Cycling down the North East Coast

Cycling from Hetton-le-Hole to South visiting a few landmarks along the way

Whitburn Windmill is one of the most iconic landmarks in South Tyneside and a Grade II listed building. It is a tower mill, built in 1790 to grind corn. It is one of the oldest windmills in the North East of England, and one of two surviving windmills in South Tyneside.
Opened in 1871, Souter was the first lighthouse in the world designed and built to be powered by electricity. Now owned by the National Trust, the iconic landmark stands on the coast between the Tyne and Wear. To the north, The Leas is 2.5 miles of magnesian limestone cliffs, beaches and wildflower rich grassland. Marsden Bay’s cliffs and rock stacks are home to nesting seabirds. South of the lighthouse is Whitburn Coastal Park and Nature Reserve
South Shields Tyne And Wear
Herd Groyne Lighthouse
Lighthouse In South Shields, Tyne And Wear

A Victorian lighthouse built in 1882, still used for navigational purposes today.

[Music] morning. Not a bad morning. Today we’re starting our journey at Ten Lions Crumpy Park by as you can see the um sculpture of the heritage locomotion which was designed by um Rayon’s daily son Sam um to uh celebrate the um 200 year anniversary of the Heton railway line which is older than the Stockton to Dartton line which we celebrate in Hen. Um today we’re gonna have a little ride down to um South Shields through Little Epan Farm um through Dr. Park and down to Silksorth through Sunland and then get us get on the cycle ends and follow the road down to um South Shields. So we’ll see the sites along the way and uh hopefully the sun’s going to calm. So I’ll see you in a bit. And I know now I don’t want to run away. I don’t want to run away. Well, my souls are cast away. Tired of being alone. Hey, my love gets thrown away anyway. The wind gets blown. Oh, but hey, I can feel it. I don’t want to stray this time. I can feel it now. Hey, I can feel it pouring down like a rain this time. And I know now I don’t want to run away. Trains never get no peace. They keep on running till their engine cease. I keep on running and I don’t stand still. I want no love. I never will. Rolling stones never find a home. They keep on rolling through life alone. If I keep on rolling down the same old hill, I won’t know. Love I never will. No. I can feel it. I don’t want to search no more. I can feel it now. Hey, I made it down to um to Sunland. We’ve um roughly followed the old railway lines um that was created by George Stevens and his son Robert back in back in the day. Um, as I said, I’ll begin heading at the oldest, um, steam railway line dating back to 1822. Um, so we’ve got to this point here where the core would have been taken off the wagons and dumped into ships. That roughly down there would have been where lampton steals were. The steer core would have been dumped into um ships and gone on to fuel the empire basically. Um so yeah, we’ve um we’ve got about six mile to go before we get down to South Shields. Um we’ll be following cycle paths and stuff like that on the way down. Um keeping off the roads. Um so got a couple of sites to see on the way down. So we’ll jump back on the bike and we’ll get on with it. I’ll see you in a bit. [Music] I’ve been hopelessly clutching out for something I can hold. I’ve been lying in the dark with no light in my soul. I’ve been ramaging around in the rain and the cold. I’ve been searching for diamonds in a pile of coal. I’ve been searching for diamonds in a pile of gold. [Music] I’ve been reckless and ragged. I’ve been running to the ground. I’ve been lost for so long. I forgot I could be found. I’ve been holding my breath for the axe to come down. I’ve been searching for angels in the devil’s town. I’ve been searching for angels in the devil’s town. Searching for a heart. It’s like staring at the stars. There’s a million I can see, but only one shines for me. I keep searching for a heart to love. [Music] Oh, to love. [Music] So, a couple of miles ago, um had a quick stop at uh South Lighthouse. I think I pronounced that right if I haven’t. Uh kind of little place to visit. They got a cath there, toilet facilities. Um so, just a quick little break for the run. So, as I said, 2 miles to go. Jump on the bike. See you in a bit. [Music] House on the sand and I’ll keep on building it higher. I build my house on the sand and I’ll keep on building it high. Searching for a heart to love. It’s like staring at the stars above. You can’t see your heart to feel what isn’t there and isn’t real. So I keep searching for heart. Not far from South Shields now, that last section I’ve done up the road there, it’s called the John Reed Road. And if anyone’s ever done the Great North Road, you know how steep it is. I remember a couple of year ago when I did it, it was absolute me heart was breaking. You come to the roundabout at the bottom, you think you’ve almost finished and you’ve got about I would say a good 3/4 of a mile to the end and the majority of it’s up bank like. So if you’ve ever done the Great North Run, you know what I’m talking about. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] You’ve walked the long road and you’ve won it well. You still yourself up when you fell. Keep your memories in jars. Carry secrets and scars beneath your shell. [Music] You seen some good days and some bad ones, too. You weave through fashion and trend. You seen the sun rise on an ocean blue. The scene is set for the dearest of friends. You found faith, but you chose to doubt it. You found love, but you live without it. You don’t want to talk about it. [Music] You travel down through foreign lands, touch mountain tops, golden sand, seen pyramids and temples made of stone. Keep seashells in a cashmere scarf, a treasure book or photographs. Every single one you stand alone. You seem feeling around the ping wall. And as you watch the decades fall, the letters that Well, that’s our right of South Shanny ride out. A little bit dull this morning, but the sun’s made appearance this afternoon on the way back. Um, stopped off at SA Lighthouse on the way back for a coffee and cake. Wasn’t badly priced. The calf’s definitely worth a visit. Um, legs were a bit heavy this morning though, but we got round. We got back. So, um, yeah. You like the videos, like and subscribe. I’ll see you in the next one. [Music]