10: Newcastle - Hexham

*UPDATED: 22nd May 2022*

Route 10 connects the city of what feels like a thousand bridges with a pretty town not far from Hadrian's Wall. Buses run every half an hour Monday to Saturday daytimes and hourly evenings and Sundays, but parts of the route nearer to Newcastle have a more frequent service. It's operated by Go North East and is one of their flagship routes. Click here to discover other bus routes in the North East.

Newcastle

In my mind Newcastle vies with only Bristol for the title of England's best looking city. To be honest Newcastle just about pips it on the strength of its bridges over the Tyne and the splendour of Grey Street.

While here, why not catch a film at the famous Tyneside Cinema or visit the Discovery Museum?

The 10 departs from stand C at Eldon Square Bus Station in the heart of the city.

It also uses stop D on Neville Street, near Newcastle Central Station.

Laing Art Gallery

Eldon Square Shopping Centre

Metrocentre

One of the biggest out-of-town shopping centres in the UK, check out Metrocentre's website to see what you can do there. The centre has its own bus and rail interchange, with the 10 using stand E towards Hexham and stands L (before 7pm) and K (after 7pm) towards Newcastle.

Asda hypermarket Gateshead, use the Derwenthaugh Bridge Approach stops

Aldi supermarket Metro Park, use the Derwenthaugh Bridge Approach stops

Blaydon

Blaydon is known for its races. The 10 stops at the bus station, stand B towards Hexham and stand C towards Newcastle.

Blaydon Shopping Centre

Morrisons supermarket Blaydon

Ryton

Ryton is a relatively wealthy commuter town. The main bus stop is on Main Road at Ryton Church. Buses towards Hexham stop by Coffee Johnny's. Why not stop for a cup?:

... and buses to Newcastle stop opposite the Post Office:

Co-op supermarket Ryton, use the Ryton, Social Club/Watermill stops

Crawcrook


Prudhoe

We've now left Tyne & Wear (for which Nexus no longer produce any bus route maps) and entered the county of Northumberland as we arrive in Prudhoe. If you fancy a splash then get off the bus here for Waterworld.

The 10 towards Hexham stops on Front Street outside The Chair Centre:

... and towards Newcastle it stops outside G&S Electricals:

Co-op supermarket Prudhoe, use the Prudhoe, Post Office stops

Mickley

Tyne Valley Garden Centre, use the Mickley Square, Masonic Hall stops

Stocksfield

Photo by Jack Pearce, found on Wikipedia. Used under Creative Commons

Rowan Atkinson of Mr Bean fame used to live in Stocksfield and probably used the 10 a few times. He probably used to wait at this stop on the A695 opposite the railway station for buses towards Hexham:

... or over the road at this one for buses to Newcastle:

Corbridge

After passing through Riding Mill, we come to Corbridge, which was first settled by the Romans. You can still visit the remains of the Roman town, which are looked after by English Heritage.

The 10 pops north of the Tyne briefly to stop on a one-way loop outside the Off The Wall gallery on Hill Street in both directions:

Hexham

At long last we arrive in Hexham, where there is plenty to see and do. How about a look around the Abbey?

Hexham bus station is at the eastern end of Priestpopple, right in the centre of town. The 10 back to Newcastle goes from stand A.

Hexham Old Gaol

Waitrose supermarket Hexham

Lidl supermarket Hexham

Tesco Extra hypermarket Hexham

Aldi supermarket Hexham

Times

See the full timetable for the 10 on one of these sites:

• Go North East
• Nexus
• Traveline
• Bus Times

Here are your links to live timetable departure boards for major bus stops towards Hexham:

• Newcastle, Eldon Square Bus Station, Stand C
• Metrocentre Interchange, Stand E
• Blaydon Bus Station, Stand B
• Ryton, Woodside Lane
• Prudhoe, Front Street
• Stocksfield, opposite Railway Station
• Corbridge, Hill Street

...and back towards Newcastle:

• Hexham Bus Station, Stand A
• Corbridge, Hill Street
• Stocksfield, Railway Station
• Prudhoe, Front Street
• Ryton, Whitewell Lane
• Blaydon, Bus Station Stand C
• Metrocentre Interchange, Stand L
• Metrocentre Interchange, Stand K (after 7pm)

Fares

See adult single fares here and adult return fares here. Newcastle to Hexham is £3.60 single and £6.00 return. After 7pm there's currently a maximum fare of £2.00 single and £3.50 return.

The cheapest day ticket that is valid throughout route 10 is the Go North East all zones Day Ticket at £6 for an adult. It is valid on all Go North East routes. Cheaper versions are also available, but they are limited to certain zones:

• GNE Tyne & Wear £5.30: Valid on the 10 from Newcastle to Crawcrook, Stanleyburn.
• GNE Northumberland £5.30: Valid on the 10 from Hexham to Prudhoe Hospital, Main Gate.
• GNE Gateshead Borough £4.00: Valid on the 10 from Metrocentre to Crawcrook, Stanleyburn.
  

There is also a 24 hour ticket at £8.50, valid on all Go North East services.

If you also need to use buses of other operators, then you should ask for a North East Explorer ticket, which is £10.90 for an adult. It's valid on all Go North East, Stagecoach and Arriva buses across the North East from Scarborough to Berwick-upon-Tweed and as far west as Carlisle, plus on the Tyne & Wear Metro.

If you've only travelling within Tyne & Wear (Newcastle to Wylam on the 10) but also want to use other operators' buses, then use a Day Rover Ticket at £7.80.

If arriving in the region by train, then Plusbus tickets can be bought with your train ticket. See full details on the Plusbus website. The Newcastle Plusbus is valid on the 10 from Eldon Square to Stella Road/Stella Street. The Hexham Plusbus is not much use on the 10 as it's only valid for a few stops from the Bus Station.

Connections

See maps of all Go North East routes here.

From Newcastle City Centre you can connect with buses in all directions. These are just a few of the most major routes:

• Arriva X14 Morpeth & Thropton
• Arriva X20 Ashington & Alnwick
• Arriva X21 & X22 Ashington
• Arriva 308 Whitley Bay & Blyth
• Go North East X10 Middlesbrough
• Go North East X21 Bishop Auckland via Durham
• Arriva X18 Berwick-upon-Tweed

Eldon Square, where the 10 terminates in central Newcastle is not far from Monument station on the Tyne & Wear Metro.

The 10 then passes Newcastle Central station, which has trains in all directions (live departures, departure list, fares) in addition to being a station on the Metro.

From the Metrocentre Interchange, you can catch the following major bus routes:

• Go North East X45/X46 Consett

The Interchange also contains a railway station on the Newcastle to Carlisle line. The 10 passes near to many stations on the line, including the one in Hexham. Here's a map of the train line with the stations on or near the 10's route highlighted:

See the full timetable for this rail line here. Details of rail fares to and from any station in Britain can be found here.

Use the following links for live railway departure boards:

• Metrocentre
• Blaydon
• Prudhoe
• Stocksfield
• Riding Mill
• Corbridge
• Hexham

Use these links for a full list of the day's scheduled rail departures from the following stations:

• Metrocentre
• Blaydon
• Prudhoe
• Stocksfield
• Riding Mill
• Corbridge
• Hexham

From Hexham Bus Station, connect with the 685 to Carlisle operated jointly by Arriva and Stagecoach.


Alternatives

As we've just seen, the train provides an alternative way of getting between Newcastle and Hexham.

There are two other bus services that also run between Newcastle and Hexham, but via a different route:

• Go North East 684
• Arriva/Stagecoach 685

Long Distance Footpaths

• Hadrian's Wall Path passes through Newcastle
• River Tyne Trail passes through Newcastle, Stocksfield, Riding Mill, Corbridge and Hexham
• A Pennine Journey passes through Hexham

Click here to discover more exciting bus routes in the North East

All of the information in this post is correct at the time of writing, but please check the relevant links before travelling.