King Charles Coast Path - Newcastle to Sunderland (★★☆☆☆)

This winter I have been trying to get out and about for more winter walks - and one of the types of winter walking that I have found I most enjoy has been coastal walks. And so today my goal is to tick off a new stretch of coastline, between two of the major cities in the North East - Newcastle and Sunderland.

I start this walk in Newcastle, but here I will jump in early and say that this is not the best way to do this walk. Subsequently I have done a walk from Whitley Bay, round to Tynemouth, to North Shields, and then up along the opposite side of the Tyne to this walk - and the writeup for that walk can be found at the end of this link.

Having done both walks, my suggestion is to replace that walk and this walk with the official coastal path route, starting in Whitley Bay, heading rounds to Tynemouth, then on to North Shields (as in that walk above) - and then take the ferry across to South Shields, and then continue this walk from South Shields onwards.

The ferry is pretty reliable (although check it is running before you head out), but as a last resort you can get from North Shields to South Shields via the metro - it will just take a little over an hour to get all the way round.

This suggested (and official) route takes in the best of the above walk and skips all the bad bits of that walk, then skips all the bad bits of this walk and picks this walk up once it becomes more enjoyable.

But as it is, today I am heading out from Newcastle, completely unaware that the walk will not be at its best until I reach South Shields.

My first job is to get over the river, and in central Newcastle there are many bridges to choose from, but in the end I opt for High Level Bridge - mostly because it is, as it says on the tin, on a high level - and thus should have the best views out across the river.

Looking out to the Swing Bridge and Tyne Bridge in the early morning

Having crossed over this bridge, I head in the general direction of The Sage, pass this on the right (as the other side is blocked off), and then come out near the Millennium Bridge.

The bendy Millenium Bridge

The bridge itself is a tilting bridge - and by tilting it is meant literally. The bridge can essentially spin round with the bit that is usually facing up being tilted to the side, and the bit you normally walk across being up in the air. This allows the bridge to shift in order to allow larger ships through, whilst providing access to pedestrians at the lower river bank level.

If you want to see this in action, simply head to the bridge at noon on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday between 1st May and 30th September - or wait extremely patiently for a ship at other times.

The idea of the bridge was to support regeneration of both sides of the river. Overall Newcastle feels behind other cities such as Leeds or York, but the regeneration is on-going and the parts that have been improved, do have a better feel to them.

Having reached the Millennium Bridge, I can pick up the route of the River Tyne Trail (which has just popped over the bridge to join me), although for now this trail is heading along some quiet roads, between little workshop businesses - on a street lined with security fences.

But eventually the path reaches a park - seemingly with no name - which sits not too far from Gateshead Stadium - and this offers an enjoyable walk along the riverside.

Soon though, it is time to head back away from the river to get round a manufacturing complex, but it is only a short diversion, before returning to another park with no name. From here the route goes on through Hebburn Riverside Park, with the pleasant walking continuing on through this section.

Having reached the end of this park, there is a small section that continues on along the riverside, before it is time to cut away from the river and complete a long section that largely sits away from the riverside, all the way past Tyne Docks.  The one exception to this along this section is a brief cut back to the river past the pedestrian tunnel under the river - and the tunnels for the A19.

This diversion round the port results in quite a long and unexciting stretch - which is why this writeup is going to largely just gloss over it entirely - but there is one nice section at Jarrow where you pass the remains of an old monastery.

Remains of the old monastery

This monastery was the twin with a second site at St Peter's in Wearmouth - near the Stadium of Light - and the twin monasteries are thought to have owned much of the land between the Tyne and the Wear (essentially the span of our journey today).

How the monastery is believed to have looked in the 8th century

St Bede spent his live working in these twin monasteries, starting at Monkwearmouth, and then moving up to this monastery at a later date. He was a well known writer across Europe, and was canonized as a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1899 (although by this point he had been dead for over a thousand years so probably wasn't that aware of it).

But the presence of Bede at this monastery grew its reputation. All the same, monastic life was in decline by the 9th century - and although the site remained a pilgrimage site, it fell into decline.

In the 1070s the monastery was re-established, but this new monastery was never completed. However, in the 12th century the site was re-established once again as a monastery, with a very small monastic community.  

How the monastery is believe to have looked in the 11th century

New buildings were added in the 13th and 14th century, but little remains here today and on today's walk, the site really pops out of nowhere, and disappears off just as quickly - but is a reminder that between all the industry and port activity, there remains a rich, if largely forgotten, history.

Having moved on from this site, the final section before reaching South Shields is the long walk around the Port of Tyne - and here we shall simply play some hold music until that section is finally over. Dum, dum, dee, de, dum, dum, dah....

With the port now sat behind, the path now returns to the side of the Tyne, and having spent the day walking through areas of Newcastle that are fairly unloved by those in charge of the council budget - all of a sudden you enter an area that is well polished and refined.

Mini boats at Captains Wharf coming into South Shields

Here the path follows a road near the edge of the river, before cutting away from the edge of the river to head up towards Arbeia Roman Fort - where the west gate at the front has been reconstructed - with this being immediately visible from the roadside.

The reconstructed west gate

As this is not an English Heritage site, you need not bring a long your bank manager and it is free to walk around (although donations are welcomed). Although what remains is mostly the layout of the site on the ground - this is the reality for almost all of the Roman sites in Britain and the layout here does show exactly where the fort sat in the landscape. 

This is one of the best Roman sites I have stumbled across on my travels and probably well worth a visit if you are walking Hadrian's Wall. If you want to do that I'd suggest popping on the metro from Segedunum to North Shields (as that section is not particularly fun to walk), then it is a short walk to the ferry, and then less than a mile to Arbeia Roman Fort alone the route I have done today. This I think offers a better end to the Hadrian's Wall walk than the slightly disappointing end at Segedunum. From here it is then half a mile to the metro for your ownward journey home.

I personally would love to see all these sites be rebuilt in full - as has been done with this gatehouse - but all the same, this is one of the very best sites to enjoy and get a real feel for how it used to be. 

A model of the fort

This fort was twinned with Segedunum fort at Wallsend - and both looked out over the sea route into Hadrian's Wall - with the two forts lying within line of sight of each other. The forts had the benefit of having sea access, and so offered a good spot to store supplies that could be used to resupply the wall.

As sites go this one has been well preserved, unlike Segedunum (which the Victorians built on), and so retains that feel of what it once was - and it certainly is worth a visit on this walk.

But continuing on, there is not too much further to go before we reach the coastline, and here we find a very busy beach area at South Shields (with this side of the Tyne not having the same span of beaches as the north side it does get a bit more crowded).

The quieter far end of the beach

But the beach quietens on the way out and from here the path heads up past Trow Point to Frenchman's Lea, which overlooks Frenchman's Bay. 

The name itself is unusual, but this bay was once popular with smugglers, and the bay is named after a French ship that ran aground here in the 17th century. Now it is a well maintained National Trust site that makes for a lovely walk.

Coming up to Trow Point (going past Trow Rocks)

Heading past Frenchman's Bay

Continuing along this stretch of coast, it is not long before the path cuts inland to make it's way round Marsden Bay - where a small beach opens out, with access to the beach either via many steps or via a lift for those who are willing to become a customer of the restaurant sat on the beach below. The restaurant is down in Marsden Grotto, at the foot of the cliffs, on the beach below.

Marsden Bay is really a smaller version of the beach running from Sunderland down to Seaham to the south. The area has a history of smuggling, but also has a more recent industrial heritage and the village of Marsden was built to house workers for the Whitburn Colliery (Whitburn we will reach later on this walk).

On this walk, I stay on the higher ground - not fancying the walk back up from the beach below - and continue on to Lizard Point - not to be confused with the other Lizard Point in Cornwall.

Here is the home of Souter Lighthouse (named after Souter Point, which is found further down the coast). This was the first lighthouse in the world to use alternating electric current - and it first went into service in 1871, retiring in 1988. These lighthouses were built to reduce the number of wrecks along this coast with 1860 seeing a peak of 20 wrecks along this coastline.

Souter Lighthouse

Today it is run by National Trust and you can have a look around, but it isn't super cheap given that it is just a lighthouse at £7.20 per adult and £3.60 per child - although I believe that National Trust members can visit the lighthouse for free, which makes the cost more reasonable.

The path itself continues on through Whitburn Coastal Park, which offers a lovely landscape to walk through - heading past Souter Point and on past the town of Whitburn. 

The town of Whitburn itself is set back from the edge of the cliffs, and so although much of the housing is fairly modern, it is pleasant to walk past. 

Having passed by Whitburn the beach opens up at South Bents, and here I head down to join up with the beach.

South Bents beach

This turns into Seaburn Beach as we head past Whitburn Bay - and then at Parson's Rocks I head back up off the beach to pass the less impressive looking Meik's Lighthouse.

Although not as pretty as Souter Lighthouse, this one is special in that it is a cast iron lighthouse and it is an older lighthouse, having been built in 1856. These days the lighthouse sits on Parson's Rocks, but once sat at the end of the Old South Pier (now replaced by the New South Pier with a new lighthouse). Once that pier started to fall into the sea, the lighthouse was moved and re-sited in this location - and remains one of the few cast iron lighthouses surviving in Britain.

Having passed over Parson's Rocks, it is back to a now busy beach at Roker - and then along the full extent of the coast to turn inland, close to North Pier. 

This section offers views of the Habour at Sunderland, but is slightly ruined a bit by the slightly excessive security fencing. From here the path heads round the Marina, which is well finished, and then the path heads inland along the edge of the River Wear - heading past the University.

The bridges of Sunderland

From here there is a bit of a climb to complete in order to get up level with Wearmouth Bridge - and then it is across and over to meet up with the train station, and begin the journey home.

Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐ ★ ★ ★ / 5 (Whitley Bay to Sunderland would get 4 stars)

The onward route of the coast path passes over the same bridge, and then round past Sunderland docks - and on towards Seaham. The following link goes through to a writeup for a walk from Sunderland down to Hartlepool, on the next section of coast path.

A writeup of a further onward walk can be found at the end of the following link for a walk from Sunderland up the River Wear to Durham along the Weardale Way.

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 88 OS Landranger map (links redirect to Amazon). The route is in general well way-marked.