Newcastle!

olddgreg

This wednesday I'm visiting Newcastle and the uni as a prospective student, and wanted to know people's honest opinions of the city, and with this being Bikeradar and all, what the cycling round Newcastle and the surrounding countryside is like. Also, how the local bike shops measure up?
Thanks for any replies.

636sean

It's canny !...but then i'm biased as its home.
The roads of Northumberland are fantastic for cycling, get yourself signed up for the northern rock cyclone sportive in June to see the best the area has to offer and if you get sick of cycling the night life is guaranteed to kill you off!
I use msteels cycle shop in Gosforth, Newcastle, shop there and you wont go wrong.
I moved to Newcastle 17 years ago from the midlands and would never go back...bloody southerners. haha
http://www.northernrockcyclone.co.uk/

mattbass789

im a student at newcastle now, a 2nd year. What course you going to look at? any ideas on halls? I stayed at ricchardson "ricky" road, its character building to say the least.

I use Msteels in gosforth and Ride down near the metro centre. We have a very active cycling club at the uni, doing from road (hill climbs, TT's, Road Races (under gosforth rc), Mountain biking, downhill, xc, to street and bmx stuff. Socials always have some of the strongest turnouts for a sports team. Being part of the Club at uni, you get money off at ride on the quayside, off labor too so its useful as a student.

As for riding out of the city, where most of the student halls are its literally 5miles to the edge of the city i go towards kingston park. I find traffic and cars are more forgiving, and as a student you can go out between lecutures during the day when its quieter. heres a little favourite route of mine.

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/gb/newca ... 2179082737

and if the miles of cycling don't get you the 2quid trebles at sinners, definatley will seek you out and destroy you.

Hope this gives you a good idea of being a student cyclist! oh and be weary where you keep your bike, everyone in the club keeps them in their bedrooms, its just so much safer, particularly in 2nd year.
matt.

Anonymous

Its full of Northeners, who drink and fight a lot. they are also difficult to understand and go on about "maccams" all the time, whatever they are. :P

dg74

Fantastic place, friendly inhabitants, football daft city, you'll want for nothing when it comes to shops/pubs etc and as other posters have said, M Steel's is THE cycle shop to use.

Oh and when you can ride 40 mins east and be at the Coast and then ride 1 hour west and be in the countryside, you know you're on a winner for cycling!

wiffachip

if you're into live music, there's lot of good venues

last night I saw a great Ramones tribute band and tonight I'm off to see Paloma Faith (not that I like her, just getting in for nowt) . Tuesday it's Penetration (the band !) and SLF

it's not a huge city, but big enough to cater for most tastes

good luck and let us know how you get on

brin

dmclite wrote:

they are also difficult to understand and go on about "maccams" all the time, whatever they are. :P

........what all geordies wish they were, but unfortunately were born wrong side of the river

plowmar

Don't you mean on the wrong river?

shockedsoshocked

plowmar wrote:

Don't you mean on the wrong river?

Too right!

Lagavulin

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

plowmar wrote:

Don't you mean on the wrong river?

Too right!

Pfftt! Don't listen to the smog monsters.

thejesusandsedischain

i have lived up here for over ten years and love it,good active race scene great cycling just avoid the pot holes,im a stones throw from the ouseburn where all the great spit and sawdust pubs are,the only problem is the geordies are a bit delusional when it comes to the football team.

brin

thejesusandsedischain wrote:

the only problem is the geordies are a bit delusional when it comes to the football team.

......they got one? :shock:

Anonymous

See what I mean................

Lillywhite

dg74 wrote:

Fantastic place, friendly inhabitants, football daft city, you'll want for nothing when it comes to shops/pubs etc and as other posters have said, M Steel's is THE cycle shop to use.

Oh and when you can ride 40 mins east and be at the Coast and then ride 1 hour west and be in the countryside, you know you're on a winner for cycling!

My son who lives in Denton Burn always heads out west in the direction of Hexham and up to Rothbury for longer rides. Don't forget KB Cycles in Newburn who also provide a decent service.

http://www.kbcycles.com/

shouldbeinbed

Great Place to be - I still call it home though i've not lived there for many years now - not by choice, I just do a bit of a specilised job and there aren't that many opportunities up there.

there's an exciting feel to the place, always something new to see when I bob up to see the folks. Nightlife and entertainment is superb catering for all tastes from extremely highbrow through a flourishing local comedy & music scene to raucus, trendy or spit and sawdust pubs. half an hour from the city centre and you're in the middle of nowhere or in the sea, the city itself has some great green spaces and is pretty easy to navigate into and out of, local rail services are extensive taking you further afield for more rugged scenery and knobbly wheel biking.

the cycling is good all round, the road infrastructure is pretty decent by comparison to a lot of places. a trip up the tyne valley through Wylam, Ovingham, Riding Mill etc out to Hexham and Haltwistle is superb, beautiful scenery, some almost car free roads decent pubs and cake stops and you can make it as long or hilly as you like.

I always used Tommy Hopkirks shop in Byker (not called that, I forget its real name - it's on shields road, piece of cake to get to by bike or public transport) it was still there last time I looked a couple of years ago, big place, decent stock and friendly staff.

and theres only one football team in the North East - Blyth Spartans. Pride of Northumberland.

dg74

brin wrote:

dmclite wrote:

they are also difficult to understand and go on about "maccams" all the time, whatever they are. :P

........what all geordies wish they were, but unfortunately were born wrong side of the river

I'd rather lose both legs than be born on weariside. Let's not forget though, that sunderland wasn't a city till a short while back (a title which was awarded in a competition - )

And as for teeside - pffft.

Tim Farr

Northumberland - fantastic cycling country.

spen666

thejesusandsedischain wrote:

i...,the only problem is the geordies are a bit delusional when it comes to the football team.

loyal and fanatical is different from delusional.

Most geordies don't ever expect to see their team win anything

spen666

shouldbeinbed wrote:

....

and theres only one football team in the North East ....

That'll be the team that are the only North East non league club to have got to the semi finals of the premier non league competition.

I'll give you a clue, its not Blyth

beverick

As long as you remember to wear a red and white striped shirt when you go out into town for a drink you'll be quite safe...........

Bob

amaferanga

Northumberland and the Scottish Borders is superb for cycling. I prefer them to the Peaks, Dales and the Lakes as there is so much less traffic (especially compared to the Lakes).

shieldsman

What's not to like? Came up here as a student 20 odd years ago but had to leave to get work and spent the next 14 years hatching a plot to return. In those days it was 4 shots for a quid- ouch! Now live on the coast with with the best 'city beach' in the country- Longsands at Tynemouth.

On the cycliing front, if you're a roadie you've got access to miles of pretty much traffic free roads and decent climbs etc. What you're also got is considerably less rain than the north west (if you're considering going over there) but it can be cold. For me, I'll take a couple of degrees less temperature for considerably less rain every time.

The people up here are, to paraphrase the legendary Bobby Robson, 'daft as a brush' when it comes to their football team but nowhere (I've lived in London, Peterborough, Birmingham, York, Chester) will you find a more welcoming bunch. It's also a proper student city in a way that few other places are being dominated by 25,000 students slap being in the city centre.

Trust me- you'll have the time of your life.

mrchrispy

went to university there and then stayed local for another 5 years....great place and we only really moved as we fancied a change (Manchester based now).

Its a great place to study.

cee

I heard that clubs in newcastle dont have cloakrooms....because no-one wears coats.

rick_chasey

I've heard Newcastle Uni is the rarr-iest University in the UK.

FYI.

shockedsoshocked

Rick Chasey wrote:

I've heard Newcastle Uni is the rarr-iest University in the UK.

FYI.

It would be a push to beat Durham surely?

rick_chasey

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

I've heard Newcastle Uni is the rarr-iest University in the UK.

FYI.

It would be a push to beat Durham surely?

Even beats Durham apparantly.

shockedsoshocked

Rick Chasey wrote:

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

I've heard Newcastle Uni is the rarr-iest University in the UK.

FYI.

It would be a push to beat Durham surely?

Even beats Durham apparantly.

A truly heroic effort by Newcastle then!

rick_chasey

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

I've heard Newcastle Uni is the rarr-iest University in the UK.

FYI.

It would be a push to beat Durham surely?

Even beats Durham apparantly.

A truly heroic effort by Newcastle then!

Haha!

Made me laugh.

dg74

Rick Chasey wrote:

I've heard Newcastle Uni is the rarr-iest University in the UK.

FYI.

Take a look at some of the clientele that dominates Jesmond and you may be right.

"Yah, daddy bought me this Bentley and a Rolex today".

And they wonder why they get turned over by the west and east end charvas.

thejesusandsedischain

dg74 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

I've heard Newcastle Uni is the rarr-iest University in the UK.

FYI.

Take a look at some of the clientele that dominates Jesmond and you may be right.

"Yah, daddy bought me this Bentley and a Rolex today".

And they wonder why they get turned over by the west and east end charvas.

i can spend hours watching the charvas torment the jesmond lot stamping on thier shopping etc,check out buzzcocks ov cramlington on you tube the man is purely a genius.