Where are you headed to? asked the elderly lady in a cafe in Blyth. Sunderland replied Sue. What is there to see? she replied.
The route from Newbiggin required some concentration, We had been warned of confused signage but it all worked really well in the end. Apart from one false lead after the River Wansbeck, the new river side path through Blyth was lovely.
Blyth park had a Sustrans local hero bench, Stan Laurel being the most notable.
The coast track passed St Mary's Island and grand frontage of Whitley Bay before arriving in Tynemouth.
It was reassuring to see a Sustrans NCN1 displayed on the door of the ferry and a few minutes journey brought us to South Shields.
We paid a visit to Souter Lighthouse (National Trust) and sue got a free cup of tea with her loyalty card! Several innovations made this lighthouse groundbreaking back in 1871, but it was nice to see an original 4.5 ton lamp sitting on mercury so that we could turn it with one finger.
Our accomodation put a smile on our faces, with two vintage railway carriages standing proud on the sea front sandwiched between two amusement arcades. The Pullman is a quirky place and has to be in the top 2 of all the places to stay so far, beaten only by West Usk lighthouse. We had steak and chips with a bottle of house red for £20 and breakfast served in a carriage from the Orient Express, what more could we want- there is plenty to see in Sunderland.
Figures:
Distance:- 46.0 km
Cycle Time:- 3 hours 33 minutes
Average speed:- 12.9 kph
Total Distance:- 3976 km
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