St. Mary's Lighthouse is one of the best tourist attractions near Newcastle and although it will take around 60-75 minutes to get here from the city centre, we definitely recommend a trip to the lighthouse.

The place is especially worth a visit when the weather is nice. If it is raining or foggy, we would skip the visit.

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The beautiful brick lighthouse, painted white, is 46 metres high and stands about 1.5 km north of Whitley Bay. It was constructed in 1898.

Location on a tidal islet

The lighthouse stands on a small island, which is connected to the mainland by a convenient concrete pathway running along the shallow seabed.

At low tide, the entire path is accessible to pedestrians without restrictions.

At high tide, the road is completely underwater and the lighthouse is not accessible.

For exact tide times, visit the town's official website at my.northtyneside.gov.uk/st-marys-lighthouse.

The viewpoint - admission and opening times

St. Mary's Lighthouse is no longer operational and therefore its upper level light is open to the public.

Be prepared to climb 137 steps. There is no elevator upstairs.

There are divine views of the sea and coastline.

Ticketprices are 4,30 gbp for adults and 2,20 gbp for seniors and children.

The lighthouse is open approximately 3 hours a day. However, some days the lighthouse remains closed even at low tide.

Detailed times when the viewpoint and gift shop are open are shown in yellow: my.northtyneside.gov.uk/st-marys-lighthouse.

Find the seals!

The rocky shoreline around the lighthouse is a favourite haunt of several species of seal, which are present here all year round.

The chances of spotting a seal are really good here, and the viewpoint is right next to the lighthouse.

How to get there

You can only walk directly to the lighthouse at low tide.

The nearest car park is on land just 150 metres from the lighthouse.

The quickest way to get there by public transport is to take the Yellow Line underground from the city centre to Whitley Bay station. Walk about 350 metres to the Park Avenue bus stop (see map), where bus routes 308 and 309 run on average every 7-15 minutes.

Get off the bus at the bus stop "The Links - Cemetery", from where a pedestrian walkway leads to the lighthouse (approx. 1,300 metres, see map).

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