Essential information What to wear, what to expect, and more... Expand Standard tours take two hours and are not suitable for children under seven years old. (During holiday periods we offer one hour tours suitable for families with younger children.) Tours start and finish in the Ouseburn Valley. The Tunnel is a dark, confined space (in most places it is six feet 3 inches high by seven feet wide), so we provide hard hats and torches. The Tunnel is damp and muddy in places. Please wear suitable, closed-toe shoes. High heels are not advisable! The Tunnel has a constant temperature of 12 degrees C. The walls are limewashed in places. We recommend that you wear a washable, warm jacket. No animals are allowed in the Tunnel except trained assistance dogs. Eating, drinking and smoking are not permitted in the Tunnel. We reserve the right not to admit anyone who is under the influence of alcohol. The Victoria Tunnel is an unfunded and not-for-profit project. In order to cover its running costs the following charges apply, regardless of tour length: Adults £7, Under-16s £4. A concessionary charge of £4 for visitors on a low-wage may be available - please phone to arrange. Tours are delivered by a team of Heritage Volunteers. Our guides are all volunteers and without them giving up their time the tours would not be possible. Please treat them with respect.
Meeting point for the Tour Tours meet at the Victoria Visitor Centre, 55 Lime Street, Ouseburn Expand Most tours start at the Victoria Tunnel Visitor Centre, 55 Lime Street (next to the Ouseburn Trust office and opposite Seven Stories) NE1 2PQ and begin with a short walk to the tunnel entrance on Ouse St via The Riverside Walk. There is a link to a map here. Visitors will return to the same point at the end of the tour.
Parking and Public Transport Car park suggestions and public transport connections Expand Parking The nearest free parking in the Ouseburn South Car Park next to The Cycle Hub on the Quayside. Street parking on Lime Street and in the Ouseburn Central Car Park on Foundry Lane is 40p per hour up to a maximum stay of four hours. There is also a car park under the Arches of Byker Bridge, on the corner of Lime Street and Stepney Bank. Charges are £1 for the first hour then 80p an hour up to a maximum stay of four hours. The meter accepts payment by debit or credit card only (or pay cash in Ouseburn Trust office at 53 Lime Street). By Bus from/to Town Centre & Byker Services 1, 12, 22, 39, 40, 62 and 63 will take you to the Bus Stop outside or opposite St. Dominic's Priory on New Bridge Street - look for The Tanners Arms pub and turn down Stepney Bank on the right of the pub, follow the road downhill until it bears right and we are on the right. Find out more details of bus services at journeyplanner The yellow Quaylink bus, Q3, from Newcastle city Centre (Market Street near Grey's Monument) will drop you off on City Road (Just after East Quayside Sandgate stop in the timetable). Turn left along Cut Bank, then left again on Lime St and we are on the left opposite Seven Stories. Here's a link to the Q3 timetable Sightseeing Bus - during the Great Exhibition of the North you can catch the sightseeing bus (blue route) from Central Station and the City Centre through to the heart of Ouseburn and many wonderful attractions. It runs every half hour between about 11am and about 4pm every day. See the route and timetable here. By Metro The nearest Metro station is Manors. Get off here and it's a 10 - 15 minute walk along New Bridge Street to The Tanners Arms, then down Stepney Bank, bear right onto Lime Street until you reach our office.
Tour times We offer at least seven public tours each week, with additional public, group and school visits. Expand Our seven regular tours are Mondays at 1.30pm Thursdays at 6.30 pm; Fridays at 10.30 am and 1.30 pm; Saturdays at 10 am and 1 pm; Sundays at 1 pm Some weeks we add in extra tours some Tuesdays at either 10.30am or 1.30pm. Wednesdays at 10.30am or 1.30pm some Saturdays at 4pm, some Saturdays we have special one-hour tours at 6.45pm and 8pm some Sundays at 10am and or 4pm Shorter one-hour tours are offered during school holidays for families with younger children and anyone who may find a shorter tour more appropriate. Please check the separate booking calendar for one hour tours. Advance booking is essential - tours do get fully booked so please plan ahead to avoid disappointment. If you are ready to book your tour now please click here Private tours for eight or more people can be arranged on other days and times, but please give a minimum of two weeks' notice. Ring up or email the Victoria Tunnel Co-ordinator giving the preferred date and time of the tour (give two or three alternatives). Where less than fifteen places are required we may open up the remaining places for public booking. If you would prefer to book your tour by telephone or have any questions about the tours please call 0191 230 4210 9am-5pm Monday - Friday or email the Victoria Tunnel Team. For any urgent matter you can contact the Victoria Tunnel Co-ordinator outside of office hours on 0751 880 2832 Why not treat your friends and family to a Victoria Tunnel Gift Voucher available in our online shop.
Accessibility Access to the Victoria Tunnel is good but there are some limitations due to the nature of the site Expand The Victoria Tunnel Visitor Centre is fully accessible and has a disabled toilet. The Victoria Tunnel itself has level access but 50 yards into the Tunnel there are a series of World War Two blast walls - it is impossible to take wheelchairs, prams or buggies beyond this point. We can provide a short taster visit and show a film by arrangement as an alternative. At the furthest point of the Tour there is a very steep ramp, we recommend that any visitor with difficulty walking takes the opportunity to have a seat at this point for the ten minutes that the Tour spends going up and back down. There is a siren at the start of the tour and an audio experience at the end of the tour, please let the guides know at the start of the tour if you are sensitive to noise. Assistance dogs can be permitted by arrangement. Sign language interpretation can be provided by arrangement. If you would like to discuss your particular access requirements please call 0191 2304210 or email the Victoria Tunnel Co-ordinator here
Special offers to dine out There are many great places to eat and drink in Ouseburn Valley Expand You may like to dine before or after your tour. Please see the special offers shown below from some of our neighbours. Your tour booking entitles you to the offers on the date of your tour and by showing your ticket (paper or on your phone) when you order your meal: The Ouseburn Farm offers a free hot drink when you order a meal or a snack in their Cafe. at The Cluny Kitchen you can get 15% discount for delicious food. at The Ship Inn you can get 10% off the food menu at The Cycle Hub you can get 10% off refreshments. The Biscuit Factory at The Factory Kitchen Cafe you can get 10% discount across all delicious food and drinks. More details at The Factory Kitchen Hotel du Vin The Hotel du Vin offer Tipple in the Tunnel wine tasting evenings find out more here
There's more to do in Ouseburn While you are in the area here are some more ideas for things to do Expand Visit the Ouseburn Farm, Stepney Bank Stables or Seven Stories. Hire a bike from The Cycle Hub Admire and buy art at Northern Print and The Biscuit Factory or sign up for a course to make your own. Go bouldering at The Valley SHOP at the Mushroom Works on the first Saturday of every month Open days at St Ann's Church (first and third Saturdays from May-September) And Ouseburn Valley special events including Ouseburn Open Studios (last weekend in November), Ouseburn Festival (first weekend in July), The Late Shows (a Friday and Saturday evening Mid May), Heritage Open Days (second weekend in September) Ouseburn Cycle Cross (August Bank Holiday) Download this map here