SOUTH Coastal Walk SHIELDS FERRY

CHICHESTER The Leas PEDESTRIAN/CYCLE TYNE TUNNEL TUNNEL

Bede’s World Marsden Rock and Bay St Paul’s MARSDEN JARROW Church

TYNE DOCK HEBBURN Marsden Old Quarry

BEDE Marsden Lime Kilns Souter Lighthouse Linnet Way Primrose Local TEMPLE Cleadon Water Nature Reserve PARK Pumping Station

BROCKLEY Cleadon Windmill WHINS Newton and Field Garths

BOLDON WHITBURN FELLGATE COLLIERY opens April 2002 Tilesheds Colliery Station Nature Reserve CLEADON Wood Burn

EAST River Don Walk BOLDON

WEST BOLDON BOLDON Marsden Circular Walk

© Ordnance Survey copyright Coastal Walk Section 1 - South Groyne to Frenchman’s Bay

South A seven mile walk along the Groyne From the South Groyne coast between the River Tyne START South walk along Littlehaven Beach Pier and Whitburn Bents passing to the start of the pier where Marsden Rock and Souter HOTEL Sculpture you need to turn left for Lighthouse. The Conversation Piece approximately 200 metres LITTLEHAVEN before turning right along the GETTING TO THE START BEACH H promenade. Continue along The E1 bus between South Shields and AR BO UR the promenade past the Sunderland provides a regular service to the D RI coast and Sandhaven Beach. VE fairground and the Contact North East Travel Line on 0870 608 2608 NORTH amphitheatre until you reach MARINE the far end of the bay at PARK SANDHAVEN Trow Point. Take the stone The Conversation Piece BEACH AD track on your left signed A RO ‘Conversation Piece’ is made up of 22 life-size human-like SE SOUTH ‘Coast Footpath’. Follow MARINE bronze figures, which weigh a quarter of a ton each. They were PARK D the stone path next to ROA created by the late Spanish artist Juan Munoz who was one of CH S EA EA the cliffs over The B R O the most respected artists of his generation. Installed in 1999 BENTS AD PARK Leas area past the B the work offers a spectacular view over the sea. E CARAVAN N former Trow Quarry TS PARK PA RK and Frenchman’s AY R W OA EA D BENTS Bay. S RECREATION The GROUND FORMER pr Leas o WESTOE m e GYPSIES n COLLIERY a The Leas is 300 acres of grassy GREEN d Trow SPORTS e open space, given to the National D Point OA GROUND R Trust by South Tyneside Council in AY BR 1987, which backs onto the coastline. OW M 10% c l if The area is managed sympathetically for fs nature conservation by the National Trust,

who leave large areas uncut for much of the TROW 8% QUARRY summer to allow ground-nesting birds to nurture their young and also to allow wildflowers to set seed. The glacial drift that covers the underlying limestone was FRENCHMAN’S deposited over this area following the retreat BAY of the last Ice Age some 18,000 - 11,000 A1 83 years ago. CO A ST The RO AD Leas OA ST RO Coastal Walk AD Section 2 - Frenchman’s Bay to Souter

Marsden Bay and When you reach the northern end of Marsden Sands Rock you have two options: either to follow the coastal

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l 7% i f footpath along the top of the cliffs to Marsden Rock or The coast here has spectacular cliffs, caves and f s A1 83 to go down the slope onto the beach and up the steps arches, and one of England’s most important sea C OA ST bird colonies with thousands of pairs of Kittiwakes, RO near the Grotto pub. If you choose to do the latter, AD Fulmars, Gulls and Cormorants. The rocks, formed please check the tide times before going to the beach HARTON almost 250 million years ago, are Permian DOWNHILL and note that there are over 100 steps to be climbed. Magnesian Limestone and are of great interest to From Marsden Rock follow the grass coastal path geologists world-wide. The limestones were originally formed as muds on the floor and flanks towards Souter Lighthouse past the Lime Kilns. of a shallow tropical sea that stretched from When you reach Souter Point car park access road, Greenland to eastern Poland, at a time when turn left towards the car park and follow the MARSDEN Britain lay deep within a great continent only just LA SANDS stone path heading south by the side of the LL MARDEN E north of the Equator. LA. DW lighthouse. Go past Souter Lighthouse RE 0 30 A1 106 and continue along the coastal Marsden Marsden Bay path down to the Rifle Range Lime Kilns and Rock where it may be necessary to Opposite the car park at Souter Point, to the LIZ follow a diversion. AR D L north of the lighthouse, you will see the Marsden AN The alternatives are E Lime Kilns, built in the 1870s. The limestone from CARAVAN detailed overleaf. Marsden Quarries was burnt in these kilns before PARK being transported by train (known as the Marsden cl Rattler) to South Shields. The kilns ceased iffs A Souter 183 production in 1960. MARSDEN ROCK GOLF COURSE CO Point AS T R OA Souter D Marsden Lizard Lighthouse Lime Kilns Point High above the cliffs stands Souter Lighthouse, Souter which was built in 1871 and was the first Lighthouse lighthouse specifically constructed to use an electric light. The National Trust opens the lighthouse to the Marsden Quarry public as follows - from April to October, open daily (except Fridays) from 11am to 5pm. An exhibition, video and guided tours are on offer, 9% and there is also a souvenir shop and tea-room. Telephone: (0191) 529 3161. SOUTER LIGHTHOUSEH NER ROAD CHE KIT cl iffs Coastal Walk Section 3 - Souter to Whitburn

ER ROAD cli HEN ffs KITC If the range is in use: L I Z

A R Red flags will be flying to D

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N warn you and you will not be E Whitburn Point able to walk the next section. Nature Reserve Instead take the path alongside the rifle range to the Coast Road. Walk south WHITBURN along the road past the range COLLIERY SCHOOL A

I 8 and Wheatall Farm. After the 3M rocky shore

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L rifle range, follow the signs

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L ute A e ro for National Cycle Network N nativ E lter a m JACKIE’S a Route No.1 through the i BEACH n r Souter o housing estate and you u t Point e will rejoin the coast foot- path at Whitburn Bents. Windmill

a l If the range is not in use: t e

r n RIFLE a Red flags will not be flying t RANGE i v e and you will be able to r o

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t e continue straight down the coast, where Jackie’s Beach

fs if in on the left. After leaving cl suitable for the rifle range area, continue oute wheelchair ve r m alternati a along the coastal footpath at i CEMETERY n r o the rear of Whitburn Village u

t e WHITBURN (an area known as Whitburn

GUARDS Bents) until you reach the NORTH South Bents car park. ET SCHOOL STRE E ONT A FR S rocky shore T If you wish to continue to

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C T

H R

U E Sunderland Pier, you can

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C T H walk on the sand all the way L CRICKET GETTING FROM THE FINISH A N GROUND There are a number of bus services between Sunderland and South Shields. From Souter E if the tide is low enough. If Lighthouse and Roker Harbour View, service E1 follows the coast and enters South Shields via Sea the tide is too high, take the Road and Ocean Road. PARK coast pavement/ s ff rocky shore li If you are travelling from Newcastle, you can reach South Shields by Metro, and return by Metro or c promenade all the way to the train from Seaburn Station. pier instead.

FINISH

to WHITBURN Sunderland SANDS