Local Attractions

Tynemouth

Tynemouth Priory

Originally the site of a 7th Century Anglican Monastery, the burial place of Northumbrian Kings, this was destroyed by Danish raiders.

Building began on the site in 1090 and by the end of the 13th Century the Priory was completed. The towering east end of the priory church, with slender lancet windows and soaring arches, still survives almost to its full height, dominating the headland. An exceptionally well-preserved chapel, with a rose window and an ornately-sculpted roof vault, stands beyond it.

Longsands Bay & King Edwards Bay

The North East coast is famous for its beautiful coastline and beaches. Tynemouth has two award winning Blue Flag beaches, the magnificent Longsands and the smaller King Edwards Bay. Longsands is just a stones throw from our cottages. Longsands is now the home of the O'Neill British National Surfing Championships as well as a whole host of watersports activities.

King Edwards Bay is nestles below the cliffs at Tynemouth Priory (just five minutes walk from our cottages)

St Mary's Lighthouse

The Lighthouse is located in the adjacent Whitley Bay. It was built in 1898 and stands on its own island. St Mary's was in service up until 1984. The lighthouse and former keepers' cottages are now a visitor centre, visitors can climb all 137 steps to the top to catch a marvellous view of the coastline. The lighthouse is surrounded by a nature reserve with rock pools, cliff top grassland, and a beach.

Blue Reef Aquarium

With over 30 living displays feature amazing aquatic life including tropical sharks octopus, seahorses, giant crabs and piranhas. Entertaining talks and feeding displays help bring the whole experience to life. The aquarium is within easy walking distance from our cottages.

Visit the Blue Reef Aquarium

Newcastle & Gateshead

The Quayside

The Quayside area has a great selection of bars and restaurants. It is also a great place to see some of the fantastic bridges both old a new. The Tyne Bridge was built in 1928 and has become a symbol of the city.

The Millennium Bridge (pictured) was opened in September 2001 to be the first rotating bridge in the world.

The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art

The Baltic is the largest visual arts centre outside London. The Baltic Flour Mill was opened in 1950 and was used until 1980. In 2002 the Baltic re-opened as a contemporary art centre in 2002 and features constantly changing range of temporary exhibitions. Visit the Baltic website to find out what's on now.

Newcastle Keep

The site the Keep is built has a rich history, from being a Roman Fort, to  a cemetery belonging to the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Monkchester, then the site of a motte and bailey castle commissioned by Robert Curthose, the son of William the Conqueror. The Keep was built by order of King Henry II of England between 1168 and 1178.

The Keep and adjacent Blackgate are open for to the public.

Official Newcastle Keep Website

Angel of the North

The Angel of the North is the largest sculpture in Britain. 65 feet tall with an enormous wingspan of 175 feet (Making it wider than the Statue of Liberty is tall!) The Angel is visible from the A1 motorway  when entering Gateshead, but it's worth taking a closer look to take the scale of it in.

The Angel is now also one of the 12 official 'Icons of England'

The Sage Gateshead

The Sage has quickly established itself as one of the region's top music venues. The Sage is home to a wide variety of music including acoustic, indie, country, world, folk, jazz, electronic, dance and classical music.

The striking design of the Sage was created by Norman Foster and has now become a local landmark.

The Sage is built around its three music halls to allow for maximum attention to detail in their acoustic properties, but also boasts a twenty-five room Music Education Centre, ExploreMusic as well as a number of bars and cafes.

Sage Website

Northumberland

Hadrian's Wall

When built Hadrian's Wall stretched 73 miles across the country, and was seen as a great monument to the power of the Roman Empire. There are many Forts and settlements along the wall which are easily accessible by car

Hadrian's Wall Website

Seahouses and the Farne Islands

Seahouses is a bustling small seaside village and fishing harbour, from which a succession of boats take visitors out to the Farne Islands.

The Farne Islands lie two to three miles off the Northumberland coast midway between Seahouses and the Castle of Bamburgh. As well as being the most famous Sea Bird Sanctuary in Britain they also have a large colony of Atlantic or Grey Seals.

Book a boat here

Holy Island - Lindisfarne

Holy Island is further north of Tynemouth, past Bamburgh. Holy Island's Norman priory stands on the site of an Anglo-Saxon monastery founded by St Aidan in A.D. 635, on land granted by Oswald, King and Saint of Northumbria. Lindisfarne Castle, built in 1550 can be found at the highest point of the island and is one of the island's main tourist attractions.

The island is only accessible from the mainland at low tide by means of a causeway. Crossing times can be found here

Alnwick Castle & Gardens

Alnwick Garden is next door to the famous Alnwick Castle which was used in the Harry Potter movies. The Garden opened to the public in 2001 costing £42 million to develop. The spectacular garden is home to one of the largest tree houses in the world, where you can dine high up in the trees!

Alnwick Castle Website

Alnwick Garden Website