Wallsend
Wallsend on Tyne is a town in the North East of England. The town is at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has been a centre of coal mining and shipbuilding.
Get in
By plane
Newcastle International Airport is about 8 miles north-west of Wallsend. Taxi fares from the airport normally cost £15-20. The Tyne & Wear Metro network also connects the airport to Wallsend, although this will require a change at Monument station.
By train and Metro
Wallsend is not served by the national rail network. The nearest mainline station is Newcastle's Central station, connected to the Edinburgh to London East Coast Main Line. Taxis cost around £10 from the Central Station to Wallsend town centre. The Metro network also connects the two, but this will require a change at Monument station.
By car
Wallsend's proximity to Newcastle means it is well served by England's road infrastructure. The A19 runs about 1.5 miles east of Wallsend, and is around 5 minutes by car from the north entrance of the Tyne Tunnel. The Tyne Tunnel is a traffic hotspot 7AM-10AM and 3PM-6PM on working days, and major delays should be expected. Or, the A1 can be used, turning off to head through Newcastle town centre onto the A1058 Coast Road (signposted Tynemouth)
By bus
National Express and Megabus run coach services using Newcastle as a pick up point. These services connect Newcastle to other cities such as Edinburgh, Leeds and London.
Get around
Wallsend has bus links to Newcastle upon Tyne with frequent services departing from Wallsend Metro Interchange, High Street East and High Street West. Buses are operated by GoNorthEast and Stagecoach.
Wallsend also has a stop on the Tyne & Wear Metro Network. Trains operate on the North Tyne loop, linking Wallsend with the local towns of North Shields, Whitley Bay, Tynemouth and Gateshead, and with the major urban cities of Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland.
Travel times for buses and Metro from Wallsend are available from Traveline 0871 200 22 33
Taxis are cheap and plentiful in Wallsend. The nearest taxi office to the town centre is Blue Line, just off High Street East. There is a taxi rank outside the Anson public house/Forum shopping centre, although it is rarely used by taxis other than on Saturday mornings.
See
Wallsend has a famous skyline featuring the now redundant cranes of Swan Hunters shipyard.
There are also numerous old churches located around the area.
- 1 Segedunum Roman Fort (located just a few minutes walk from the Metro Interchange, and around 5 minutes from Wallsend town Centre). The museum has excavated remains of the foundations of a Roman fort, and a reconstruction of a Roman bath house. The visitors centre has an elevated viewing platform which affords great views over the site.
- 2 Stephenson Railway Museum, Middle Engine Lane (on the North Shields/Wallsend border). This museum is home to a collection of locomotives from the early days of the railways (the 1826 Billy) to some early electric locomotives. The museum is on part of the old Metro test track, and so the museum will often have trains running between the museum and Percy Main Metro station.
Do
Wallsend Sports Centre, about ten minutes walk west of the town centre, has an 18-hole golf course.
Rising Sun Country Park, behind the ASDA on the Whitley Road, has a Visitors Centre and acres of countryside to explore, including Swallow Pond, a haven for local birds. The country park has many hides for those of you interested in getting a closer look at, or taking photographs of, the birds.
Buy
Wallsend town centre has a shopping centre, although this isn't really driven by tourist business. Elsewhere in the town centre are chain shops, and many grocers, butchers, and fishmongers. Again, not particularly touristy.
The Metrocentre (Europe's largest shopping centre) is served directly from Wallsend by bus. Also, easily reached by public transport are Newcastle upon Tyne and the Royal Quays outlet centre.
Eat
Wallsend has many food outlets. The Co-op store in the Forum shopping centre has a cafe upstairs, which is generally classified as quite expensive for the area. If you are happy with the decor, then cafes such as Neptune Cafe (Station Road, opposite the Anson) and Metro Cafe (next to Wallsend Metro station) may offer better value for money.
Likewise, many pubs serve bar meals.
- 1 Modern Tandoori, 174 High Street West, ☏ +44 191 234 2749. Daily 6PM-12PM. An Indian restaurant on the High Street, which is a reputable family run business, known for its quality and service.
Drink
The Anson pub is easily spotted in its prime location next to the Forum shopping Centre. There are a number of pubs as you head out of Wallsend towards Newcastle on High Street West. Members of CIU affiliates are well catered for by a number of CIU working mens clubs
Sleep
There are few hotels in Wallsend. Further afield you have hotels at Cobalt Park, Royal Quays, and on the A19 corridor. There are also the large number of hotels in nearby Newcastle upon Tyne
- 1 Dorset Arms Hotel, Dorset Ave., ☏ +44 191 209 9754.
Go next
- All the sights and sounds of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead and Sunderland are easily accessible.
- If you are prepared to travel a bit more, the Tyne Valley and the beauty of Northumberland are easily reached by car. The Tyne Valley is able to be traversed by the Newcastle to Carlisle rail route. Durham is also around 40 minutes away by train.
- The 1/2 "Coaster" bus service, running through Wallsend on its route from Whitley Bay to Gateshead has been voted one of Britain's best bus routes to enjoy, and will allow you to visit some of the areas mentioned above.
| Routes through Wallsend |
Seaton Burn  (N) ← |
N  S |
→ Sunderland |