Skate Parks in Newcastle: A Guide for Skaters and Parents

Newcastle has a small but genuinely good spread of places to skateboard, ride a BMX or take a scooter, from free outdoor concrete a few minutes from the city centre to paid indoor parks just over the river for wet-weather days. This guide runs through the main options, what each one is built from, who it suits, and the practical rules worth knowing before you set off, whether you are a rider yourself or a parent taking a first-timer.

Exhibition Park: the city-centre free spot

The best-known skatepark in the city sits inside Exhibition Park, a short walk north of Haymarket and the universities. It is an all-concrete park that has stood since the mid-2000s and, unusually, has kept its surface smooth over the years, which is a large part of why skaters still rate it.

The layout splits into two halves. There is a transitions section built around two linked bowls, one rounder and deep with vert extensions, the other more squared off with a spine, and a separate street section with the ledges and flat ground that suit board tricks. That mix means it works for a fairly wide range: confident bowl riders get something to push against, while the street area is more forgiving for anyone still finding their feet. It is free, outdoors and effectively always open, tucked among the trees so it is a pleasant spot on a dry day. There are no dedicated toilets at the skatepark itself, though there are facilities elsewhere in the park.

Best for: Helmets and pads are your own responsibility at free outdoor parks like Exhibition Park and Blakelaw. There is no staff supervision, so a helmet is strongly advised for younger or newer riders.

Blakelaw: metal ramps in the west

Over towards the west of the city, Blakelaw Skatepark on Blakelaw Road is the other free outdoor option inside Newcastle proper. It is a different beast to Exhibition Park: rather than poured concrete, it is built from metal ramps on a tarmac base, with a flat bank, a quarter pipe, a spine, a funbox and a bowled corner.

That modular kit suits riders who like transitions and gap features, and the tarmac base tends to favour BMX and scooter as much as boards. It is handy for public transport, with buses along Ponteland Road and Kingston Park Metro roughly a ten-minute walk away, which makes it reachable for families in the western suburbs who do not fancy the trip into town. Like Exhibition Park it is free, outdoors and unsupervised.

Indoor parks nearby for wet days

Newcastle itself does not have a large indoor skatepark, so the main covered options sit just outside the city across the Tyne. They are worth knowing about because Tyneside weather makes an indoor plan a sensible fallback, and because indoor parks are where most structured lessons happen.

Dynamix, in Gateshead, is an indoor centre catering to skateboards, BMX and scooters, with regular sessions across the disciplines alongside other activities. A general skate session is inexpensive, but the centre asks that newer riders complete a beginners session first, so it is worth ringing ahead rather than turning up cold with a first-timer. Override, a little further out in Jarrow, is a dedicated indoor park running scooter, BMX and skate sessions with lessons scheduled through the week. Sessions there are booked by the hour, with equipment and helmet hire available if you are trying the sport before buying kit.

Best for: Indoor parks run booked sessions, especially at weekends and in school holidays, and some require a beginners session before general skating. Always check current times and book ahead rather than assuming drop-in.

Choosing the right spot

If you are local and just want somewhere free to ride on a dry afternoon, Exhibition Park is the natural first choice for its central location and mix of bowl and street, while Blakelaw suits western riders and anyone who prefers metal ramps and transitions. Both are unsupervised, so they reward riders who already have a little confidence or a parent keeping an eye on things.

For a nervous beginner, a young child, or a rainy week, the paid indoor parks over the river earn their fee: you get a smooth covered surface, staff on hand, hire kit so you are not committing to an expensive board or scooter before you know it will stick, and structured lessons that are hard to replicate at a free outdoor park. The trade-off is the booking admin and the short drive out of the city.

Getting started safely

Whichever you pick, the basics are the same. A well-fitted helmet is the single most useful bit of kit, and knee and wrist pads make the early falls far less off-putting for a child. Start on flat ground and the shallower transitions before anyone attempts a bowl or a bigger ramp, and go at quieter times if a new rider is likely to be nervous around faster, more experienced skaters. If you are building a wider active day around a trip, the skatepark pairs naturally with a green space or playground stop, and our guides to the best playgrounds in the city centre and to family activities in Newcastle both cover nearby options.

Know a Newcastle skatepark or riding spot we have missed, or spotted a detail that needs updating? Get in touch and let us know.