Distance 6 miles (9.6km)
Classification Moderate
Duration 3 hours
Begins Souter Lighthouse car park
OS grid reference NZ408641

Walk in a nutshell
A hike among the craggy rocks and nesting seabirds of a particularly beautiful stretch of North Sea coast – reached by car in less than half an hour from Newcastle, and less than 15 minutes from Sunderland. By retracing your steps to return to your starting point, you can double the walk's length. The path is sometimes surfaced, sometimes not, but never extreme. At low tide you can choose to walk along the beach for some sections, but make sure that you check the schedule in advance.

Why it's special
The Leas and Marsden Bay are like an island of nature, more or less surrounded by the conurbations of Sunderland and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Marsden's limestone cliffs, which have been sculpted into strange shapes by the waves, are a nesting ground where kittiwakes, cormorants, fulmar, and razorbills make cities of their own. The pub-in-a-cave is also pretty extraordinary.

Keep your eyes peeled for
The red-and-white-striped Souter Lighthouse (pictured) is not just a local landmark, it's the first one ever built – in 1871 – to be powered by electricity. Today it has been decommissioned, so you can tour the engine room, nose around the cottage where the lighthouse keeper and his family would have lived, and climb all 76 steps to see the wonderful view from the top.

Recover afterwards
The Marsden Grotto , just north of the lighthouse, claims to be the only restaurant in Europe that is located inside a cave – one where smugglers once stored food and drink. The downstairs bar serves excellent seafood, while the lighthouse has a cafe.

If it's tipping down
Head to Sunderland, where you'll find two museums, the Sunderland Museum and Monkwearmouth Station Museum . Both are free.

How to get there
East Boldon station is about 3 miles from the lighthouse. Or catch the metro to South Shields station and do the walk in reverse. The E1 bus runs every 20 minutes from Sunderland and South Shields to Souter.

Step by step

1 From Souter Lighthouse car park follow the path to the right then turn right again on to the path that leads towards the sea.

2 As you approach the cliff edge, turn left on to the coastal path and head north, with the sea on your right.

3 Go through the gate and follow the path into a second car park.

4 Heading out of the car park, follow the fence line as it runs along the cliff edge, keeping the sea on your right.

5 Continue to follow the fence line until you come to the car park of the Marsden Grotto pub. Descend the steps to the beach or use the pub lift.

6 Continue your walk along the beach for 400m until you come to the next set of steps.

7 If the tide is at its lowest ebb, you may continue your journey along the beach with short scrambles over spits of low rock. Please make sure you have double-checked the tide times before choosing this option. Alternatively, ascend the steps back to the cliff top and continue your journey north, following the coastal path with the sea on your right.

8 When the coastal path forks, take the right-hand branch.

9 Continue through a gate. Go straight ahead on a soft, sandy path down to South Shields beach, or turn left through the car park to join the seafront promenade.

10 You can either continue your walk into South Shields or retrace your steps back to Souter Lighthouse.