Go North East celebrates English Tourism Week by announcing return of seasonal services

To celebrate English Tourism Week, Go North East has announced the return of its popular seasonal services which show off the best of the region and boost the local economy.

This May, the popular Toon Tour open-top sightseeing bus will return to the streets of Newcastle and Gateshead.

The service will run daily from Saturday 27 May until Sunday 3 September, then weekends only until Sunday 1 October (excluding Sunday 10 September).

The service will run every 30 minutes, starting from Central Station in Newcastle and then serve stops on a circular route which takes in some of the finest sights around the city.

These include Discovery Museum, St James' Park, Great North Museum, Ouseburn, Quayside, Millennium Bridge, Tyne Bridge, Baltic, Sage Gateshead, Grey’s Monument, Grey Street, Newcastle Castle and Newcastle Cathedral.

The first departure from Central Station each day of the tour will be 10:05am, with the last departure at 4:35pm. You can hop on and off as much as you like throughout the day to see all the sights and delights of the toon.

Tickets cost just £12.50 for an adult, £10 for a concession/student, £6 for a child under 16, or £30 for a group of four people.

The tickets also allow unlimited travel on all Go North East buses the same day, and they will be available to buy on the Go North East app from next week, or you can buy directly from the driver on the bus.

The Belsay and Wallington Express X75 service will also return this year, running every Saturday between 6 May and 2 September, making visiting popular Northumberland beauty spots a whole lot easier.

Running in partnership with English Heritage and National Trust, visitors can stop off at Belsay Hall, Bolam Lake and Wallington, with four departures per day from Newcastle Haymarket and Ponteland.

Customers travelling on the Belsay and Wallington Express X75 service will receive a 20% discount on admission to Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens.

Dan Graham, Commercial Development Manager at Go North East, said: “We’re delighted to announce the return of the Toon Tour sightseeing bus and the Belsay and Wallington Express X75 bus.

“With over 2,000 years of history, fantastic bridges, stunning architecture and a bright future, there’s a great deal to see and do in Newcastle and Gateshead, so there’s never been a better time to hop on board and explore.

It’s great to announce the return of these two special seasonal services during the annual English Tourism Week, which celebrates the diverse, exciting, and vibrant tourism sector.”

To find out more about the Toon Tour, visit toontour.co.uk