St Mary’s Lighthouse and Visitor Centre

A local landmark and definitely worth a visit if you are in and around Whitley Bay. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1984 but remains a popular attraction with both tourists and locals alike. The Island is attached to the mainland by a large stone causeway and is accessible when the tide is out. Tide timetables can be found on the internet or in local newspapers. On the island is a gift shop, tea rooms, museum and of course, the lighthouse. Visitors can climb the 137 to the top of the lighthouse to enjoy the view of the gorgeous coastline from the observation deck. For those that can’t manage the climb a live video facility is available on the ground floor to allow them to experience the views. The island is also popular with wildlife enthusiasts being a small nature reserve it is home to rockpools, a beach, freshwater ponds, cliff top grassland and provides habitats for a variety of marine life and resident and migrating seabirds and waders. The admission prices are extremely reasonable, I highly recommend this as a good place to visit.

A lovely day out. It’s quite beautiful scenery and the lighthouse is well worth a look. There’s a very nice tearoom and a gift shop. The toilets were’nt very nice though. There’s a long stretch of beach to walk on and remember to check tidal times before you go

Beautiful walks, fantastic views, rockpooling and history all rolled into one. An excellent day for the whole family, just check teh tides before you go!

A must visit if you are in the area. Around the island itself is great for rockpooling and is also very popular with divers and birdwatchers (the island itself has a large bird hide). On the Island itself is a tea room, a well stocked gift shop with local souveniers, toilet facilities, a museum and the lighthouse itself. Very cheap to get in although the climb to the top can be a big daunting for little (and big) children, the view from the top up and down the coast is truly breathtaking and well worth the climb. And when you descend you should treat yourself to an ice cream from the nearby ice cream van. You deserve it!

This is a great place you can come park and watch the sea, go to the burger van for great burgers, go to the bird watch you passed on the drive in or walk across to the lighthouse if the tides are out
The ight house was decommisioned in 1984 and a trust was formed where volunteers look after the light house
The view is great from the top though the 137 steps can take your breath away a little
There used to be a chapel there hundreds of years ago and the bodies of criminals was hung from the end of the causeway
These days it has a nice display room, a good gift shop and realy clean toilets