Tar_Heel_Grace

I will be traveling from the Washington DC area to Newcastle on Tyne in July/August and am wondering about the pros and cons of flying from London to Newcastle or taking the train. I am due to arrive in Newcastle the afternoon of Sunday, July 29th to join a group there for a week, so would be traveling between London and Newcastle on the weekend.

After the week in Newcastle, I will be going on to Belfast - leaving Newcastle on Sunday - and would appreciate suggestions on pros and cons of land/ferry transportation vs flight for that leg of my trip as well.

Much appreciation!!

janisj

OK - where are you flying in to? If LHR, there is no train to Newcastle. You'd cross all of London by tube or car service to Kings Cross, or train to Paddington then tube or bus or taxi from there to Kings Cross and then catch a train north. If you are arriving at LGW - There is a direct train to Kings Cross and then you'd change trains there. If you can fly in to MAN instead then you could take a train right from the airport to Newcastle (a few times a day) or train to York and change to a train for Newcastle. This would be easier and much faster then transiting through London.

It would easier - if flying in to LHR or LGW there are direct flights to Newcastle.

From Newcastle -- there are flights to Belfast, which is the only thing that makes sense IMO. Otherwise you have to cross England to Liverpool and then the ferry to Belfast.

Tar_Heel_Grace

Thanks, janisj! I have not finalized my flight from DC to England yet, so I am still flexible as to where I fly into. I appreciate the suggestions of alternatives to LHR - good info!

janisj

Then I'd definitely look into MAN -- I know there are flights out of Dulles.

There are also non-stops from the DC area in to both GLA and EDI which would also be easier than London.

sofarsogood

Don’t forget it’s just as easy (if not easier) to connect through AMS or CDG to get to Newcastle. Your luggage will be checked all the way through and you do immigration at Newcastle and avoid the long queues at larger airports such as LHR. There are no flights between Gatwick and Newcastle. Tagging on a train journey could be a hassle if you want cheap train tickets.

Plenty of flights from NCL to Belfast

bilboburgler

Just note that there are two Belfast airports.

janisj

Oh -- definitely AMS would be a good option. Me personally -- I avoid CDG if at all possible . . .

Tar_Heel_Grace

What great suggestions! I appreciate the point about doing immigration at Newcastle's smaller airport and will look into the alternate connections. The train seemed to offer a chance to see a bit of the country, but I am now thinking that taking the train from Newcastle to Edinburgh and flying to Belfast from EDI has the potential to offer some very nice coastal scenery. And, I can deal with it when I'm rested after a week in Newcastle, and when I have plenty of time to spare before I have to be in Belfast.

janisj

That is a great idea -- fly in to Newcastle (via AMS if you can get a decent fare/schedule, or via MAN+train if that works out better) then later take the train to Edinburgh - you might even be able to squeeze in a day/night in Edinburgh.