Just 8 miles East of Newcastle City Center, situated next to the mouth of the river Tyne, is the aptly named and seaside town of Tynemouth. When we first moved to Newcastle four years ago we couldn’t believe how lovely it was and we visit frequently.
The Town ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tynemouth is a lovely town and a highly desirable place to live causing high property prices. It’s only small but its picturesque, middle-upper class and most importantly – close to the beach. There isn’t a great deal to do in the Town itself which is really just small high street. There are five or six pubs/bars, a couple of excellent café’s and several restaurants, in addition to a number of small shops. Bear in mind that the only cash point is just outside Lloyds on the at the top end of the high street and there’s often queues. Specialist shops, include Gaf which is a great places to get interesting gifts and knick knacks and there is also an excellent albeit tiny deli tucked away on one of the side streets. The converted church-cum-shopping center ‘The Land Of Green Ginger’ is also a great place for interesting odds and ends and is definitely worth a look.
For lunches many of the pubs serve traditional fare and there’s also a café’s and a bakery, both of whom do eat in or takeaway sandwiches. Being the seaside Tynemouth is also an ideal place for fish and chips. There’s a take away joint on the high street but if you can get down to the nearby North Shields Fish Quays (just a few minutes drive) the best fish and chips are to be had from here.
There are also a number of up market places for dinner. Sidney’s selection of interesting modern cuisine
isn’t cheap, but it has an excellent reputation. I’ve never been I have been to the sister restaurant Blackfriars, in Newcastle City Center, which was fabulous. A swanky looking Spanish Tapas restaurant has also opened recently, there’s a pricey but fabulous sounding seafood restaurant, also on the high street. Sambuca’s down on the Fish Quays, just 5 minutes away, is also a great little Italian place, with a fabulous atmosphere and great value food, that I would highly recommend.
The Beach ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tynemouth’s main beach, just a ten minute walk from the town center, is Long Sands. It’s a fantastic and lengthy white sand beach, backed by dunes and consequently it gets packed in the Summer. The beach is huge when the tide is out but it comes in a long way and as this is the North Sea the water isn’t warm. Despite this there are surfers in the water year round and in October there’s an annual surf competition (which used to be held in Cornwall’s Newquay). Surf gear can be hired or bought from the little shop atop the sand dunes about half way along the beach. There’s also the opportunity to hire boats from Tynemouth sailing club which is based just inside the river entrance, minutes away from the priory. For more information see http://www.tynemouthsc.co.uk/
If you don’t fancy brazing the water the beach is a great place for a stroll along the surf and it takes about 20-30 minutes to walk from end to end. Many people venture down to take their dogs for a walk, although in the Summer months they are banned due to the influx of people. There’s also fabulous café Crusoe’s (sadly they recently changed the name from simply Sea, which I much preferred) which stands literally on the sands, next to the South ramps, and serves good value drinks, snacks and lunches until 5pm. The café gets very busy at the weekends but there’s plenty of tables and the place is very children friendly.
Just around the headland there’s also the tiny but more secluded King Edwards bay, situated next to the priory at the bottom of high cliffs.
The Priory ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the cliff tops, overlooking the mouth of the Tyne and the North sea stands the partly ruined Old Priory, which was founded back in 1090 on the former site of a 7th-century Anglian monastery. The priory is maintained by English Heritage and entrance is £3.50 for adults, £1.80 for children and £2.60 for concessions. Opening hours are from 9-5 in the Summer but in the Winter opening hours and times very (check the website for more information).
The Blue Reef Aquarium ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As my partner worked here for two years the Blue Reef is a place which I am both familiar with and fond of. The aquarium is only tiny but it features a wide selection of local and more exotic sea creatures and was recently extended to create an outside seal enclosure. Highlights also include the underwater safari, a tunnel through a huge tank, which houses sharks and rays, the otters and the nursery (baby sea horses and box fish are very cute) although the variety of creatures here does depend on the time of year. The Blue Beef is open from 9-5 in the Summer and 9-4 in the Winter. Entry is £6.95 for adults, £4.95 for children and £5.95 for students and pensioners. There are free talks and feeding sessions scheduled throughout the day, which are interesting and educational and this is a great place to spend a couple of hours.
http://www.bluereefaquarium.co.uk/tynemouth.htm
Events ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mouth of the Tyne Festival is held annually in July and features live local and international music in a carnival style atmosphere. The Fish Quay festival which incorporates North Shields is a similar affair and is held the last bank holiday weekend in May.
Additionally, every Saturday and Sunday from 9am till 4pm there is an excellent market held in the beautiful glass roofed Tynemouth metro station. The market combines a good mix of second hand goods in addition to local crafts and it’s worth a look if you’re in the area at the weekend. There’s also a Farmer’s market held at the station on the third Saturday of every month.
Nearby ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Within view of the priory, stands a 7m statue of Lord Collingwood, perched atop a podium and majestically overlooking the mouth of the river. Collingwood was born in Newcastle and is famous as he was the first British commander to open fire at Trafalgar before breaking the French line. Just nearby it is also possible to walk the length of the piers jutting out either side of the mouth of the river and offering windswept views of the coast.
The Fish Quays just upriver on the edge of North Shields and just a five minute drive from Tynemouth is also an interesting place. It’s fairly run down but is gradually being renovated. It’s possible to watch the catch come in if you’re early enough but even if you’re not it’s nice to have a wander around and admire the boats and to see the seals if you’re lucky. As I mentioned previously Sambuca’s is a great place to eat here and there are some fantastic fish and chips to be had. Fresh fish is also on sale in a number of shops including a main market in the mornings only.
Just around the headland from the North of Long Sands is Cullercoats Bay, a calm and quaint natural harbour great for swimming and there are often people to be seen jumping from the pier in the Summer. Continuing North one finds the distinctly tacky Whitley Bay which is in dire need of renovation, the removal of the luminous flashing plastic palm trees and the pole dancers who start at lunchtime. The beach here is not as nice as Tynemouth and neither is the area.
The light house at St Mary’s, just a five minute drive further up the coast, is worth a visit though. The lighthouse can only be reached by a causeway which is only accessible at low tide and be warned the tide comes in fast. This is a great spot for rock pooling, especially in the warmer months when the tide is just receding. It’s also possible to go in the lighthouse but opening hours are inconsistent. I’ve been in once and I think it was only a couple of pounds each but it’s often shut. It’s possible to climb to the top to admire the view and there’s also a numbers of displays with information about the history of the lighthouse and this stretch of the coast generally.
Getting There ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is ample parking in the center of Tynemouth village and it’s very reasonably priced. There’s also parking on North and South ramps leading down to Long Sands. It’s free on the North ramp but expect to pay elsewhere. It’s not expensive here either and what’s more tickets are transferable to Tynemouth village and to the majority of the other carparks along this stretch of the coast.
There is also a metro station with regular trains from Newcastle and across the region. A return journey coats around £3 and takes about 25 minutes. Similarly, there’s a regular bus service from Newcastle and from other places in the region and more information can be found here http://www.simplygo.com/timetables/timetables.htm
Summary ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As it’s only eight miles to Tynemouth from Newcastle we head that way regularly and I highly recommend a trip to Tynemouth to anyone in the region. Tynemouth is a truly lovely place to while away a few hours, be it for a walk along the beautiful beach, for dinner, lunch or just a drink in one of the many cafes, pubs and restaurants on offer, or for a spot of surfing or rock pooling further up the coast.
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