This short, 5.6km route is a great way to see snippets of the city along the Quayside. The pathways are flat and paved. As this is a popular walking and cycling area, do be aware of others and walk your bicycle as you see fit.
Tips for Beginners (and all cyclists):
- Choose the Right Bike: Begin with a bike that suits your needs. A hybrid or road bike may be ideal if you plan to ride mostly on paved city streets. Consider a mountain bike or gravel bike if you want to explore trails or parks.
- Safety First: Always wear a helmet when riding, as well as long pants and closed shoes to give a little extra protection against potential scrapes from falling.
- Double-check Your Route: Before heading out, familiarise yourself with the city’s bike lanes, paths, and designated routes on the Google Maps link. Even though the route is planned for you, it’s a good idea to know what it looks like beforehand.
- Stay Visible: Make sure you’re visible to drivers and pedestrians by wearing bright or reflective clothing, especially during low-light conditions.
- Basic Bike Maintenance: Learn some basic bike maintenance skills, like fixing a flat tyre and checking your brakes. Regularly inspect your bike to ensure it’s in good working order. You can rent bikes here or on this website for bikes along the Tyne. If you have your own bike, you can also use Parkopedia to find parking spots near you before and after your journey.
Click here to populate this route in Google Maps
Route overview
Leaving the park, start on St. Lawrence Square, then onto Walker Road to turn right. Turn left onto Horatio Street, then slightly right onto Cycle Route 72, Quayside.
Part 1 of the Beginner-Friendly Quayside Cycle in Newcastle
At the roundabout, keep left to stay on Cycle Route 72 Quayside. Turn left to cross the Gateshead Millenium Bridge. If the bridge is a bit busy, feel free to walk your bike. At the end of the bridge, you will see the BALTIC to your left. Turn right onto Cycle Route 14, South Shore Road, up the stairs and ramp.
Part 2 of the Beginner-Friendly Quayside Cycle in Newcastle
Gateshead Millenium Bridge was opened to the public in 2001 and has won many accolades, including the Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize. The public chose the design by Wilkinson Eyre Architects and engineered by Gifford in a competition posted in an engineering magazine. It is the world’s first and only tilting bridge! The bridge not only serves a functional purpose as the River Tyne’s only foot and cycle bridge but also attracts people from all over the world through its grace and engineering. Anyone travelling on a pleasure boat up the River Tyne will pass under the bridge, and those watching from the banks of the river will join the thousands who enjoy this view every year.
Quayside Bridges
The BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art houses an ever-changing contemporary art programme. With a history that stretches back much further than its 2002 opening, the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, housed in a completely renovated flour mill, is the world’s biggest gallery of its kind. Visitors can experience innovative and provocative new art, relax, have fun, learn and discover fresh ideas, and complete their visit with a relaxing coffee overlooking the magnificent quayside. All four of BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art spaces are accessible, and the centre also offers walking stick stools, mobility scooters, large print information, subtitles on selected BALTIC films and sensory equipment. The building itself has quite a history. Back in the 1950s, it was used to store grain, and the River Tyne was used as a key route for trading with Scandinavian and Baltic states. The company which built it had a habit of naming its warehouses after famous oceans of the world, hence its name.
BALTIC
Continue along Hillgate, staying in the bike lane. Under the Tyne bridge, turn left to go up the ramp towards the Glasshouse. Retrace your path to ride under the bridge, turning right onto Bridge Street to find the Rise and Fall Sculpture to your left.
Part 3 of the Beginner-Friendly Quayside Cycle in Newcastle
The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, previously known as the Sage Gateshead, is well-known and well-loved for its live music. With genres stretching from pop to folk and opera, one can never be bored here. Both up and coming, local artists and international platinum performers have graced the stage to the delight of those in the audience. Performers of all ages, including youth choirs and little toddlers, have produced music in the same halls as the Royal Northern Sinfonia. It is truly an all-welcoming space, and as a charity, they ensure that it is available to anyone.
Glasshouse International Music Centre. Credit: Raval
Tyne Bridge – The first bridge over the Tyne was built circa AD120 by the Romans and was known as Pons Aelius or ‘The Bridge of Aelius’. Aelius was the family name of Emperor Hadrian, famous for the construction of Hadrian’s Wall, which divided Roman Britain and what is now Scotland. The Tyne Bridge is a fantastic piece of architectural engineering. When it was officially opened on October 10th 1928, by King George V, it was the largest single-span bridge in the world. The design is called a ‘through arch’ as the road cuts through the arch at either end. The steel arch weighs 3,500 tonnes, is 531 feet (162 metres) long, and the road deck is 84 feet (26 metres) above the river. The bridge cost £1.2 million to build. It was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who based the design on the Hell Gate Bridge in New York.
The Swing Bridge gets its name by rotating 90 degrees to allow ships to pass along the river. It was first used for road traffic on the 15th of June, 1876 and opened for river traffic on the 17th of July, 1876. The Swing Bridge is the fourth bridge built on the same site over the Tyne at Newcastle. The first, constructed of wood and stone in c120 A.D. by Emperor Hadrian, was Pons Aelii. This bridge stood until 1248, when it was destroyed by a fire that also destroyed a great part of the town. The second, or Medieval Bridge, was of stone construction and stood from 1320 until 1771, when a section was washed away in the great flood of 1771. The remaining portions had to be removed, and the third bridge, constructed of stone with nine arches, was completed in 1781. The Commission removed this bridge to make way for the construction of the Swing Bridge.
Our last stop, the Rise and Fall Sculpture is a fantastic landmark sculpture that marks the entrance to Gateshead’s riverside area. The sculpture’s 10 000 small LED lights are programmed to randomly rise and fall in the arch; sometimes, they don’t light up. The visual effect of the arch appearing to wobble, fall down, and rebuild can be seen from both sides of the river, with the artist Lulu Quinn describing it “as a monument to the boom and bust industrial history that defined Gateshead’s character.”
To return to start, simply retrace the route.
Click here to populate this route in Google Maps
Resources:
If you enjoyed this route, see our Wylam Brewery, Leazes Park Cycle
Download the GPX file here
Remember to download our app here.