Our #LittleDiscoveries Adventure to Newcastle, Day One

Next week Little Miss starts school full time. Real compulsory education. I can’t believe our summer is over and on Wednesday she’ll be putting on her uniform for the first time and walking through the doors of her primary school. She’s so ready. She’s smart, social and ready to learn. However, on the other hand, I’m pretty much falling apart the closer it gets. I have to admit people who don’t have children are struggling to understand how I’m feeling. For the last 3 & a half years, Little Miss has been my lifeline. Days I’ve struggled to get out of bed, she’s been there for me to fully focus on. She’s been my whole world and right now it feels like I’m about to lose her and I don’t know how I’m going to cope. I know it’s a lot for a child to be their parent’s source of sanity, thankfully LM hasn’t even realised just how much she’s meant to me through the tough times, she’s just felt loved. But still, I’m not coping well and I can only imagine how tough the next few weeks are going to be for me. I’m dreading the crippling loneliness.

So, as a final fling per say, Little Miss and I set off on an adventure Wednesday morning to Newcastle in search of some #LittleDiscoveries with CrossCountry trains. We would be traveling down first class, staying over night in a hotel and exploring the city, sharing our #LittleDiscoveries on the blog and our Livvybirdadventures instagram. If you already follow us you may have seen some of the fun things we got up to while we were away, and if not, I’m going to recap in much more detail over two posts here on the blog.

I have to say we had a fantastic two days, just me and her. Over the past four months we’ve welcomed a new member of the family, and LM has loved it. We both consider ourselves a three rather than a two, even though he’s only around sometimes. Bur still, it was so nice just to have quality time the two of us. We didn’t see anyone we knew, it was just me and her for about 36 hours and I know it was time we needed. Not only that but I used to live in Newcastle, long before I had her so it was really special showing her where I used to work and go with my friends. Not only that, we visited museums I went with my parents and with the school when I was a child, it really made for such a special trip. Perfect bonding time before a new chapter in our lives begins.

Traveling First Class was a real treat. It was so nice to be able to sit back and relax in the spacious seats. It really added to LM’s excitement when she had so much room to lay out her stuff and then of course we were brought drinks and crisps to our seats. We had the option of ordering a scone or a wrap but I declined as they weren’t too our taste but the drinks and snacks we did get were great. I made use of the free wifi, great as I can never get great reception at the speed CrossCountry trains go. From our small town it’s a direct journey to Newcastle. We’re really lucky to live on such a great line but CrossCountry trains have many great routes all across the country which really makes it easy to get to a lot of great cities. From where I live you can even catch a direct route to places like Plymouth and Penzance!

From where we live it takes 45 minutes with only one stop between here and our destination of Newcastle. On arrival to Central Station we only had a five minute walk to our hotel which with a suitcase and a small child is perfect. Thankfully Newcastle Central station is surrounded by a few great hotels so you’re never stuck for choice on where to stay. Since I moved I’ve been back a few times for nights out and I love how close you are to the nightlife from the moment you step off the train. However this time, that’s now what we were here for. Although it was just after midday we headed to our hotel to leave our bags so we could head out adventuring for the rest of the day.

We stayed at the Sleeperz Hotel and it was wonderful. We were able to check in and our room was ready so we could leave our bags there. The room was spacious with a shower room and a huge window with a great view of the castle to the right. Little Miss loved looking out. I couldn’t believe how close to the station this was but it must be fairly new as when I was living in Newcastle (almost 7 years ago) the buildings in this area were fairly derelect. You wouldn’t know that now with how modern and chic this hotel is. The bed was so comfortable and the tv directly opposite was perfect for Little Miss catching up on My Little Pony the next morning. I will have a full review of the hotel coming up so please look out for that.

After dropping our bags and coats (it was really hot) we headed out for some lunch and I quickly used my phone to book cinema tickets as Little Miss was suffering badly with hayfever. We didn’t have far to walk as I knew exactly where I was going for lunch, my personal favourite mexican food place, and one of my great ‘little discoveries’, Zapatista Burrito Bar, right opposite Central Station.

I’ve already posted a full review of Zapatista as part of my Where Amy Ate series a couple of years back, and since then I’ve visited twice and so far I have never been disappointed. This time was no different, the food, service and atmosphere was wonderful and you get so much bang for your buck. For £10 we had an extra large naked burrito (extra large because we shared so we had double helpings of rice, cheese and sour cream) some tortilla chips and two drinks. The food is always deliciously fresh and I love how it’s basically a mexican food Subway where you can have your wrap, nachos, chili anyway you want it. Little Miss is also a huge fan, she loves picking her toppings and she declared the chips as “the best crisps ever” so we both left happy and I already know this is where we’ll eat when she stop over on our Disney on Ice date the day we come back from Florida!

We had a slow walk up to the cinema which helped Little Miss digest enough to ask for popcorn when we arrived.

In our hometown our cinema is actually the local theatre meaning it doesn’t always show movies, and usually those movies had a nation release a few months back. Going to the cinema to see a current release movie is a huge treat for us and it’s something I really miss about living in a city. I used to go weekly and I feel sad LM doesn’t have that luxury. The Gate complex is a really special place to me in Newcastle as I had my first job post university in the Frankie and Bennys there! It was great to walk past with Little Miss and point it out to her. Tell her how on my days off my dad would come and have dinner with me in TGI Fridays which is also in The Gate. Point out some bars I went to before I had her. It was so bittersweet to be back and it’s such a great place right in the centre of the city to for eating and entertainment So when her hayfever (and mine) was causing some issues I took to my phone and grabbed us a couple of tickets to see Pete’s Dragon, Disney’s latest live action movie. We are both huge fans of the original and I didn’t know what to expect but I’m so glad we went. We both completely loved the movie and I cried 90% of the way through it (always a sign of a good Disney movie). On coming out LM declared she wanted her own Elliot which inspired me when it came to deciding where to head next.

I had heard that Build a Bear Workshop was offering you the chance to make your own Elliot and I couldn’t think of a better treat for Little Miss. I knew there was a store at the Metro Centre so we made our way back to Central Station, purchased our tickets and a hopped on a train across the Tyne. The Metro Centre is actually situated in Gateshead but from Newcastle this takes less than 10 minutes by train or bus to get to. The Metro Centre is the biggest shopping centre in Europe and has loads of entertainment, shops and places to eat and drink all under one roof, so convenient in the winter when it’s freezing outside. I knew we could also get some dinner while here, and had Little Miss not been too tired we could have even gone bowling! However there were a few shops we wanted to visit first including The Disney Shop and of course, Build a Bear.

Little Miss loved the life size Storm Trooper in The Disney Store and demanded her photo with it, she’s so easily pleased. And then we went to make her Elliot. We have tried on three occassions to get her to make a bear but the noise has always terrified her so it’s never happened. I explained if she wanted Elliot she needed to be brave and she really was. If you’re looking for a special thing to do with your kids, as a treat or for a birthday I cannot recommend Build a Bear Workshop enough. The staff were so kind and patient with her especially as she was both excited and terrified by the noise of the machine that stuffs them. We made him a birth certificate on the computer and she carried the box herself even though it was almost as big as her. I have to say she’s carted him around ever since so it feels like money well spent and such a special thing to do before she goes to school.

But what she got to do next was probably her favourite thing of the whole trip…

There is a little train that children can ride around on for small fee and every time we’ve been I’ve always been weighed down with bags but this time as this was to be a special trip, I let her and it was worth it. Look at that excited face! It was £2.50 and we were on it for a good 5/6 minutes. We only had Elliot in his box so we both fit nicely in the carriage and she waved to everyone as we went around. For £2.50 and that amount of happiness it was worth it. I love how much there is for her to do at the Metro Centre, there is also indoor soft play and an outdoor playground.

After our train ride she picked to eat in TGI Fridays which I’m sure is because I pointed out the one in The Gate. Again TGI Fridays is a real treat for us as we don’t have one in our home town. They are so child (and adult where their amazing selection of cocktails) friendly, she was given a colouring pack and a member of the team made her a balloon dog while we waited for our food. My JD seseme chicken with mash was possible one of the best meals I’ve had in months and LM really enjoyed selecting her chicken strips, mash and beans.

By this time it was about 7pm so we caught the train back to central Newcastle, picked up some snacks from M&S in the station and headed to the hotel to put on our pjs and for mummy to catch The Great British Bake Off before bed. What a truly great day.

CrossCountry Trains are asking you to share your Little Discoveries over on Instagram by uploading a photo of your favourite #littlediscoveries from your hometown or a place you enjoy visiting in the UK and using the hashtag for the chance to win big. But be fast, it closes on the 6th September!