Things to get you in the Christmas Mood
A few days away in December really helps put you in the mood for Christmas and the North-East is the perfect place to explore during this season.
Newcastle really delivers with its Yuletide treats. The Christmas Market at Grey’s Monument is bigger than ever. This year you can ride the carousel, toboggan down Blackett Street and warm up with mulled wine or hot chocolate in the Helter Skelter bar. After an afternoon of shopping for those last-minute gifts, why not take in a Christmas show? Aladdin at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House will certainly provide some Christmas cheer.
South of the Tyne, in Gateshead, the Baltic Centre is the perfect place for art lovers to explore. The formidable industrial building is the UK’s largest dedicated contemporary art institute. This is a real family-friendly venue. This Christmas, as you explore the exhibitions, try spotting all the snowflakes hidden throughout the building for some family festive fun.
Christmas Trees and Candlelight
It’s not just the bright lights of the city that makes the North-East a magical place to visit at Christmas. The National Trust’s Gibside Estate is an exquisite Georgian garden. Put on your hat and gloves and explore the gardens whilst on the Christmas Tree trail before finding Father Christmas at the stables in his woodland grotto. There are also evening events that include street food and live music. Or, if you prefer a more traditional Christmas, try the Christmas by Candlelight service in Gibside’s idyllic chapel.
Beamish Museum is another fantastic place to explore at Christmas with its Bazaar open right up until Christmas Eve. There is an ice-rink, a fairground and, new for this year, the 1950s Welfare Hall providing festive games, crafts, and music.
With so many festive delights to explore in the North-East, there is no better base than Hedgefield House.