Newcastle got its name from a castle built in 1080 by Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror, but the hilltop he chose above the Tyne had already been used for centuries. Beneath the Castle Keep and the Black Gate lie the remains of Pons Aelius, a small Roman fort that guarded a bridge across the river near the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. The name honoured Hadrian himself, whose family name was Aelius. Outlines of the fort are marked in the paving around the keep, and the Swing Bridge below crosses the river close to where the Roman bridge stood.
The wall ran east from here to Wallsend, where the fort of Segedunum has been excavated and has a museum and a viewing tower. Westward, its line follows the West Road out of the city, with fragments visible in suburbs like Denton and Heddon-on-the-Wall. Newcastle itself grew rich on coal, shipbuilding and engineering, and its quayside, crossed by a famous series of bridges, from the High Level of Robert Stephenson to the tilting Millennium Bridge, is the heart of the city's revival.
The riding is urban. Expect heavy traffic, one-way systems, bus lanes and cobbles on the steep streets of the old quayside. The Side, which climbs from the quay to the cathedral, is cobbled and steep, and in the wet it deserves care. Parking near the castle is limited, so it is easier to leave the bike on the edge of the centre and walk. Once out of the city, though, the A69 and the Military Road lead west along the wall into some of the best riding in England.
Fuel, food and every service are on hand. Newcastle's food scene ranges from traditional pies and pease pudding, a spread of split peas, to modern restaurants in the Ouseburn valley. The city's nightlife is famous, and its people, the Geordies, are known for their friendliness and humour. Climb the Castle Keep for a view of the bridges and the river, and look down at the lines of the Roman fort below. Two thousand years ago, soldiers here were watching the same river, probably complaining about the same weather.