Our great Gallery Weekend, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne 2023

A group of 25 intrepid SAS explorers headed north on a Longmynd Travel coach from Shrewsbury on Friday 24th March, to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, for our 3-day Gallery Weekend. 

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Our hotel was close to the Tyne, perfect for views of the stunning bridges

The hotel was great, with very comfortable accommodation and excellent service from a dedicated staff. Arriving at 2pm gave us the afternoon to explore, and a lovely sunny day it was too! The Ramada Encore hotel was ideally placed for a leisurely stroll into the city, or a bus ride for those who preferred. Some participants made their own evening meal arrangements, but two thirds of the group had a very sociable meal together in the hotel’s restaurant. 

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We enjoyed socialising over dinner, breakfast, coffee, tea and cake…

Saturday was art gallery day – special exhibitions, open studios and sumptuous installations awaited us! The Hatton (university art gallery) was first, to view a fabulous exhibition by contemporary artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, followed by the Laing (and a welcome visit to their café for cake and coffee), and then the Biscuit Factory, where there was much to see, including open studios and a number of interesting exhibitions by a variety of artists. 

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Galleries awaited us: the Laing, the Biscuit Factory, the Hatton and more

After another sociable lunch in their café, we headed back towards our hotel and the Baltic Contemporary Gallery, where a huge life-sized installation entitled ‘The Procession’ awaited us, a multi-sensory delight of colour and flamboyance – see the photos below. This was a real treat, and also afforded us some amazing views over the Tyne river with its multiple bridges in view. Another very enjoyable and conversational evening meal followed! 

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‘The Procession’ at the Baltic was a delightful surprise

On Sunday a group of us travelled by bus to Ashington, to the ‘Pitmen Painters’ exhibition, plus an immersive exhibition of life in the mines. In addition, there was a stunning exhibition entitled ‘Wild Northumberland’, which was a delight. Of course, coffee sessions and lunches with plenty of happy chatter took place in their café! 

Some members stayed in Newcastle as there was still plenty to see (for instance the cathedral, museums, bridges, architecture, etc.), some attended concerts (choral music in the cathedral; opera at the Theatre Royal) and some travelled (by bus) further afield to Alnwick Gardens, Hexham and Durham. The choice was always with the participants!

On our last day we had a leisurely morning and plenty of time for last-minute sight-seeing, then a scheduled stop on our return journey at the Angel of the North, the beautiful sunny weather enhancing our photos. 

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And on the way home, the Angel of the North was the perfect ending

We all agreed that this had been a busy but enlightening weekend, with plenty to see for everyone, but above all it was a very sociable event, with plenty of time and opportunity to socialise with colleagues and friends who had a shared interest in art. All in all, a delightful weekend.

Thanks to Longmynd Travel for their excellent service as always. And, to all our members, we hope you’ll be inspired to join us for our next Gallery Weekend!

Beverley Wightman, SAS Gallery Trips Organiser

And we, the SAS Committee, would like to thank Bev for her dedication in making this a fabulous weekend for all who attended (and for her super photos which give a great flavour of the weekend). We couldn’t have wished for more.