Jesmond Dene Park

What’s not to love?! The tranquil sound of Ouseburn river, the picturesque array of bridges, the old water mill… Jesmond Dene is a peaceful haven away from the hustle and bustle of city centre life yet surprisingly only a stones throw away!
I often visit this beautiful park for a stroll along the Ouseburn river from the quayside up to Gosforth. An ideal spot in all weathers to clear your mind and appreciate the scenery and nature all around. There are lots of dog walkers and a few cyclists along certain routes. It can be quite muddy in places hidden from the sun so good footwear is advised and there can be some steep climbs too.
There is a petting zoo for families with young children and a café closeby for re-​fueling after a walk or ice cream during our glorious Geordie summers. There are a number of picnic benches too catering for everyone.

Amongst the big shopping centre, hospitals and masses of people with their dwellings, you are lucky to find a nice big green space-​you are even luckier if you have a Dene beside these fields!
Tucked away from the city centre, Jesmond Dene is a short bus ride away and offers a slice of nature that is rare to come across in such a big city.
It is well worth the travel as this little hidden gem provides the peace and tranquility you would only expect to get in the countryside some hours away.
Definitely makes Newcastle a worthwhile place to be!

We visited Jesmond Dene on a quick stay in Newcastle. We wanted a break from the city streets, and Jesmond Dene is the ideal place to get some quick nature and tranquility very near the heart of Newcastle.
It’s a big park, stretching over 3 km, with some beautiful picturesque features. There’s a beautiful stream, a waterfall, and an old water mill. There’s also a petting zoo, which I wasn’t mad keen on — I’m not a fan of seeing animals being penned in on concrete surfaces, and they didn’t seem to have much space, especially the ducks. I don’t quite get why they would have ducks in a cage, when there’s ducks on the river right next to it — seems a bit unnecessary. But I guess kids might love it.
There’s also a very small pet cemetary in a slightly overgrown bit. I don’t think this is really meant to be a feature but it’s sort of unmissable. Further up, apparently there’s a visitor centre and café and such — but we sadly didn’t have time to explore the full park.
It’s a lovely place for a walk. It’s said that there’s otters and red squirrels hiding out, we didn’t see any, but I’d love to go back and get more familiar with this beautiful park. For me, it would be even better if they improved or removed their petting zoo, and replaced it with more focus or education about the wildlife in the park.

lovely park, especially beautiful on a cold but sunny morning, it’s very wooded so you need the right footwear though (have been caught out before when it has been a little muddy!) so beautiful and secluded for being so close to the city centre.

Can’t comment on the restaurant of a similar name that lots of people keep mentioning but the actual Dene itself is a great little slice of the country wedged in the middle of an otherwise purely urban area.
Go for a bit of a walk and you can forget you’re in a city of over a quarter of a million people.

This is a lovely place for a walk no matter what the time of year as it continually changes with the seasons. It’s like a walk in the countryside whilst still being in the heart of a very busy city. There has been a pets corner for as long as I can remember and it’s lovely to see all the animals and birds. There is a café selling very delicious cakes (and there’s toilets in there too) and a fish restaurant, although I’ve never been in there.
In the corner of th grassed area in the entrance is a little pet cemetary which is no longer used but some of the little stones are still visible. Such a lovely place to spend an hour.

A lovely walk with a country atmosphere in a city setting. There is a lovely café in the park which sells lovely cakes. There is some parking nearby, although some of it is on-​street parking. The walk itself through the park is very pleasant along the side of a river and is great for dog walking or taking the kids out for a walk. There is a pets corner with farm animals and small pets which the kids love.

Jesmond Dene is a stunning Victorian green space in the very heart of the city. It is one of many planned parks within Newcastle, and is well preserved and maintained. It is partially crossed by the magnificent Armstrong bridge. The park has a children’s petting zoo, and a great market on Sundays which deals in arts and crafts, creative, and antiques type items as opposed to the traditional ‘100 pegs for £1′ type market. Due to the fairly secluded location the park is something of an undiscovered gem, and is quiet a lot of the year, unless it snows! It is however a lovely spot for a picnic or a romantic walk, and is a great escape from the inner city bustle.

I use the Dene frequently for walks. It is quite naturalistic as a park with little formal garden style planting.
There is definite beefit to continuing your walk along to the nearby Heaton park.
Armstrong bridge has a craft fair every Sunday too!
Jesmond Dene has open air summer plays. There is a pets corner and a tea room too

tayed for one night on 31^st Oct, chose the Jazz supper package. My girlfriend and I enjoyed our stay at Jesmond Dene House. Nice food and music was very good. There were a couple of tables still available on the night which I found hard to believe as it is such a good deal. Room was clean but quite small however I knew this before booking. Overall we enjoyed our stay and will be returning quite soon.

it is an alright place, its posh and sophisticated but there isn’t manythings that you can do there. it is an average location but you would definately get bored of hanging around there ²⁴⁄₇

Jesmond Dene consists of a couple of miles of beautiful wooded valley through which the river Ouseburn flows. It is home to indigenous and exotic trees and flowers (like Gateshead’s Saltwell Park this nature retreat was planted with diverse exotic flora by its Victorian owners) offering the perfect habitat for bird and insect life.
The Dene has retained its natural beauty for over 200 years, thanks partly to William Armstrong (1810 – 1900), one of Newcastle’s leading industrialists and the inventor of the hydraulic crane, who ensured that this area remained a haven by building a house there for his wife in 1835.
Over the next decade Armstrong donated portions of his lestate to the city of Newcastle and in 1884 Jesmond Dene was officially opened to the public. The area was expanded to include Castle Farm Bridge (1931) and in the 1970’s Newcastle City Council acquired the land from Castle Farm Bridge to South Gosforth.
Jesmond Dene is such an unlikely find so close to the city centre. It is a wonderful place to relax with the family. There is a coffee shop as well as a (very expensive) fish restaurant, a boating lake, pets corner where the children (or the adults in my case) can pet the pygmy goats and rabbits or view the beautiful golden pheasant and peacocks. There are large grassy areas on which to picnic or play games as well as winding walks of varying lengths and intensities. The place has a mystical beauty and in late summer the park often hosts open air theatre.
As an added incentive to going for a walk in the dene, Armstrong Bridge plays host to an arts and crafts market every Sunday morning.
Well worth a visit, but take a camera because you will be astonished at how beautiful this area is.
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Jesmond Dene is a wonderful place to relax on your own or with the children, its also fantastic for photos, if you’re feeling hungry there is a lovely little coffee shop next to pets corner and in all weathers an Ice Cream van at the entrance to pets corner. Pets corner its self is great for people of all ages and the highlight of the visit has to be the Peacock. There is so much grass land that you can easily picnic or play ball games and not have to worry that you are getting in someones way, often you will see groups of Tai Chi. In the late summer there is often an open air theatre last year it was shakespear and its great to take the kids to. If you just fancy a stroll with the dog then this is the ideal place to go, providing you pick up after yourself. On a sunday you have the Armstrong Bridge market with handmade mirrors, pictures, cards and jewellery.

Everything you would expect from a restaurant of this calibre. Great food, great staff but at an expense!

The best park in Newcastle (provided you don’t mind sharing your grass and benches with students!). Jesmond Dene is a lovely spot to sit or wander about in. The kids (including big kids — pretty much everybody) will love the tiny ‘pets corner’, especially the birds and rabbits.
It gets particularly busy later in the summer as runners preparing for the Great North Run fill its pathways. If this includes you this year, there is a great sense of comraderie among runners in the Dene. Train here.

Considering how close this is to the city, you feel miles away! I love the pets corner, it’s definately a good place to take little ones. It’s really nice for a picnic too in the summer!

Jesmond Dene or ‘The Dene’ as most people call it, is located about ten minutes from the city centre. You will forget that you’re so close to the city when tall trees are towering over you and there’s plenty of fresh air to be inhaled. Anmal Lovers will appreciate the pets corner which is home to rabbits. birds, goats and various other woodland creatures. An ice-​cream van sits around here in the hot days. There are so many trees and different flowers which makes ‘The Dene’ an oh so pretty place to get lost in. A market and craft stalls are there on Sunday mornings at the Cradle Well end. perfect for families, couples, or just you if you want to escape it all.

Anybody who has eaten at this 5 star restaurant would no doubt agree when I say that The Jesmond Dene House is one of the best restaurants you’ll ever eat in. The chef is Michelin-​starred (which says it all), the service is unique and the venue is stunning with gorgeous views over the Dene. Rest assured that from the moment you walk through the door until the moment you leave you will be looked after like never before. The sommeliers are French (biensur), the waiters trained to a very high standard and everything about this place is excellent. Of course, though, luxury comes at a price, so expect to pay about £70 ahead.