Newcastle upon Tyne Travel Forum

Hi,
We are an american couple moving to Newcastle. Will we be welcome in NewCastle? We will be working with the film community and filmmakers. Also are there dog friendly beaches and is a dog friendly city?

We have been to London and other parts of England but not to Newcastle, and are well aware of the distinctive Geordi dialect. I'm sure we'll get used to it, but generally speaking how understanding and patient are Newcastlers to people who don't quite understand what they're saying at first?

Thank you
Alex

I never heard of Newcastlers, for a start, they are Geordies; I find some friendly and some terrifying but it might depend on how much someone has had to drink. The local dialect is one of the most difficult I ever met, heavily influenced by the Vikings, e.g. home is yem, pronounced exactly like Danish hjem. However, I am sure people will make allowances.
For information on beach dog bans, see here http://www.northtyneside.gov.uk/environment/beaches.htm#c

Newcastle people (Geordies) are very friendly people who will fully understand that you may not understand them but its a cosmopolitan city and there are people from all over the UK are there anyway. As for beaches you will be spoilt for choice - the Northumberland coast has some of the finest beaches in England although you will need to check which ones you can take the dogs on. Is it a dog friendly city - not sure - probably but make sure you clean up when you take your dog out as the penalties are expensive.
Newcastle is a great city - there has been so much investment there recently. You will love it.
Have a look at some VT pages on Tynemouth, Durham, Hexham, Bamburgh, Alston, Alnwick ( a favourite town of ours), Lindisfarne, The Farne Islands and Berwicj and you will get a feel for the area.
Do you know where you are going to live?

Gaminari has a point - Newcastle was voted the fourth most exiting city in the world a few years ago and Saturday nighys in the Bigg Market area are not for the faint hearted. So its simple - if you don't want to see drunk Geordies avoid it - we have spent many Saturday nights in the area and never seen a drunk person. Its a myth that its a big drinking city - it may be in part but its a big place.
Oh on the same subject - avoid Whitley Bay too for the same reason.

Your Relocation question does not really belong here but you have nevertheless received good advice .
Are you planning to bring your dog with you ? If so have you looked in to quarantine regulations for dogs entering the UK from outside the EU?

You have chosen not to divulge what part of America you come from - a pity because I know some people (including me - and I have many American relatives and friends) who find certain American accents as strange as some of our regional accents and even more difficult to understand.
Over here I have many Geordie relatives - some would just laugh if they saw your question, the others might say something a bit rude about Americans.

People are people - relax, there is nothing to fear if you respect each other and don't arrive with preconceived ideas.

Alex

First of all, I would like to say that there are very many people living in Newcastle and surrounding areas who do not have a broad geordie accent for several reasons. They may come from somewhere else (like you when you arrive); they may come from here but have been educated elsewhere in England (like me) and have lost their accent; they may come from a family who do not speak 'geordie'. There are also many different variations of the accent from 'broad geordie' to 'slight geordie' and you will understand nearly everyone. It is not a foreign language. It is an important part of our culture. Please don't worry about it! You will be OK. You might even be able to make a film about it!

As far as your dog is concerned, it really depends on where you decide to live. You will have the choice of many places within easy travelling distance of the city centre. Make sure you choose carefully. Some beaches have dog rules and some do not, but there are many acres of wonderful countryside here to walk and enjoy.

You seem very anxious about your move. As long as you have a job to come to I am sure you will enjoy Newcastle. It is a wonderful place.

If I can help any further, please let me know.

Don,t be put off!! everyone is welcome in Newcastle, you must have a sense of humour as well, dress code may be different to what you expect, ie in the middle of winter males do not wear coats its shirts only, whilst dashing from pub to pub, the females are no better just go with the flow , Also dont mention how big everything is in Amercia, because we have a sauce bottle in Grey street called Greys Monument, For the dog I would recommend Byker Beach close to the city if you can find it, but plenty of green areas to walk the dog,

check out http://www.geordielife.com/ for further tips

You've had a lot of good answers so far but i just wanted to chip in as well. It's a very fair point that not all geordies speak broad geordie (you might hear of the older generations talking like 'pit yakkas' meaning how they would've talked down the coal pits. This dialect is hard to understand even for a native like me). Unfortunately, thanks to the wonders of television and the movement of people our dialect is being slowly lost (like many other places). This is a great shame. Once you come to understand it (and maybe even pick up the odd word here and there) i'm sure you'll also come to love it.

My husband works with at least two american ladies and they all have no problems understanding each other. I myself lived in Kent, in the south of England, for a few years and although i got a few strange looks and had to repeat meself a few times it was never really a problem. (I was frequently asked if i was Irish and once I was even asked if i was German!)

As for your pets, i don't think you'll have any problems at all. I work in a florists and we keep a dogs water bowl outside and allow any well behaved dogs in the shop for a good look around. (However, don't expect this in the city centre - i work in North Shields). As far as i know dogs are welcome on all metros and buses, as well as some beaches and of course there are plenty of parks and grassy areas. Depending on where abouts your going to be living you could try Jesmond Dene or Gosforth Park amoungst many others.

As for wether you will be welcome i would say this is least of your problems (moving can be very stressful!). There is a saying i have heard about our country. The further North you go the friendlier people are. We're pretty far North so that should tell you alot. Just as most of my experience of americans comes from TV your ideas probably come from the media too. Don't believe everything you hear and give it a chance. I'm sure you'll love it.