A Newbie in Newcastle

Well, I did it. I made the big step outside of the bubble and I settled on a big, lovely city. Well big to a country bumpkin who has spent the last four years bouncing between three streets. And when I said I made the step, it was more like a push, a gentle nudge over the edge into what some might call the “adult world”. It was a step I never imagined doing without my family here, I always pictured my parents helping me settle into my new flat, giving me advice with my new job, exploring my new city with me but expat + Covid has not been a fun combination. But it meant I had to embrace the concept of “adulting” slightly more aggressively than my sensitive soul – Pumba would understand – had prepared for. Which involved a lot of phone calls and a lot of tears and a lot, a lot, a lot of learning. Why do induction hobs need different pans? Why is the government taking half of my salary? How do you register at a dentist? Why does my car boot not fit all my worldly possessions? Why, in a city full of people, is it possible to feel quite lonely?

But I thought I’d take some time just to write down what I’ve been doing in a brand-new city, how I survived my first full month and what you should do if you visit Newcastle! Also, this is just mainly to reassure my parents that I’m surviving but definitely not adulting – hi Mamma and Pappa!

The first thing I learned about Newcastle is that everyone is so friendly. I feel like everyone tells you about their own city – apart from London, they’ll frankly admit they’re not your smiley next-door neighbours – but in Newcastle it really is true. My list of recommendations stems from a whole host of people: friends, friends of friends, relatives of friends, colleagues, random people I bump into in bars, waitresses, baristas, and the list goes on. Everyone I’ve met has been so excited for me that I get to explore this city fresh and has heaped me full of places that I “just have to see”. And I can tell you now as I loosen my belt, a lot of those places involve eating and drinking. Yep, I’m definitely going to enjoy living here.

I’m staying in temporary student accommodation for now and when I told my colleague my location she immediately lit up and said “ooh that’s so close to the Ouseburn!” That weekend, James and I made it our mission to crawl our way along the Ouseburn and see from where that light stemmed. It’s a collection of pubs and restaurants and cafes that follow along the river and offer local food and drink that you wouldn’t expect, tucked away just outside of the city centre. We had pints at the Tyne bar, a Sam Hall favourite, tried out new beers at the Brink Burn and have since fuelled ourselves on multiple coffees from Northern Rye and Ernie’s and the best ice cream from Di Meo’s – Janetta’s, watch out!

Since that weekend we’ve also dined at Kiln, having the most incredible mezze selection only to be told by the waitress as we were finishing up that we had to visit Thali Tray. It was refreshing to have one place recommend another just across the road, the community looking after its own. Not always a fan of Indian food, I was hesitant but as soon as we turned up the following night it was clear that this was not an average Indian restaurant. Young lads with kiwi moustaches greeted us at the door and the crowd looked to be a mix of post-work colleagues, families, young friends catching up and locals just enjoying good food. The atmosphere was buzzing, music pumping, there was a list of craft ales above the bar and a tropical-inspired cocktail menu. We chose our main which arrived in trays with naan bread and sides and rice and so much food which we demolished. Feeling very content after a few rum cocktails, we left with this as a new favourite of mine.

Still the country girl at heart, I insisted on finding pretty much every ounce of green space in the city and was so relieved to find an abundance. Between the Town Moor, Exhibition Park, Heaton Park and Jesmond Dene, my green addiction was definitely sated. With luck on our side, our visit to Jesmond Dene was timed well with their market and we wandered around all the delicious stalls, almost regretting the huge pancakes I’d just had at The Dispensary. I say almost because wow, those pancakes were amazing. Jesmond Dene leads into Heaton park which leads into the Ouseburn, a beautiful walk amongst trees making you almost forget, if it wasn’t for the odd apartment block poking out the top, that you were in the centre of a city.

As you can tell, it’s been a busy first few weeks with lots of exploring still to do but I thought I’d write down my initial outings in the big wide world of Newcastle… With many more bars and restaurants not going anywhere, more markets to peruse, and a host of beaches and fields and hills that definitely need to be marked by my sleeping walking boots, I can assure you there’ll be lots more random content from me! In short, don’t worry Mamma and Pappa, I’m ok here.