Things to do and see

With dramatic and far-reaching views filled with the environmental splendours of a dynamic coastline, the Durham coast waits to be explored. It boasts a superb coastal footpath 12 mile long, which includes access points onto the beach. The National Cycle network defines access routes for cyclists onto the coast.

Remember a car isn’t always needed to enjoy the Heritage Coast. Public transport, cycling and walking are the most rewarding ways to explore the coast. There are ample car parks along the Heritage Coast, with toilet facilities at Seaham.

Playing on the Beach

The best places for playing on the beach are at Crimdon and Seaham.

Rockpools

Blackhall Rocks is one of the best places to see rockpools. At low tide you can see the exposed rocky shores reveal crabs, octopus, scorpion fish and anemones.  Please look and leave everything in the rockpools without disturbing them.

Walking – King Charles III England Coast Path

England’s coastline is spectacularly beautiful, rich in wildlife and hugely popular. In fact, none of us lives more than 75 miles from it and as a nation we make over 70 million trips a year to enjoy it.

Our section of the King Charles III England Coast path was officially opened in 2014 and runs from Hendon, Sunderland in the north to Hartlepool Headland in the south.  The walk is approximately 20 miles in length and travels through our industrial heritage, taking in stunning clifftop scenery, fabulous coastal denes and magnificent wildflower meadows.  Whatever the time of year the views are spectacular up and down the coast.  There are lots of boards and panels along the route which give you information on various settlements which have their own special stories to tell.  There is a Partnership in place overseeing the North East Section of the path covering South Tyneside to Stockton.

Our Coastal Footpath booklet (PDF) provides a guide to our section of the route

For more information visit National Trails: England Coast Path Route Descriptions

For further updates on the England Coast Path from around the country please visit, Gov.uk: England Coast Path – improving public access to the coast

Birdwatching

A variety of birds can be seen on the Heritage Coast such as the skylark, little tern, sanderling and purple sandpiper. There is lots of information on birds and wildlife in our wildlife guide leaflet.

Cycling

There is an extensive cycle route through the Heritage Coast that not only forms part of the national cycle route but also the North Sea Cycle route. Please checkout the North Sea Cycle route website.

The area is bounded by the North Sea on one side into which a number of remarkable and picturesque denes make their way. The traffic free linear route which forms its inland perimeter is a clear north/south corridor route linking Ryhope at its northern end with the village of Hart to the south. These are routes 1 & 14 of the National Cycle Route and key connections between Teeside and Wearside while northward it continues into Tyneside.

Although cycling is not allowed on the England coast path, please check out our Durham coastal cycling leaflet.

Nature

There are several good viewing points of interest for bird watchers, particularly during the autumn migration. These include Dawdon Blast Beach, Castle Eden Denemouth, Blackhall Rocks and Crimdon Dene.  More information is available on our little tern page and in our wildlife guide leaflet.

The Traveline website provides public transport information for your visit to the coast.

Whenever you visit a stretch of coastland, you should always be mindful of our beach safety code, this tells you how you can be safe, as well as how to look after our coast.