My top five places in the North East

When friends or family come to stay from abroad, you want to show them that you live in a beautiful place. If, like me, you live in Newcastle Upon Tyne, that's easy! Here are my top 5 places to take visitors. I recommend to all my students that they visit these places, so that they can feel proud to be living in such a lovely part of England.

1. The Quayside.

The best view of Newcastle is from the top of an art gallery in Gateshead, called The Baltic. It's the brown building in the photo above. It's free! The lift is made of glass, and as you go up the view gets better and better. The curved building next to it is The Sage, where musicians play concerts. The concerts cost money, but you can go inside this strange building without paying. Why not have a look inside? There is a cafe and a shop.

How to get there. From Newcastle city centre it's a lovely walk, but very steep. Walk down a street called Side, pass under the Tyne Bridge, then walk along the river to the Millenium Bridge. Walk over this beautiful foot bridge to reach Gateshead. Alternatively, catch a bus from Haymarket bus station (Q1, Q2 or Q3)

2. Tynemouth

One wonderful thing about living in Newcastle is being near the sea. There are many beaches next to Newcastle, but my favourite is Tynemouth. It's easy to see why it's an expensive place to live, because it's such a pretty town, with nice shops and cafes and two beaches. On a sunny day it's always busy, even in the winter. Don't forget to visit historic Tynemouth Priory while you're there.

How to get there.

By car it takes about 20 minutes from Newcastle, you can use this post code if you have satnav - NE30 4ER. On public transport, go into any metro station and choose a train which is going to the coast. It takes about 45 minutes. From Tynemouth metro it's a ten minute walk to the beach.

3. Bamburgh

Is there a better castle than this anywhere in England? I don't think so. Drive one hour north of Newcastle, following the coast. Bamburgh village, behind the castle, is also beautiful. There is a little shop there which sells AMAZING ice creams, and the butcher sells delicious chicken pies. It takes 10 minutes to walk from the village up to the castle, and the view is unforgettable. If you like, you can pay to go inside the castle, but even if you don't go inside it's a wonderful day trip.

How to get there. Drive one hour north of Newcastle, following the coast, and park in the village. It takes longer by public transport (2 or 3 hours.) Catch the train to Berwick, then take the 418 bus from outside Berwick train station towards Alnwick.

4. The Great North Museum.

My favourite museum in Newcastle is the Great North Museum, because of the spectacular view when you first open the doors. Would you like to see a Tyrannosaurus Rex? An Egyptian mummy? A stuffed elephant? You will find all these things in The Great North Museum, beautifully displayed, and all free. When visitors come on a rainy day, I take them to the museum and then afterwards we have tea and cake at a beautiful cafe nearby, called Quilliam Brothers.

How to get there. This museum is just a five minute walk from the Haymarket metro, its address is Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4PT.

5. Durham Cathedral

If you travel there by train, you will fall in love with Durham before the train even stops, thanks to the beautiful view. Durham castle and the cathedral are on a hill above the town, and curving round the town is a lovely river. Durham cathedral is world famous. You don't have to be a christian to go inside the cathedral, just show your respect for this beautiful ancient building by speaking quietly and making a small donation.

How to get there. It's easy to get to Durham by train from Newcastle, all south bound trains pass through Durham, and it's just a 12 minute journey. Once at the station, ask staff for directions up the hill to the cathedral, which takes about 13 minutes.