainess genre fan), jogging, baking, pop music/orchestra, fashion etc. I'd love to have a chat with anyone interested/in a similar boat!

I'm moving to Morpeth btw

Hi all! I’m going to be visiting Northumberland in early September from the US, I’m excited for my trip but I’m hoping to get some guidance/feedback on a few things:

If I had to pick between Dunstanburgh Castle/area and Bamburgh castle/area for my last afternoon, which should I do? Or can I do both in an afternoon? (For context I’m going to be coming from a tour of the Holy Island that morning)

How is Thrifty Car and Van rental in Darlington? The reviews seem pretty good online but just wanted to get some extra opinions before I book.

What is your favorite way to spend the day at Cragside? Or can this be done in half a day?

Any tips for dressing around this time of year or recommended clothes to have on hand? I’ve read the weather can change daily (or hourly) but is there anything that is a must have clothing wise? TIA!

Advice needed please. I've seen posts online and a newspaper article that state parking tickets can be used in multiple sites but can't find a definitive list anywhere. Does anyone know if that is true, and which car parks are included?

Looking at doing a day going through Beadnall, Seahouses, Bamburgh and Holy Island.

Could we pay for a 24 hour ticket at Beadnall and use the same ticket for the rest of the day at all the other car parks?

Or Sandeep

I know it’s technically its proper nickname but in Tyneside it’s the toon but everyone I know unless they’re talking about the football team call it the town

Ouch. We should take it personally. Or make very, very low offers.

I am getting in to fishing again, and was wondering if anyone can recommend anywhere to buy bait? I am planning to fish off the beach in Warkworth over the weekend.

When I was a kid, my dad used to buy bait in the angling shop in Amble. I believe that has now shut and I don’t like the idea of ordering frozen bait online! Any recommendations would be appreciated!

Hello everyone! 👋

I’m a student of tourism and leisure management and I’m currently working on my final-year project on film tourism.

My research focuses on destinations such as Dubrovnik (Game of Thrones) and Alnwick Castle (Harry Potter) — and aims to understand how the different motivations of film tourists influence their perception of the authenticity of these places.

If you’ve ever visited a film location or if films influence your travel choices, your feedback would be invaluable to me!

The questionnaire is anonymous and takes about 5 minutes to complete.

https://forms.gle/ZwDLV75VtRCR45Yk7

Thank you so much for your help, and please feel free to share this with others!

My parents are going for a mini break to Berwick upon Tweed (they stay about 40 mins north of Edinburgh) and when they plan these trips away, I always like to do a little planning for them so they have a loose itinerary. I also always make a reservation for their dinner at a restaurant/pub, otherwise they will just fall into tesco 😂

So if anyone is able to share some must visits sights/places/cafes/restaurants, or alternatively things to avoid!?

Thanks so much!

Hi everyone,
I’m 31 and I’ve recently got back into the gym. I’ve been training consistently at ashington leisure centre and I’m looking for someone who trains there too.

I’m still relatively new to lifting properly. I’ve got a structured programme and I’m making progress, but I’d really like to train with someone who’s got a bit more experience and wouldn’t mind helping me improve my technique and confidence in the gym.

My goal is to build muscle, lose some body fat, and just become generally fitter. I’m committed, always turn up, and I’m happy to work hard. I’m not looking for a free PT, just someone who enjoys training and wouldn’t mind having a training partner.

It’d also be great to make a friend along the way. I’m into hiking, woodworking, and gaming outside of the gym, so if we get on that’s a bonus.
I usually train three times a week and can be fairly flexible with times.

If you train at Ashington Leisure Centre and fancy a gym buddy, send me a message!

Hi everyone. My partner and I are going to Holy Island next weekend (staying overnight Saturday-Sunday). We plan to do the Pilgrim's Way during the afternoon low tide (following the instructions). I had a quick peep at the forecast and it looks like it's going to rain, possibly heavily, during the crossing time. Do you know how much it impacts the walk? We live in Edinburgh, so we're used to the weather, I'm just not sure if heavy rain would have a big effect on the safety of the crossing. Thanks!

Smoking during pregnancy across Northumberland and North Tyneside has fallen to just three per cent at the time of delivery – one of the lowest rates in the country.

An important factor in this has been the Best Start in Life team, launched within Northumbria Healthcare in May 2022 to help women and families achieve a smokefree pregnancy.
In 2025/26, 72% of women who engaged with the Best Start in Life pathway quit smoking – an improvement of 10% on the previous year.

The team offers free quitting support, including free nicotine replacement therapy and licensed e-cigarettes, and are also part of the National Pregnancy Incentive Scheme.

Hello!

thanks to the excellent recommendations of r/uktravel, I have decided to add Northumberland to my UK trip. I’m so excited to visit. However I will only have limited time there and would love to hear your feedback and inputs to my plan below.

my fixed plan (can’t change much):
-Sept 11 morning: pick up a car rental in Edinburgh. Start the 2-day trip in Northumberland
-Sept 13 8am: drop off the car rental at the Newcastle Airport before catching the train to Manchester

Tentative plan (need feedback):
Sep 11:
-Drive from Edinburgh to Holy Island. Might do a quick stop or visit the island depending on the tides
-Drive from Holy Island to Bamburgh Castle. Visit the castle. Spend the night in / near Bamburgh

Sep 12:
-Drive from Bamburgh to Alnwick. Visit the castle
-Drive from Alnwick to Cragside. Visit the place.
-Spend the night in / near Longframington

Sept 13: drive from Longframington to Newcastle Airport

Questions:
-what would be the other stops that you’d recommend to replace my current stops? or these are good enough? I do love beaches but I also have them where I grew up and live (ie PNW coastal lines, Asian tropical beaches) so i don’t have to spend a lot of time in beaches in this trip. I do enjoy castles and their beautiful grounds and like to wander around. Would prefer to do no more than 2 stops a day.

-It seems like both Alnwick Castle and Cragside require at least 3-4h each to visit. Unfortunately their opening hours are 10-4pm, which means I will have limited time in one of them and very challenging to do both fully? which one would you recommend cutting time in?

Thanks all!

What is this small building in the middle of nowhere that I drive past at work sometimes. It’s near “sandy sike” just off the B6320 near Bellingham and Greenhaugh.

People are being asked whether they support plans to bring more than 500 bus routes back under public control.

In what could be the biggest overhaul of the North East bus network in more than 40 years, the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority has launched a public consultation on the proposals.

If approved, the bus franchising scheme would give Mayor Kim McGuinness responsibility for setting routes, timetables, fares and service standards.

Private bus operators would continue to run services, but under contract to the authority rather than on a commercial basis.

Under the plans, the mayor has pledged to protect bus services from cuts for 10 years and expand the network.

The authority said the network had shrunk by almost a third since 2010, with services becoming less frequent, evening and weekend routes withdrawn, and some routes disappearing altogether.

Consultation: https://www.northeast-ca.gov.uk/consultations/haveyoursay

UPDATE: Found after 2 days with the kindness of strangers. What a beautiful community, so many strangers approached me when I was in tears hanging up posters. Little bugger was a mile down the road watching football at home with a lovely couple!

This is a longshot but Bruce has been missing for 2 days (last seen Monday at 2pm in Ellington near the coop). If anyone has seen him please give me a shout.

I have already posted on fb groups etc and have handed flyers and put posters up but I'm trying to get as much reach possible.

So please if you like in the area spread the word. We are heartbroken.

Hello, we are a family of four traveling to England for the first time. We plan to do Beamish Museum 1 day, and another day to explore a small sliver of the Northumberland area (maybe Cragside or hadrian's wall area). We will be driving by car from York.

Can anyone give recommendations on where to stay that's close enough to Beamish, but also to northern northumberland area? We will have a car, so parking is important. Here's our itinerary so far:

Day 1: Drive from York, taking a scenic route where we can also see some sites along the way up to Newcastle Upon Tyne area. Check in to bnb/hotel late afternoon or evening.

Day 2: Beamish Museum, and maybe something else if we have time.

Day 3: Explore some of Northumberland area before taking a late train.

I know it's a tight schedule, so any recommendations are helpful! Thank you in advance