Stockton-on-Tees

By plane

Manchester Airport is best for most destinations, the direct train from Thornaby takes 2 hours 40 min.
Newcastle Airport can be reached in 90 mins by rail and metro, and has flights across western Europe.
Durham Tees Valley Airport is very close, just 5 miles west of town centre. But it only has two or three flights a day, to Amsterdam and Aberdeen; it lacks public transport; and they slap a £6 "facility fee" on departing passengers.

By train

Stockton's better-served railway station is , south of the river half a mile from High Street. This has hourly services east to Middlesbrough and west via York and Leeds to Manchester Piccadilly and Airport. Change at York for London Kings Cross, total travel time 3 hours. London can also be reached by changing at Darlington.
Stockton station is north of the river and town centre. It has an hourly train (Mon-Sat) north via Hartlepool and Sunderland to Newcastle and Hexham, and south to Thornaby and Middlesbrough-Nunthorpe.

By coach

National Express coaches take 7 hours between Stockton and London Victoria. There are 3 daytime services (two direct, one changing at Leeds) and one overnight.
The coach pick-up is outside the Swallow Hotel at the southern end of High St.

By bus: buses run to Durham, Newcastle, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough. The two main local bus operators are Arriva and Stagecoach. Most buses can be caught from the High Street.

• Butterfly WorldAn enclosed butterfly house that also has hummingbirds.

• Infinity BridgeImpressive footbridge, opened in 2009.

• Tees BarrageA river barrage, road bridge, footbridge, barge lock, fish pass and white water course.

• Preston ParkA restored old house, a mini-zoo including a large aviary, a playground and some historically re-created streets from the Victorian Period as well as a lot of parkland. If there's snow on the ground, many people will be there sledging.

• Teesside ParkThe local leisure park located on the A66 between Stockton and Middlesbrough. Buses run there frequently from the town centre. It has bowling, a cinema, fast food and family restaurants as well as shopping.

• Browse the many charity shops that line the High St, particularly the western side. You can pick up decent second hand books in these shops and one actually has a second hand book reading room on the first floor.
• Check out the local market which comes into town and sets up on the High St on Wednesdays and Saturdays shutting up around 4PM.

• Hollywood Bowl

  address: Aintree Oval, Teesside Leisure Park, Stockton on Tees, TS17 7BU
  Bowling
• Ice skating, a swimming pool, gym, sports hall, squash courts, play barn and a theatre are available in the Billingham Forum Leisure Centre in the Town Centre.
• The Splash Centre is a swimming baths in Stockton, which has 2 slides and 1 wave machine. (Church Road, Stockton-on-Tees. +44 1642 527272).

Several cheap and cheerful places on Prince Regent Street, the main drag one block west of High Street. Plus fast food outlets such as Burger King, KFC, Subway and Greggs.

• Parkwood Hotel

  phone: +44 1642 587933
  address: 66 Darlington Rd TS18 5ER
  3-star in 19th C building.

• Swallow Hotel

  address: 10 John Walker Square TS18 1AQ
  Central 3-star.

Consumption of alcohol in public is not permitted. Avoid groups of drinkers on their way from club to club and don't do anything provocative.

• Durham is a well-preserved old city, with an impressive Norman cathedral and castle.
• Newcastle is the place for big city attractions.
• York has kept its ancient walls, and has several museums and other visitor attractions.