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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Wallsend
Skip as a base: see Segedunum in 2 hours, then sleep in Newcastle or Tynemouth and ride the Metro back out.
Wallsend is the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall and a former shipbuilding town 4 miles east of Newcastle, 12 minutes out on the Metro Yellow Line. One Roman fort museum, a shopping street and a pub strip are the whole visit; almost everyone sleeps in Newcastle and comes out for half a day.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, wet, early dark)
- Stay
- 0–1 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–120 excl. bed · High £120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · Police non-urgent 101 · NHS non-urgent 111
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £2.50–4 |
| Fish and chips | £9–14 |
| Pub main meal | £10–16 |
| Pint of draught beer | £4–5.50 |
| Metro single, Zone 2 | £3.20 |
| Taxi, Newcastle airport to Wallsend | £20–25 |
| Segedunum adult entry | £7 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NCL · Newcastle International
- Metro Green Line to Monument, change for the Yellow Line to Wallsend; about 40–50 min total, roughly £3.90 single
Typical fares
- Metro Wallsend → Monument
- about £3.20 single, 12 min
- Metro airport → Wallsend
- about £3.90 single, 40–50 min with a change
- Bus 22 Monument → Wallsend
- about 25 min, every 10 min
- Tyne Tunnel car toll
- about £1.90, pay online or at a Paypoint by midnight the next day
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The Tyne and Wear Metro Yellow Line stops at Wallsend every 10–15 min; 12 min from Monument in the city centre, Zone 2 fare about £3.20 single. Stagecoach bus 22 runs every 10 min from Monument, about 25 min. The town centre is walkable; Segedunum is a 5-min walk from the Metro station.
See and do
Known for
- Segedunum Roman Fort, the start of Hadrian's Wall
- Swan Hunter shipyard cranes
- Mauretania and Carpathia launch history
- Metro Zone 2 access from Newcastle
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Metro Yellow Line from Wallsend to Monument | About 15 min |
| Tynemouth | Metro Yellow Line east, change at North Shields if needed | About 20–25 min |
| Whitley Bay | Metro Yellow Line east | About 30 min |
| Sunderland | Metro to Monument, change to the Green Line | About 50–60 min |
| Gateshead | Metro to Monument, then across the river | About 25–30 min |
| Hadrian's Wall, Hexham and Greenhead section | Train from Newcastle to Hexham, then bus or car | 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- Newcastle city centre
- Best default: full hotel range, nightlife and rail links; 12 min to Wallsend on the Metro.
- Tynemouth and North Shields
- Coast and castle, 10–15 min east on the same Metro line; better for a seaside night than Wallsend.
- Wallsend town centre
- Only if you need to be here: a couple of small hotels and B&Bs, several of which have closed in recent years (check before booking).
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Single to Wallsend, please | Single to Wallsend, please |
| Where is the Metro station? | Where is the Metro station? |
| Card or cash? | Card or cash? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- A19 Tyne Tunnel takes no cash: pay online or at a Paypoint by midnight the next day, about £1.90 for a car.
- Rush-hour queues at the tunnel are long; the A1(M) western bypass is no quicker.
- Cycles and pedestrians cannot use the A19 tunnel; use the separate pedestrian and cycle tunnels from South Tyneside.
- Some listed hotels and bars in Wallsend have closed; confirm before booking.
Wallsend is an ordinary working town and fine by day; the town centre is quiet at night, so take the Metro back to Newcastle rather than walking dark side streets.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Wallsend yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Segedunum Roman Fort, the start of Hadrian's Wall
- Swan Hunter shipyard cranes
- Mauretania and Carpathia launch history
- Metro Zone 2 access from Newcastle
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Segedunum Roman Fort (official): segedunumromanfort.org.uk/
- Nexus — Tyne and Wear Metro: www.nexus.org.uk/metro/
- Tyne Tunnels (official): www.tt2.co.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Wallsend, revision 5307798 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5307798
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Wallsend
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Wallsend; the US consulate-general is in Edinburgh and embassies are in London. Consular help for most countries: London.
Segedunum is the one paid sight; everything else in town is free to walk.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/wallsend). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.