Overview

Hi …..just arrived back after a fantastic week based at the Premier Inn on the quayside with marina views on 3 sides. Must be the best Premier Inn in the country....perfect disabled facilities in room 39. Maritime museum and HMS Trincomalee 5 minute walk away. Restaurants of all types abound in the area..we loved the Baan Thai only minutes away near the station. The history and regeneration in this area has been beautifully moulded to remember the now long gone industrial past. We spent days in Durham with its hills and cobbles, Whitby because we love the place... Beamish open air museum, Stockton for its market, the list is endless. Yes I did get over the Transporter Bridge at Middlesbrough as well. Also included Gateshead Millennium Bridge on the way home ! Just goes to show what could have been done at Dundee instead of building that ugly V&A museum. We were amazed at how the area has been regenerated and how full of history Hartlepool is despite the loss of virtually all the steelmaking, shipbuilding, coal mining industries. We were blessed with great weather all week and honestly would recommend this area to anyone wanting to explore the North East part of England. Beware the cobbles !! We will be back !!

Transport & Parking

We drove to Hartlepool and back from Perth using the M90, A720, and A1 to reach Hartlepool in around 5 hours easy driving including stops. The vast majority of car parks in the entire area are either free or very cheap for blue badge holders. Didn't use the buses at all but they were operating to all places far and wide. As a mobility scooter user I don't want the hassle of using buses. There is a mainline station on the Sunderland-London line with regular services.

Access

No problem anywhere regarding access but certain cobbled areas can be a bit of an inconvenience. Everywhere there were sloping access points and/or a lift. Even on board the restored sailing ship HMS Trincomalee there is lift access between the decks....an experience not to be missed.

Toilets

As this is a general review of the area visited there were many accessible toilets, well signposted, clean and tidy, big enough to take a scooter straight in. I did not come across any changing places toilets at all.

Staff

No matter where we went we were met with cheery, polite, professional staff throughout.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

As a former steelmaking and heavy engineering area we did not quite know what to expect but we were truly overwhelmed with the entire region and how it has been totally redeveloped. I would recommend the entire area around the Hartlepool marina as a base for touring. We most definitely plan on returning. Forget any pre-conceived ideas you may have about this former industrial area. You will be amazed.