Jesmond Dene

About Jesmond Dene

Jesmond Dene is a steep wooded valley carved by the Ouseburn on the north-eastern edge of the city, given to the people of Newcastle by the industrialist Lord Armstrong, who had laid out its paths, bridges and waterfalls as a private garden before handing it over in 1883. It feels far more rural than its position suggests, with the burn tumbling over a weir beside the ruins of an old mill, wooded footpaths climbing both banks and Armstrong Bridge striding across the top of the valley. It links southward into Armstrong Park and Heaton Park, so the connected green spaces make one of the longest continuous walks you can take from close to the centre.

At the heart of the Dene is Pets' Corner, a free-to-enter animal centre that has delighted Newcastle families since the 1960s, home to alpacas, pot-bellied pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits and birds, with Millfield House café and a modern visitor centre alongside. Next to it is a fenced play area built as part of the Ouseburn Parks lottery project in 2011 and designed for children under eight, which makes the Dene an easy half-day out combining animals, play and an easy woodland walk. It is free and open, and West Jesmond and South Gosforth Metro stations are each about a fifteen-minute walk away.

Featured in These Guides

Blog posts and guides that feature Jesmond Dene.

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