This is a city walk with few climbs and descents which leads from busy city streets to the wooded valley of Jesmond Dene before returning via the sparse Town Moor. There are plenty of interesting sights along the way and many opportunities to follow alternatives routes.

Circular  |  11.8km (7.2 miles)  |  Difficulty: Easy

Newcastle Central to Jesmond Dene Elevation

The start of the route is designated as Newcastle central station but the route could be started from anywhere in the city centre.  There are plenty of public transport options for reaching the start and lots of parking for those wishing to get to Newcastle by car. Public transport could also come in useful for walkers wishing to skip sections as Newcastle has many bus and metro lines which intersect parts of this route.

1: The route leaves the central station and heads along Neville Street to the East until it meets Grey street.  From here walkers are treated to traversing the iconic Grey Street uphill toward the monument in the city centre before heading right at the top to Northumberland Street.

2: Part way up Northumberland Street the route heads right along Saville Row then follows John Dobson Street North before crossing it and heading through the Northumbria University campus. The route then leads walkers to a footbridge on their right that will take them across the motorway.

3: After crossing the motorway walkers should head onto Simpson Terrace and follow it to the left as it leads through Shieldfield to Stoddart Street.  From here the route heads North till it reaches a crossing just before Warwick Steet.

4: The route now follows the path that heads through the park running parallel to Warwick Street.  Before reaching the end of the path the route leaves it along a smaller footpath to the left taking walkers onto Warwick Street itself which it then crosses.  The route then heads to the entrance of Jarrow Vale park on Stratford Grove.

5: There is a steep descent here as the route follows the path down to the side of Ouse Burn.  The route continues along this path until it cuts through a car park and on to Jesmond Vale.  Walkers here could cross the Ouse Burn and explore Heaton Park from which the route can be rejoined at point 8. Otherwise, the route continues onto Fore Street.

6: The route here winds uphill, following the steps to the left.  This treats walkers to a panoramic view of Jesmond Vale.  The route then follows the edge of Armstrong Park along Lansdowne Gardens.   Walkers can then follow Churchill Gardens all the way to Jesmond Dene road or take a cut to the right that will lead down to Benton Bank.

7: Continuing along Churchill Gardens will lead walkers past Holy Trinity Church.  The route then heads right along Jesmond Dene Drive then crosses Benton Bank where walkers can now cross Jesmond Bridge where there is an amazing view of the Dene both to the North and South.

8: At the far side of the bridge the route heads into the Dene on the left.  Along here walkers can follow many paths that head North into the Dene parallel to the Ouse Burn. Walkers can stop here for refreshments at the café or have a look at the petting zoo in the middle of the park.  The main route follows the same path from the park entrance along the valley till it passes a bridge on the left.  Walkers can quickly pop over the bridge to look at the ruins of the old Banquet Hall.  The route follows a flight of stairs on the East side of the bridge that leads to the path that follows along the side of Ouse Burn.

9: The route continues along the side of the river until it reaches some bridges.  Walkers can choose which side to continue on at each bridge but eventually will need to cross to the West side as some of the paths are closed on the East side after the picnic field.  The route then passes the old Mill Building.

10: Here walkers can now see the Jesmond Dene waterfall as they cross a bridge back to the East side of the valley.  The route then continues along this side of the valley till the next series of bridges.

11: Again walkers have a choice of which side of the valley to continue along until they eventually reach Castle Farm Road road where they will need to head left and start to travel back towards the city centre.  Walkers should be extra vigilante along here until they reach Matthew Bank as there is no pavement along the side of this narrow road.  After a short distance walkers should then find themselves on Matthew Bank which the route follows Southward. Walkers should continue along this road as it winds its way out along the side of Little Moor towards Town Moor.

12: The route follows the footpath which heads South along the Great North Road.

13: Eventually the footpath leaves the road and heads into a park off Clayton road.  The route continues into the park and heads through the underpass into Exhibition park.  The route takes a left at the Bandstand following a footpath which leads to another underpass. The route heads through the underpass and out of the park.

14: Here walkers should use the crossing on the left then the next crossing over Queen Victoria Road to reach the main Newcastle University Campus.  Walkers here can then head through the campus to reach a crossing back into the centre of the city.

15: The route crosses the road at the lights to pass The Church of St Thomas the Martyr before heading through further lights to reach Northumberland Street again.

16: Walkers, again, have a choice here.  They can continue along Northumberland Street to the end to get straight back to the monument or they can head through the Eldon Square shopping centre for refreshments.

17: The route here now follows Grainger Street away from the monument passing many interesting shops and sights, including St. John the Baptist Church, before crossing Neville Street back to the train station.

Since the route starts and finishes in the centre of Newcastle there are 100s of places to stop for refreshments along the way. The route consists of a combination of city streets and paths which means that the terrain isn’t too problematic. However, there are a number of roads that need to be crossed during the route so caution is still advised. The city and dene are well sign posted making keeping to the route very straight forward.