Ouseburn Farm

 Hi Everyone,

Ouseburn Farm is a wonderful little city farm set in the heart of the stunning Ouseburn Valley. We have visited the farm lots over the years and it always brings a smile to our faces. There are plenty of animals to feed and see and in normal times they host lots of wonderful events.

At the moment you can visit the farm by booking a free ticket here ticket booking this is to ensure the farm can follow the social distancing guidelines. Tickets do book quickly especially on weekends. The farm is free to visit but donations are greatly received.

You can add to your visit my popping into Seven Stories which is next door. Currently the book shop is open with special characters making an appearance to add to the fun.

There is lots of seating around Ouseburn Valley so perfect if you wanted to enjoy a picnic, and a walk along the river is a must. The valley is easy to reach by car, bus or metro or by taking a lovely walk along the river to the Newcastle Quayside which is our favourite way to get there.

Broom House Farm

 Hi Everyone,

We visited Broom House Farm and there Forest Adventure at the weekend. It had been a few years since our last visit so we were very excited to go back.

The Forest Adventure consists of lots of different woodland challenges, climbing frames, zip wires, slides and a fabulous buggy track just to name a few. There are also various trails around the forest from fairy spotting to animals and plants facts. When you a complete a trail the children get a little prize which we thought was a nice touch. The Forest Adventure is ideal for a variety of ages but we would say children 12 and under would get the most enjoyment out of it.

The farm itself is quite small but beautifully kept. There are goats, chickens, pigs, cows, ducks and turkeys. There is no charge to visit the farm on this fabulous location so it really is an added bonus. There was lots of baby animals on our visit which were just adorable and we were rather taken with the goats and their kids.

Broom House Farm has a very nice cafe which is reasonably priced. We saw alot of people eating sausage sandwiches which smelt lovely, as we have a coeliac daughter we unfortunately couldn't partake but did notice that they had a gluten free cake on the menu so could provide a nice for a treat after lunch. There are lots of seating options outside the cafe for food bought from there with a separate picnic area across the far side of the car park for those who bring their own. It did feel a shame that we couldn't eat in the main field as that hosts lots of play equipment and hay bales to play on but it wasn't an issue. This seating option could be ideal if you have little ones who are easily distracted while eating.

Booking for the Forest Adventure opens on a THURSDAY for that weekend and cost £5.95 per person (free car park) which we think is a very good price for a full day out.  You can book tickets here Broom House Farm

Tynemouth Park

Hi Everyone,

We visited  Tynemouth Park  and had an absolutely amazing time. We arrived at around 9:40am and booked straight in for the 10am  jungle wipeout session. The session is only £5 for an hour playing on the huge inflatables. It is very well set out with each family having their own table and the children can have as many turns on the inflatables as they like. There are two big slides, a obstacle run and a large 4 years and under bouncy castle. Our girls played for the full hour and with the reduced capacity they were able to have lots of turns.

Next we headed along to the pirates maze, which is £2 per person and you can pay £1 for a treasure map which enables you to collect stamps to swap for chocolate coins at the end. We thought the maze was brilliant, it was our first time trying it out and we were really surprised at just how many things are in it. From obstacles to pirate actors. The actors are very good and the kids loved them. They really made the maze extra special. 

Next we headed along to play a game of Lost World Adventure  golf. This cost £15 for a family of 4. There was a short wait to allow for social distancing but only around 5 minutes. We do love coming to this golf course.  It has lots of different elements which are great fun for kids and adults too.  The staging and Dino sounds are really cool.

There is a cafe offering lots of seaside goodies, with ample outdoor seating and toilets too. The park has a lovely lake and a very well equipped play park, definitely enough to keep you busy for a full day if you so wish.

Road to the North Pole

 Hi Everyone,

This Christmas, Road to the North Pole is coming to Newcastle Arena. It is a fully immersive 90 minute experience filled with all things Christmas related. There are currently plenty of tickets available and prices starting at £24.50 for early bird admission.

"Road to the North Pole is a premium Christmas attraction located in Central Newcastle. It combines high quality theatrical performances, costumes and state of the art scenery with spectacular storytelling to create the most magical, immersive, walkthrough Christmas experience the North East has to offer. You and your family must work​ together to help save Christmas from Jack Frost. You will get the chance to meet some of your favourite Christmas characters, play lots of exciting games and even make some take home crafts all topped off with a very personal meeting with the REAL Santa where they will receive their very own Christmas gift." (Info from Road to the North Pole)

Full details about this event can be found here Road to the North Pole

Jarrow Hall

 Hi Everyone,

Yesterday we visited  Jarrow Hall . At the moment only the Farm and the Village are open which we found perfect for a few hours of fresh air.

The farm is very well set out and the animals all seemed thrilled to see us. We had a lot of fun feeding and petting them, especially the goats who were very keen to get some treats. The farm is set up to try and match how it would have been in Anglo-Saxon times and the animals are also in keeping with the time. There are goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, bulls and ponies. 

At the end of the farm there is a small Anglo-Saxon village with various buildings to explore. While in the village, we came across an 'anglo-saxon' making some repairs to the village meeting hall. He was extremely friendly and explained all about the building methods he was using and the different ways the buildings were used. He also spent alot of time telling us about life in Anglo-Saxon times and was very happy to answer questions for the kids. He definitely enhanced the day.

The staff on whole were amazing, one gentleman was telling us about the pigs and why they had that specific breed at the farm. Another staff member made the kids names into how they would have written in Anglo-Saxon times along with their ages and talked about the way words were written which the kids loved. They are definitely a credit to Jarrow Hall.

There are picnic tables, toilets and the gift shop is open. If you prefer to not bring your own food, the Hive cafe which is close by is also open.

The price of entry is also very reasonable £7 for adults and £4 for children over 5. This price includes admission for the rest of the year so it really is a bargain. 

You do need to pre-book before you attend but we found lots of slots were available.

You could team your visit with a trip to the local park, ruins and River. More details can be found here: St Paul's Monestry and River Don

Roseberry Topping

 Hi everyone,

Yesterday, we decided to stretch our legs with a little walk up The National Trusts Roseberry Topping in Newton Under Roseberry which is just over an hour away from South Shields. The site is free to visit and there is car park at the base that is pay per hour although we noticed several other free of charge options on the way out.

The walk is advertised as around 30 minutes.  We took a leisurely stroll and did the walk in about an hour each way so I would be surprised at anyone completing the full walk in 30 minutes unless they are very fit. The trail is suitable for all ages, we saw toddlers and walkers of an older age climbing to the summit. The climb is steep but not too taxing. There are many points to stop for a rest and even if you don't make it to the very top the views all the way up are stunning.

The walk takes you through the forest by the old hunting hut and on to the top of Roseberry Topping.  Just to reiterate there are stunning views along the way up.

We were lucky enough to have a magical moment when we got to the top as it started to snow which just topped a memorable day.

There are public toilets located in the car park along with picnic benches.

You can find more information on Rosemary Topping here:

Roseberry Topping National Trust

  

Go North East Staycation Service

 Hi Everyone,

Some great news from Go North East to help us make this summer a great one. They are offering direct services to Whitby, Scarborough, Beamish museum along with the Toon Tour bus and Handrians Wall Country bus.

The busses will operate weekends from 17th April, daily from May 31st and weekends again 2nd and 31st October.

 You can find more details about routes and timings at Go North East