TRAVEL: Getting to the North East

By plane
There are two airports for direct domestic and European flights: Newcastle International Airport and Durham Tees Valley Airport. A Metro train operates between Newcastle International Airport and central Newcastle (7 miles). An Arriva bus service (no.20) operates between Durham Tees Valley Airport and central Middlesbrough (12 miles).

www.newcastleairport.com
www.durhamteesvalleyairport.com

By boat
DFDS Seaways operate a daily ferry service between Amsterdam and Newcastle.www.dfdsseaways.co.uk

By train
National Rail Enquiries for national and local timetables: www.nationalrail.co.uk

National trains to Newcastle and Middlesbrough:
East Coast mainline from London and Scotland www.eastcoast.co.uk
First TransPennine Express from North West: www.tpexpress.co.uk
CrossCountry from Penzance to Aberdeen (connecting in Darlington for Middlesbrough): www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk

National trains to Sunderland:
Grand Central from London to Sunderland: www.grandcentralrail.co.uk

By car
The A1(M) links with Scotland; the M6 links with Scotland and the West of England; and the M1/M6 links with the South. Typical journey times are approximately: 2 hours from Edinburgh, 3 hours from Manchester and 5 hours from London.

Travel: Festival Commuting

It is easy to travel between the AV Festival urban centres of NewcastleGateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.

By train The Tyne and Wear Metro has 60 stations serving Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland. Approximate Metro journey times are 5 mins between Newcastle and Gateshead and 30 mins between Newcastle and Sunderland.

For Metro and buses in Tyne and Wear: www.nexus.org.uk
For public transport in the whole region: www.traveline.org.uk

Northern Rail runs a direct train service connecting Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough approximately once an hour daily: www.northernrail.org. Typical journey time between Sunderland and Middlesbrough is 56 mins and between Newcastle and Middlesbrough is 75 mins. More frequent, and often faster, services run from Newcastle to Middlesbrough connecting in Darlington (East Coast Mainline, Arriva Cross-Country or Transpennine Express connecting to Northern Rail).

By car Approximate journey time between Newcastle and Sunderland is 30 mins. Middlesbrough is at the intersection of the A19 and A66, and is within 60 mins of Newcastle and 45 mins of Sunderland.

FESTIVAL MAPS
Newcastle Gateshead

Sunderland

Middlesbrough