A. There are multiple car parks at the country park. For the slipway one, follow Grange Road and use the car park on the opposite side of the road from Hellman’s Lodge and Big Lamp Brewery.

B. Put in at the slipway and turn left, towards your first bridge of the journey, Newburn Bridge. Just under the bridge you will see Newcastle University Boathouse on your right.

C. Continue past a large industrial site on your left. You may catch the scent of Warburtons Bakery as you pass.

D.  The river starts to curve and you pass a series of industrial and office areas on both sides.

E.  Just under 3 miles into your route you pass under the A1 at Blaydon Bridge, shortly followed by the disused Scotswood Railway Bridge. Opened in 1871 the bridge ceased to be used in 1982, when the line was diverted. It is still used, however, to carry water and gas mains across the Tyne.

F. Quickly after this is the Scotswood Chain Bridge, which gets its name from the original bridge, built in 1831, which was suspended from chains.

G. At around 3.7 miles you pass the huge buildings of the Armstrong Works on your left. The site had been a centre of engineering for more than 160 years before closing its doors in 2012. It re-opened in 2015 and is involved in the manufacture of tank parts and subsea equipment.

H. Just beyond, on the opposite side of the river, you will see the River Derwent joining the Tyne.

I. Industrial Newcastle now starts to give way to housing and at 5.5 miles, on your left, the River Team feeds into the Tyne by Dunston Staithes Tidal Marina. This is an English Heritage site and the largest wooden structure in the UK. Built in 1890, at its height 5.5 million tons of coal a year were taken from the Durham coalfields and loaded on to waiting ships at the Staiths, to be transported around the country.

J. Redhuegh Bridge comes into sight around 6 miles into your journey and is swiftly followed by the King Edward VII railway bridge and the Queen Elizabeth II Metro Bridge.

K. You are now in the heart of Newcastle and Gateshead with bustling Newcastle Quayside to your left and Gateshead Quayside on the right hand bank. Both quaysides are known for their music, culture, modern arts, restaurants and nightlife.

L. Next you pass under the High Level Bridge, built by Robert Stephenson in 1849 this bridge carries a railway on the top level, with car and pedestrian access on its lower level.

M. Beside the High Level Bridge sits the Swing Bridge, which leads directly into the heart of Newcastle Quayside, below the castle keep. The hydraulic power mechanism for the Swing Bridge was installed in the 1870’s by William Armstrong to allow larger ships upstream to the original Armstrong Works.

N. The third in this group of bridges is the iconic Tyne Bridge, one of the best known features of Tyneside. Opened in 1929 by King George V and built by Dorman Long of Middleborough. The Tyne Bridge served as a model for the similar, but much larger, Sydney Harbour Bridge which was also built at Middleborough and shipped out to Australia in parts.

O. You may spot cyclists pedalling along Hadrian’s Wall Path, on the left bank, on their way to completing the Coast to Coast cycle route.

P. You are almost 7 miles into your journey and have one more bridge to pass under; the Millennium Bridge which opened to the public in 2001. Six hydraulic rams rotate the bridge back to allow small ships to pass underneath.

Q. Continue to follow the river; at 7.5 miles you can spot the River Ouseburn joining the Tyne on the left. You have just over a mile to go. Look out for greenery and trees starting to open up on the right bank of the river. This is your cue to start looking out for your finish point on the left; St Peter’s Basin Marina. Exit here, onto the floating pontoon.