I love the pavilion - it is a great sports venue and caters for all age ranges from the childrens…read moreparties and fitness classes ran in school holidays to the gym and fitness classes, tournaments, and OAP classes. Check out the teesactive.co.uk website for details of all the facilities this place offers. I am a gym member and the gym is great - it was recently refurbished and has top of the line new machines and well trained staff to help you get the best out of your gym sessions. If you get a monthly gym membership (lots of packages on offer) all the fitness classes here, and at the Forum as well as the swimming pools in billingham, thornaby and stockton are included at no extra charge. Well worth the subscription you pay and it is reasonably priced unlike some gyms in the area.

I really love the Darlington Civic Theatre! It has a very luxurious sort of feel, the decor is so…read moreplush and well luxurious! I've seen some brilliant shows there over the years, and always look forward to going - it makes a really nice evening out. The staff are lovely, too - really friendly. It has a bar for the interval, in fact if I remember rightly it also has a sort of cafe/coffee bar area, so you have plenty of choice. On the downside, I do feel the ice creams and sweets are over-priced, but if you've got children you can't not get them an ice cream in the interval. There is no dedicated parking for the Civic. There are, however, some pay and display car parks just down the road directly opposite the main entrance to the theatre. If you are at an evening show, that's even better, as I think the pay and display car parks are free after 6pm.

Like most people I adore the Civic Theatre, I've heard that it's known as one of the best outside…read morethe West End of London. The performances it attracts are always top line which of course helps. The yearly pantomime is a treat and tends to follow a traditional format suitable for all the family. Easy access the only downside is the parking being a bit of a walk away but people can be dropped off at the side entrance. A good addition was the conservatory which means there is more than one place to arrange to meet people before/during and after a performance. Nice to see that it still has most of the original features including the ghost of an early Manager!

You know, it was said that his little brother Joaquin, was the thorn in River's Side. I don't think…read morethat's fair, especially since Joaquin became something of a Phoenix from the flames after River's death. What I want to know is, in the Sahara, where there is no water, where do all the Rivers Hide? First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I love the Riverside. In 2004 when I was touring the UK, I visited for the first time and was utterly impressed even though it was located on a building site. I went back in 2005 and ate a Parmo while sitting on the steps of the stadium (I'm not kidding). I like it better than Sunderland's Stadium Of Light, believe it or not. Then I finally was able to watch a match here in 2011, and what a game it was. High-scoring and a really loud, intense crowd. I've seen Boro play away, but their fans really get behind them at home, unlike most other clubs, and The Riverside might be one of the 10 places I'd most like to go back and see another game - asap - in the UK. I've been to most UK & US stadiums, due to lifelong obsessions with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born & raised in England, I followed Oxford United (hometown team) to stadia all over the country at away games, and later Liverpool (fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from first-hand personal experience, usually from several visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited most stadiums for fun in my spare time. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in UK for 3 months, I went to hundreds yet again while travelling. I have pictures of me at most, which I'll post later. Also, when back in UK I'll take more pix, and add more stadia! *** return to regular review *** This is one of Britain's best stadiums. It's stunning, red, grand, and wonderful. It's surrounded by a building site and an industrial sludge river and factory upon factory, but that almost adds to its charm. Young kids play in the industrial wasteland around the stadium and pretend they are Gaizka Mendieta. This was a great Prem stadium and will be again someday soon. They even incorporated part of the old stadium into the new, with the gates of Ayresome Park. Middlesbrough is the team that plays here, and it has hosted UEFA Cup Semi Finals among other things. In person, it's one of the loveliest stadiums I've been to. It can hold 35k, and England have played here before. That was the only time the stadium ever sold out. 2003, England 2, Slovakia 1.

Great place to see magnificent football with great atmosphere in the west stand. Sounds class from…read moreoutside cant afford a ticket but still know grant leadbitters dog.

If it were the Stadium Of Likes they it would be a Facebook Stadium. If it were the Stadium Of…read moreLychee it would be a delicious tropical fruit popular in India. And if it were the Stadium of Lipo... well then a lot of cute Geordie Shore types would be here getting surgery. Thankfully (or not?) it's none of those things. Sunderland are, somehow, blessed with one of the best stadiums in the Premier League and in the country. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium. I have lots of photos of me at this place. It's a wonderful stadium. I first came here in 2004, then again to watch a match in 05, then in 07, and when on tour in 2011. Most recently, I visited in 2014, when my partner and I were looking into buying a property (or more likely renting) somewhere in the Tyne & Wear area. I always stop by the stadiums and catch matches if I can and this is one of my faves. I've been to virtually every significant stadium in the UK & US, due to a lifelong obsession with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born and raised in England, I followed Oxford United (my hometown team) to many stadiums all over the country at away games, and later followed Liverpool (my fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from personal experience at these stadiums from multiple visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited these stadiums then, also. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in the UK for 3 months, I visited all of the stadiums as I travelled around the country. I have pictures of many of them which I will post in future. Also, when I'm back in the UK I plan to take more pictures, and add more stadiums too! So watch this space! *** return to regular review *** Built in 1997 and costing 24 million, I actually did part of the shoot for my first album here because I like it so much (even though I'm a much bigger supporter of Newcastle than Sunderland). It can hold 60k for concerts. Oasis, Take That, Pink, Kings Of Leon, Coldplay, RHCP, Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Rihanna, One Direction and Foo Fighters have all played here. It's a huge bowl that is right on a river... and England have played here too. They beat Turkey 2-0 here in a Euro qualifier.

Wow the atmosphere in this stadium is fantastic and I can recommend coming along for the…read moreexperience. Obviously I'm a supporter but none the less, the stadium it's self is fantastic. 49,000 capacity and the flow of people into and out of the stadium is always smooth. There's alcohol, food and betting available inside but be warned it's expensive and you will have to queue. Toilet facilities are good; there are provisions for wheelchair access and a good mix people in the crowd.

Darlington has a lot of history of which it's people should be rightly proud; our role in the birth…read moreof passenger travel by rail is one such event. Built on the oldest passenger line which really ran from Shildon through Darlington to Stockton this is one of the oldest stations still in use. Although eclipsed by the new museum built by the National Railway Museum in Shildon it was Darlington money and enterprise that brought about his transport revolution. The building is so atmospheric, you can almost hear the noise and feel the hustle and bustle of porters trying to get passengers and freight on board in double quick time. The Engines and carriages on show give you a glimpse of past and brings some of the old black and white photos to life. All in all a great way to spend an afternoon before catching a train to the next stop.

The Darlington Railway museum is great for giving the local history of the railways, and is good…read morefor kids as there are lots of big locomotives they can wander around and look at. One special occassions there is a steam train goes up and down a stretch of track outside. There is also a fair that goes in the field outside once a year. Darlington's second railway station (lot of people who live there don't even know there is a second one!) is at the museum and serves local trains.

Had a really great experience here last night when I was seeing the Scottish National Jazz…read moreOrchestra! It really is a superb venue-the views of the river from the main entrance and cafes/bars only adds to the ambience of the place. Definitely worth a visit! Our performance was in hall 1 which was just wonderful! Comfortable seating,great views of the stage no matter where you sat and amazing acoustics. Only downside was as Gareth said in his review there is limited space to dance if you feel inclined to....which some people certainly tried to do in the aisles last night! All the staff were very polite and helpful and you can take your drinks into the performance as long as they are in plastic cups. The food was good but slightly on the expensive side. The toilets were exceptionally clean ladies which we all know boosts our opinion of a place straight away. Overall I had a fantastic night and I would definitely choose this venue again!

There was a little bit of confusion about the address place previously…read more But the "The Sage is The Sage" and the reviewed place was always the same. I love it! Perfect for the live music, original architecture and friendly stuff. Two music hall and big open air bar where is possible to drink and to eat everyday. MUST SEE. I hope I have done a bit clarity.

This stadium was designed in the image of Victor Hugo's ear (hence the name Victor-ear Park). It's…read morea bit of a missed opportunity because it's so close to the harbour and the North Sea, but you can't really "sea" it from inside the stadium because of the railway line, the massive Asda, and such, that are in the way. But it's close enough to be an absolutely freezing place to play football. And it's close enough where I'll give it a 4 out of 5 for proximity, even though the stadium is under 10k and isn't much to shout about. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I've seen Hartlepool play here only once, and what a lovely experience it was. Back in 2014 (about 9 months ago) on a day when they were filming a movie in town by the shore. I saw the Harts win here and the crowd went insane. Yes the stadium needs a bit of work but what a lovely place, what passion and history... and it's been around since 1886 too. I loved it here, the cold, the wind, the noise, and everything about it. It's one of the stadiums I plan to go back to. It could use a facelift and more fans inside it but it's easily a 4-star facility. I've been to most UK & US stadiums, due to lifelong obsessions with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born & raised in England, I followed Oxford United (hometown team) to stadia all over the country at away games, and later Liverpool (fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from first-hand personal experience, usually from several visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited most stadiums for fun in my spare time. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in UK for 3 months, I went to hundreds yet again while travelling. I have pictures of me at most, which I'll post later. Also, when back in UK I'll take more pix, and add more stadia! *** return to regular review *** They create a nice atmosphere here, and it's intimidating for opposing teams, and they've managed to stay in the league for a long time with such a small town backing them up, so that's nice. Interestingly, last time I visited this stadium, they were filming a movie just down the road, and they yelled at me to move my car because my (rental) car was going to end up polluting their scene or something. There were a lot of 50s cars and stuff. There weren't any "redcars", that would have been too funny. By the way, yay for this stadium surviving since 1886 and yay for it being so close to the city centre as well as harbour. It's known as "The Vic" and the women's England team have played (and won) here.

My first premier game! 51k were in attendance and it was absolutely electric!!! Newcastle ended up…read morewith the win. Super clean stadium with great seats all around. Very well ran. Infectious atmosphere. More of this in my life!

My family had the pleasure of attending a game recently at St. James' Park…read more.. Sadly, Newcastle lost to West Ham, but the experience was pretty special regardless. We were treated to seats in a suite which was an amazing experience and included a full meal with several courses, drinks, snacks, special pins for the game, programs, and more. Service was attentive and friendly and the seating both in and outside of the suite itself was comfortable and convenient. We rideshared to the stadium, which worked out well but getting a ride after was a bit challenging. Even so, if you have the opportunity to attend a game here or check it out, do it! You will not regret it!