Tynemouth, Whitley Bay and Blyth

Tynemouth priory and castle
St Mary’s lighthouse.Whitley Bay
Blyth docks “Spirit of the Staithes”

Tynemouth Priory and castle is an interesting place to visit, not least for the complete Percy Chantry within the ruins of the priory. We found a grave for a Robert Shield - don’t think it’s a direct relation but you never know. There is a plaque showing the location of the last lighthouse on the priory land. This was replaced by the lighthouse on St Mary’s Island at Whtley Bay. Which was finally commissioned in August 1898. From the grounds of the priory you can walk across the battery with superb views of the North Sea. A really atmospheric place to walk around, we were lucky to have a very sunny day and made the most of the weather.

As the clouds rolled in from the South we made a move to St Mary’s Island and a visit to the well known landmark of the lighthouse. You gain access to the Trinity House lighthouse, now owned by the local council, by a tidal causeway. It has an amazing view from bottom to top with the stairs spiralling around the edge of the tower, with only the ground and the towers light room floor in between. It is also home to one of the light towers of the East Goodwin sands light boats from Kent. A lovely place to visit on a nice day but it would be even more atmospheric when the North Sea is at its worst.

Before we headed back to Teesside, we paid a visit to Blyth and discovered the ‘Spirit of the Staithes’ sculpture. It stands on the banks where the coal used to be loaded/unloaded. The whole area is fitted with decking and makes an nice place to wander around and think about the history of the place.