My wife and I were fortunate enough to have our travel agent in the states book us, first class, on…read moretrains from London to Edinburgh and back again. I've gotta tell you, folks, this was a splendid ride. Aside from the old man hacking across the way from us on our northward trip, and the uncontrolled little kids nearby on our journey south, everything was grand on this voyage aboard an East Coast train. We got food and beverage service, complimentary Wi-Fi, and friendly staff members who were more than happy to fill up my teacup again and again if I wanted more. Talk about a smooth ride, too. You could barely tell we were speeding along as fast as we were. And the views of the North Sea are stunning outside. Ah... I wish I was back again right now. I'll be sure to book with National Express next time I travel in this region.

I'm sorry... I thought Virgin Trains were the best way to get around by rail in the United…read moreKingdom.... I was wrong. Dead wrong. Yes, Virgin Trains is a great rail company, but National Express EC trumps it for the following reasons: 1. Coach seats have more legroom. A lot more. 2. Seats are comfortable. Headrests are high and seats are nice and firm. 3. Overhead storage space is a little bigger than the other trains I've been on. and, by FAR, the number one reason... 3. Free WiFi for ALL passengers onboard. I missed an earlier train from Dundee to Edinburgh... that one was on ScotRail, and I'm so glad I missed it. =)

The Metro is a convenient way to get around Newcastle. The infamous black and yellow sign has…read moredominated the city since the 1980s and it is still going strong, even nowadays in 2017. It opened in 1980 and I don't think it has changed at all since then! The trains are old and rattle a lot, and the seats are quite frayed and ripped. Some of the stations are quite dated as well. The city centre stations all have large escalators, but they are not as large as the ones on the London Underground. These stations also have step free access in the form of very old, very unreliable lifts. I would avoid going in them as they seem very dodgy. It covers a good area of the city. You can get to the airport from the city centre in about 20 minutes, and it will only cost you about £5. You will need to select zones A, B and C for the airport, and that is why it is more expensive than other destinations. Not as large as the tube, but it has more frequent services than the Edinburgh Tram and covers more ground. It is also convenient for reaching the coast and Sunderland.

Haymarket Metro is one of the stations serving Newcastle city centre on the Tyne and Wear Metro…read moresystem, it is located in Haymarket, close to the bus station and Northumberland Street. It is in a decent, central location and is the nearest metro station to places such as Newcastle University. As a station, it is slightly old-fashioned in parts, although some parts are slightly newer, having some work done around 2009/2010. There wasn't a huge staffed presence at this station, some parts, before you got to the main platform, seemed to have not changed much in the refurb, so this wasn't the greatest, nicest or brightest metro station in parts, which is a shame. I'm struggling to comment further - this metro station is probably below average, but in a decent location. Would it be missed if this station wasn't here? Probably because of the need for a metro-station in the Haymarket area, which is close to the University and the City centre of Newcastle/Northumberland Street, hence warranting at least a two-star rating.

At the moment I rate this metro station with two stars only since it is on ongoing maintenance and…read morerenovation thus imposing difficulty for the metro users, especially during the evenings when regularly most of the work is carried out. Since the Heymarket market station is located in one of the busiest areas in Newcastle and next to Newcastle university it has all the necessary facilities: 3 escalators ( the third recently placed), elevator and kiosks. The way to the platform is very steep so the use of escalators is essential. It is cleaned regularly and is very well lit at night time. The big advantage is the regular service.

Lovely old Victorian station now used for the modern metro line. Hosts a Market on Saturdays and…read moreSundays and has restaurant, cafe, newsagent and hair dressers too.

There isn't much you can say about Metrocentre station. It serves the Metrocentre shopping mall…read more(duh) which it is located just behind and is connected to by a link bridge. There is no ticket counter and there are no ticket machines, so you'll have to buy your ticket on the train, or if you're lucky, get away with a few quid still in your pocket. The station is cold, damp and abandoned-looking. Everything feels very temporary, as if Northern couldn't afford to finish building the station. There used to be automated announcements saying which train was approaching but they stopped, so now the train times are anyone's guess. All I know is there is a train to Newcastle Central every 15 minutes. I'm pretty sure the Tyne & Wear Metro will also use this stop in a few years' time, so maybe that will mean ticket machines? Time will tell.

During my on-going time in Newcastle, I have been in four rather large bus stations, one of them…read morebeing this one here at Haymarket, it is one of the two main bus stations serving the city centre of Newcastle, alongside the one at Eldon Square. Compared to the other stations i have visited in the area: Gateshead, Metrocentre and Eldon Square this is sadly one of the poorest due to the old fashioned nature of the store, it is located and built into the huge Marks and Spencer store in Newcastle, yet it is quite convenient the location as it also has direct access into the food hall, making it quite quick and easy to get perhaps a snack or something to eat before you travel. One of the main reasons I dislike Haymarket is the old fashioned nature of the building, unlike the other three they don't have a large electronic board showing your next bus to your destination, instead it just had individual ones with the final destination of the bus, for example 23 Angel at each stand. There also is a really small Cosy Newsagents into the bus station and a metro station opposite, there now seems to be slightly fewer services calling in after Eldon Square's bus station, which seems quite new came into effect, I sadly feel due to rivals for city centre and other bus stations and the old fashioned nature of this bus station,Haymarket Station only deserves a two star rating, gaining an extra star through providing buses to that area of the city centre, fairly close to the end of Northumberland Street and the likes of Starbucks, Lloyds Bank and TSB.