Best Places to Visit in Tyne & Wear
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best places to visit in Tyne & Wear are Whitburn Beach, Tynemouth Outdoor Pool, Finn's Labyrinth, Whitburn Old Quarry, Sandhaven Beach, Arbeia South Shields Roman Fort and Tynemouth Priory and Castle.
Tyne and Wear lines the mouths of its two rivers with Roman forts, ruined priories and a rugged magnesian-limestone coast. The great sights guard the Tyne: the ruined priory and castle of Tynemouth on its sea-girt headland, and the Roman fort of Arbeia at South Shields, with its full-size reconstructed gate and supply granaries.
The coast runs from the busy town sands of Sandhaven at South Shields to the quiet, rocky shore at Whitburn below Souter Lighthouse, with the arches of the Whitburn old quarry and the stone rings of Finn's Labyrinth on the beach nearby. At Tynemouth, the weathered shell of the old outdoor lido stands on the rocks at the end of Longsands, a reminder of the seaside days that once drew crowds to the coast.
Some are grand set pieces, others quiet corners overlooked by visitors passing between the two river mouths. Here are seven places to visit across Tyne and Wear.
Whitburn Beach
Photo: Oliver Dixon via Geograph.org.uk
Whitburn Beach lies on the magnesian limestone coast between Sunderland and South Shields in Tyne and Wear. It is a rocky and pebbly foreshore with a low shelf of rock and tide pools rather than a broad sandy resort beach, and it stays quiet and largely undeveloped.
The England Coast Path runs along the clifftop above, and the National Trust's Souter Lighthouse, with its cafe and car park, sits just to the north. It is a well-known spot for watching wading birds and seabirds along the shore.
Tynemouth Outdoor Pool
Photo: Ian S via Geograph.org.uk
The Tynemouth Outdoor Pool is a derelict open-air seawater lido on the rocks at the northern end of Longsands Beach in Tynemouth. It opened in the 1920s and closed in the mid-1990s, and what stands now is an empty, weathered shell, with the pool basin and walls visible from the beach and coast path.
There is no swimming and there are no facilities. A local campaign has long hoped to restore it, though no rebuilding is under way.
Finn's Labyrinth
Photo: Oliver Dixon via Geograph.org.uk
Finn's Labyrinth is a large stone labyrinth laid out on the beach at Whitburn, on the coast between Sunderland and South Shields. Built in 2015 and named after a dog, it forms a seven-ring pattern of stones some thirty metres across, gathered from many places and set out on the shore.
Its condition has varied over the years, and much of it was reported dismantled in 2024, so how much survives on the ground changes over time. It sits near Souter Lighthouse on the walk along the shore.
Whitburn Old Quarry
Photo: Gordon Hatton via Geograph.org.uk
Whitburn Old Quarry is a former magnesian limestone quarry cut into the coast just south of Souter Lighthouse in Tyne and Wear. Quarrying has left pale limestone cliffs with arches, small caves and a little pebble beach, reached on foot along the coast path from the lighthouse.
The cliffs and shore form part of the protected Durham Coast, valued for their geology and wildlife. It is used today for coastal walking, photography and rockpooling.
Sandhaven Beach
Photo: Oliver Dixon via Geograph.org.uk
Sandhaven Beach, also known as Herd Sand, is a long sandy beach backed by dunes at South Shields, on the Tyne and Wear coast, just south of the pier at the mouth of the River Tyne. A seafront with a car park, a cafe and toilets runs behind it, and it is used for surfing, windsurfing, kayaking and fishing, with lifeguards in the season.
It is a busy town beach, the northern half of the sands, with Littlehaven Beach just along the coast. Part of the beach has a dog ban through the summer months.
Arbeia South Shields Roman Fort
Photo: Steve Daniels via Geograph.org.uk
Arbeia South Shields Roman Fort Climb the rebuilt twin-towered west gate and you stand where Roman sentries once did, looking out over the Tyne to the open sea. This second-century fort, now hemmed in by South Shields streets, carries full-size reconstructions raised on the genuine foundations, among them the commanding officer's house alongside a barrack block.
Excavated footings surround them, the rows of granaries betraying its old role as a supply base for the troops on Hadrian's Wall, out at the eastern end of the frontier. One of the finds on display is the carved tombstone of Regina, a British woman who was freed from slavery and became the wife of Barates, a Palmyran trader from Syria.
Tynemouth Priory and Castle
Photo: David Dixon via Geograph.org.uk
Tynemouth Priory and Castle occupy a rocky headland at the mouth of the River Tyne, with the sea on three sides. The ruined medieval priory and its castle stand together: a medieval gatehouse, the roofless east end of the priory church with its tall Gothic windows, the well-preserved fifteenth-century Percy Chantry chapel, and restored gun batteries from the Second World War.
English Heritage runs the site, with an admission charge, and it gives wide views over King Edward's Bay and the river mouth. A monastery stood here from the seventh century until Henry VIII closed it in 1539.
FAQs
What can you see at Arbeia Roman fort?
Arbeia, on a hill above the Tyne mouth at South Shields, has full-size reconstructions raised on the original Roman foundations, a twin-towered west gate you can climb, a commanding officer's house and a barrack block, along with the excavated granaries that mark it as a supply base for Hadrian's Wall, and finds including the tombstone of Regina.
Which beaches in Tyne and Wear are best to visit?
Sandhaven at South Shields is a long sandy town beach with a seafront, cafe and seasonal lifeguards, good for surfing and family days. Whitburn, further south below Souter Lighthouse, is a quiet rocky and pebbly shore with tide pools, better for coastal walks and watching wading birds.
Can you swim at the Tynemouth lido?
No. The Tynemouth Outdoor Pool, a seawater lido on the rocks at the end of Longsands, opened in the 1920s and closed in the mid-1990s, and now stands as an empty, weathered shell with no swimming or facilities. A local campaign has long hoped to restore it, though no rebuilding is under way.
Conclusion
Tyne and Wear lines its river mouths with Roman forts, ruined priories and a rugged coast. The priory and castle of Tynemouth stand on their sea-girt headland, and the Roman fort of Arbeia keeps its reconstructed gate and supply granaries at South Shields.
The coast runs from the busy town sands of Sandhaven to the quiet, rocky shore at Whitburn below Souter Lighthouse, with the arches of the old quarry and the stone rings of Finn's Labyrinth nearby, while the weathered shell of the Tynemouth lido stands on the rocks at the end of Longsands. From Roman granary to seawater lido, these are the places to seek out across Tyne and Wear.
