emilywillisblogWhy visit Seaburn beach?
Seaburn beach is located in the North East of England in South Tyneside, which is north of Sunderland and South of Whitburn and South Shields. The coastline at Seaburn affords one of the most beautiful beach walks in South Tyneside. Seaburn beach is also easy to get to via bus or car, with ample parking close to the beach. The beach itself as well as the promenade is accessible via ramps. There are also lots of amenities and activities nearby to keep families and children entertained at Seaburn beach.
What are the best walks at Seaburn beach
Seaburn beach can be covered in the space of one walk for those who are able to walk a couple of miles in one sitting. There are various different ways to approach the beach.
When accessing the beach from the Whitburn side, a grassy outcrop gives way to the edge of a small cliff, that gives onto the sea. A number of benches line the cliffs and if you walk to the north you have a pleasant walk towards Whitburn beach, which circles the cliffs around the village of Whitburn. To the south, you have a sweeping view of the coastline circling the sea wall of the promenade, and curving its way towards Roker, where the lighthouse sits at the end of the pier. You can see cranes and industrial plants in the distance beyond at Hendon. Joining the beach from this direction is picturesque – you pass a group of small whitewashed houses at Whitburn Bents, whose gardens are filled with wind chimes, and bric a brac like driftwood and lobster cages. Each house has a seating area in little grassy alcoves, sheltered from the sea winds by gorse, and thickets of dog rose. Beyond these is a low wall separating the houses from the dunes. You pass the boatyard, dotted with small decommissioned cobles filled with green seawater, and which have names like ‘the coral’ and ‘spring tide’. This path, which circuits the rear of Whitburn Bents, affords shelter from the noise of the road, and a tranquillity descends as you make your way down through the grasses to the beach.
When the tide is out, the beach is broad and there is plenty of space for walkers to spread out, allowing everyone to feel their own sense of isolation, and a sense of communion with the water. At the foot of the cliffs to the north, the terrain is rocky, and the debris of passing storms, upturned tree trunks, dog whelks and sea snail shells are often found here. If you’re lucky enough to visit the beach in the dark when the tide has recently been in, the multi coloured lights strung between lampposts on the road above and the houses in Sunderland in the distance cast onto the pools of water on the sand and the lights shimmer and dance. And at this time of day, outside of the school holidays, you’ll often have the beach to yourself, occasionally sharing it with sea fishers and rockpoolers on the hunt for whelks – you’ll often see in the distance their small green torchlights dotting about and disappearing between waves.
Walking the length of the beach and back to the carpark near the boatyard next to Latimer’s fish shop at a moderate pace will take on average about an hour, or longer if you shop for food/ drink.
Wildllife at Seaburn beach
Given the proximity to the road, wildlife at Seaburn beach is perhaps not as much of an attraction as at wilder beaches to the North or those less trodden beaches along the County Durham coastline. However, there is a small nature reserve which you will see cordoned off by a picket fence stuck into the sand approximately halfway along the beach. Ringed plovers nest here. If you come to the beach at night you will see them hunting along the breakline – they scuttle along in small groups and it’s a pleasure to watch them. They are a protected species so it is advisable to give them a wide berth so as not to scare them away from their nesting grounds and their young.
Wildlife at Seaburn beach
Given the proximity to the road, wildlife at Seaburn beach is perhaps not as much of an attraction as at wilder beaches to the North or those less trodden beaches along the County Durham coastline. However, there is a small nature reserve which you will see cordoned off by a picket fence stuck into the sand approximately halfway along the beach. Ringed plovers nest here. If you come to the beach at night you will see them hunting along the breakline – they scuttle along in small groups and it’s a pleasure to watch them. They are a protected species so it is advisable to give them a wide berth so as not to scare them away from their nesting grounds and their young.
On quiet days you may be lucky enough to spot herons standing stock still over rockpools, always majestic and breathtaking, though difficult to spot as they tend to be well camouflaged and some distance from the shore.
You may also see seals off the coast of Seaburn from time to time if you keep your eyes peeled.
Of course there are also plenty of seagulls, so it is advised to shield your kids’ ice creams whenever you see them as they will try their luck and dive in for the steal.
Is Seaburn beach a good day out for families?
Parents will likely have different considerations and priorities when out walking from that of other people. These can include:
- Pushchair friendly paths:One of the main considerations for parents is accessible, pushchair friendly walking. Beaches aren’t always amenable to this. Pushchairs can be surprisingly heavy and unmaneuverable, with a bit of a mind of their own, and the last thing you need is to try to be lifting it down precarious steps lathered in seaweed, or hiking up sand dunes whilst you’re still learning how to efficiently assemble and disassemble your little one’s transport system, and they are screaming because they have a wet nappy…
- Baby change facilities: if you’re not a wizard at changing your baby in the pushchair without make a mess of your pram and having to work out how to remove the cover to wash it, then you’ll want a beach that has baby changing joints, ideally at least at both ends of the beach.
- Toilet facilities: as a new mum you may experience heavy post partum bleeding, with accompanying complications such as incontinence, and will likely be prone to spontaneous lactation at the most inopportune times. So having the reassurance of toilet facilities at regular intervals near the beach will be important for you.
- Parent and child parking close to the beach: trying to lift a carseat out of the car in a high sea wind without bashing the door of the car in the adjoining bay is no mean feat. It also requires a special kind of contortionist to achieve the sideways twist and bend required for this manoeuvre, which is not something that a mum who’s recently had a C section wants to be doing. Therefore spacious parent and child parking can be a godsend.
- Attractions and activities for children: if you’re a parent with young kids the beach has a habit of overexciting them – invariably sooner or later those tired tantrums are going to set in, so it’s useful to walk at a beach that has some diverting activities at hand.
We will cover Seaburn beach in relation to all of these factors.
Pushchair friendly walking route at Seaburn beach
Depending on your pushchair, you have different options for walking at Seaburn. If you have an all terrain pushchair, you may like to brave the sand. You can access the beach by ramp with a pushchair from the carpark at Whitburn Bents, next to Latimer’s fish shop. This will bring you out at the quiet end of the beach next to the cliffs. Good all terrain pushchairs include the Joie Deluxe Chrome, and the Ickle Bubba Stomp, as they all have large wheels, good turning circles, and are relatively light to maneouvre. Alternatively you might try a 3 wheel pushchair.
If your pushchair leaves much to be desired, then you can use the promenade walk from Whitburn Bents carpark – you’ll need to go along the road for a bit until you see the ramp down to the promenade further along.
Toilet and baby change facilities at Seaburn beach
Seaburn is not the best when it comes to seafront cafes that also are equipped with a baby change, as a lot of the cafes are takeaway only. However, Morrisons has baby change facilities in the toilets and there is a public toilet next to the Funky Beach Cafe that is pretty clean, which has baby change facilities, where you don’t have to buy anything from a shop/ cafe to use them. Stack, which is a selection of restaurants and bars located in old container units, congregated around an outdoor music venue, also have toilets. However there are no baby change facilities at the other end of the beach towards Whitburn Bents.
Seaburn beach activities for children
Seaburn has an arcade next to Stack and Morrisons which, although ostensibly sporting a withered and ageing seaside town sort of look, is still very much thriving, and a great place to take kids to tire them out. It has an ice cream parlour attached which is also convenient.
Morrisons sells an array of beach toys which can entertain your little ones – these can be found in baskets near the tills, and include sandcastle buckets and spades, fishnets for rockpooling, body boards, and miniature wetsuits. There is also a park behind Morrisons.
How to get to Seaburn beach
If you’re coming by car, Seaburn can be reached via the A19 – exit the A19 at the Boldon exit and continue through West and East Boldon. Continue past Skoda to the crossroads and take a left, following the signs for Seaburn.
If coming by train, you can get off at Newcastle and take the Metro direct to Seaburn. Please be advised the Metro is around a 20 minute walk from the seafront at Seaburn, however, so it is not the most accessible beach using this mode of transport.
Parking at Seaburn beach
Morrisons carpark is right on the seafront at Seaburn and you get 3 hours free parking, so this is handy if you plan to get your foodshop out the way whilst you are there. Bear in mind this gets very busy on a saturday and sunday and the car parking spaces are narrow – I have had my car bumped in this carpark before now!
There is some on street seafront parking along the edge of Seaburn beach but bear in mind that it is pay and display until 6pm, and it can be difficult pulling off the main road to parallel park in these spaces.
At the opposite end of the beach from Morrisons is Whitburn Bents carpark. It is pay and display until 8pm and you can use change or pay by phone. Although there is no designated parent and child parking like there is at Morrisons, this is my favourite carpark, as it isn’t usually busy except during high season in the summer. The carpark will be locked at 10pm so you do need to be out before then. The carpark is very close to the ramp access to the beach as well.
Where to eat and drink at Seaburn beach
If you’re something of a foodie and find it hard to resist a decadent homemade brownie or a wonderfully northern sized steaming seafood pastry, then Seaburn is a must-visit beach for you. Heading south along Seaburn beach from whitburn, your first stop is Latimer’s fishmonger’s. They sell everything from lobster boxes to crab sandwiches, to dressed scallops, to raw gunnard and whiting to take home for your dinner. There is a small indoor seating area or you can brave the outdoor seating – the area is quite exposed but the view and the food is very much worth it, and as fresh as it gets.
As you walk, you will pass Minchella’s, situated in Whitburn Bents carpark. This is a coffee hut and is great for grabbing a takeaway cup and a hot croissant or bacon butty, which you can take onto the beach with you to warm your fingers from the winter sea winds.
Next you will pass the Strollers tea shop, which is a takeaway coffee shop serving delicious hot chocolate, owned by incredibly friendly staff.
Near here you also have the North, an inviting yellow painted building. The North is an evening restaurant serving elevated cuisine such as oysters and lobster.
The next restaurant you pass is Little Italy. The peeling red shutters and white and red check plastic tablecloths are reminiscent of an 80s sea shack diner, but the food is wholesome, well priced, and has charm.
If you like asian food there is a lovely restaurant called House of Zen on the seafront as you approach the end of the beach.
Next to House of Zen you will find one of the best beach cafes around, the Funky Beach Cafe. Housed in what appears to be a basement, the cafe has a cosy entrenched feeling as if it were set into the mouth of a cave. You want to get the driftwood table on the left by the window where you can look straight out at the waves. Taking a day off work on a tuesday when it’s quiet is a great idea and you can treat yourself to a glass of wine, wonderful homemade cheese scones, and rocky roads, which they will warm up for you so that they melt a little, and each time you look up from your book the sea will have painted you a different picture in sea foam outside.
Directly across the street you have Stack. Stack is made of recycled shipping containers, each housing different eateries and bars, and congregated together around an open air seating area with gas lamps and wooden benches. There’s a stage with live music on weekends and on these nights you will get younger crowds. During the day however many families and people of all ages frequent Stack and on the weekends there are day shows to entertain the children. Stack is great if everyone in your party has different tastes in food or various dietary requirements – eateries include burgers, pizza, mac and cheese, Greek, and boa buns. It can be a little cold to sit out here in the winter though.
Is Seaburn beach clean?
Seaburn received the 2022 award for Britain’s clean beaches. It is rare to see plastic waste and rubbish on the beach at Seaburn. Although parts of the beach are dog friendly, it is also rare to see dog waste, and people are regularly seen running around barefoot. The beach has an active water sports community – the Wild Sea Women group regularly swim here, and there are often surfers and kite surfers in the water.
Is Seaburn beach dog friendly?
Parts of Seaburn beach are dog friendly all year round and these are clearly signposted on the promenade as you approach the beach from the south side. Many of the seafront cafes sell dog treats and have water bowls out that your dog can drink from.
Safety considerations when walking at Seaburn beach
You can still usually get onto the sand at the beach at high tide but during a neap tide, the waves actually cover the entire beach so you would need to use the promenade. During a storm it is also advised to avoid the promenade and walk along the road as I have seen storm surges engulf the promenade and the lighthouse in huge waves which could easily wash away walkers into a very cold and angry north sea.
The north side of the beach has a little bit of a sand bank and the tide does tend to come in behind the sand bank at a bit of an angle because of that, so just be aware of this if any of your party decide to go swimming. It’s always best to go swimming on an outgoing tide in general.
The rocks to the north side of the beach can be very uneven and slippery in wet weather and ankles can easily be sprained if you’re not careful. The rocks extend vertically out into the sea as if they have laid a path for you to the horizon. Picking your way out here can seem inviting since it’s a good vantage point from which to survey the sea around and feel immersed in it. This is inadvisable however as the tide also engulfs the rocks very quickly, sometimes more quickly than you can climb back again.
I would also not advise attempting to walk around the bottom of the cliffs to Whitburn beach to the north, as the tide sweeps in very fast right up to the cliff edge, and could easily wash you out to sea. It is better to walk on top of the cliffs, but be sure to keep your buggy and any dogs well away from the edge as there is no fence!
The Whitburn Bents carpark can be quite deserted from 7pm onwards in the winter evenings, and it is also shielded from the road by bushes and trees, which can make you feel a bit uneasy, and is something to bear in mind.
All in all however, I have frequented Seaburn beach regularly, both as a parent and as a non parent and younger working professional, and I never tire of it – the beauty of the walks there, the different walking options, the variety of places to eat and drink, and the parking options, mean there is definitely something for everyone to enjoy here.
