This was the second of our urban walks, organised to keep us walking while most of the countryside was out of bounds. Publicity in advance of this walk attracted rather more walkers, and sixteen of us started at 9am, six of whom were walking with the group for the first time. The walk started at Souter Lighthouse, which is owned by the National Trust. The lighthouse was built by Trinity House in 1871 with a seventy five foot tower and was the first to use an electric light. The engine room, light tower and keeper's cottage are all open. The lighthouse is open from 11.00-17.00 so personally I missed it at both the beginning and end of the walk. The weather at the start of the walk was excellent and we walked over the Leas passing Marsden Bay and Frenchman's Bay towards South Shields in bright sunshine. Nearer the town the route met the promenade and then we walked round the foot of the Lawe, the headland at the mouth of the Tyne, to catch the ferry across to North Shields.
The ferry departs at quarter past and quarter to the hour and we arrived just in time to see it depart. However the new ferry landing is well appointed and we sat comfortably watching the river flow. From the ferry landing we walked along the riverside, passing the fish quay and the Collingwood Monument of 1847, to Tynemouth Castle and Priory, which are owned by English Heritage, and a comfortable lunch outside on the grass. The priory was founded here in the middle of the seventh century and gained in importance after the burial of St Oswin, king of Deira from 644 to 651 followed by the interment in 792 of Osred II, king of Northumbria from 789 to 790. Deira was the kingdom between the Humber and the Tees which was joined with Bernicia, the kingdom south of the Firth of Forth, to form the kingdom of Northumbria in 664. Under different circumstances you could be members of the Bernician Group of the LDWA, but I digress. The church and monastery were destroyed by Danes in 865 but the site was not completely abandoned until 1008. The monastery was restored from around 1083, then dissolved in 1539. King Malcolm III Canmore of Scotland was buried at Tynemouth after being killed at Alnwick in 1093, followed by St Henry of Coquet in 1127. The headland was fortified from 1296 and completed around the beginning of the fifteenth century. From Tynemouth we followed the promenade through Whitley Bay to St Marys Lighthouse.
This lighthouse is 125 feet high and was built in 1897 to replace the Tynemouth Lighthouse in the priory grounds. Unfortunately high tide on the day will prevented us from approaching the lighthouse, but it is open daily from April to October.At this point the party broke up and several routes home were attempted. Seven of us took the intended walk back to Whitley Bay for a metro to North Shields and the ferry again. Ken had already left to walk to his house in Whitley Bay, Frank walked back to the ferry and took the metro home, Sue went home by metro, Eric and Albie took a footpath to Monkseaton and walked home from Howden. Bob, George, Ellison and Peter walked to Monkseaton by mistake and get the train before us. There is also the option of the 301 bus from near St Marys direct to North Shields, and the E1 bus from South Shields to Souter.