Tynemouth: Waterfront, Lighthouse, St. Mary’s Island Nature Reserve

Head to Tynemouth to experience several miles of spectacular running on seafront paths and coastal bluffs. In all, it can be a 15-16 mile out and back, so you might want to divide the route into sections. Tynemouth is a coastal town on the north side of the River Tyne, across from South Shields. It’s reachable by subway (North Shields).

Our route starts in central Tynemouth at the Fiddler’s Green Fishermen’s Memorial. Run north along the path just above the water, enjoying the views! After 1 mile is the Tynemouth Pier, where you can do a ~1 mile out and back to the lighthouse, also enjoying views of the Tynemouth Priory and Castle. Continue north through Tynemouth Park along Grand Parade, with nice water views. It’s a 2-mile section along the terrace between Tynemouth Park and Whitley Bay Beach. Here’s there’s a 1.5 mile path through a park above the beach (the beach is also runnable, depending on tides). At the 7-mile mark is St. Mary’s Island Nature Reserve, where there’s a nice jaunt out to St Mary’s Lighthouse and a ~1 mile dirt path on the bluffs above the water. The path has good footing and there are great views.