North East England : Whitley Bay & Hartley reef

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Whitley Bay is the main beach for Tynemouth and is a huge strip of sand running south from St Mary's Lighthouse all the away down to the River Tyne. The beach has very fine reddish sand and quite a shallow angle of slope, so lots of the beach is exposed at low tide. The waves here tend to get over looked until really big winter swells close out the other breaks nearby. Consequently the water is often deserted and so it's an ideal beach for beginners to while the hours away catching waves uninterrupted. For the more experienced, Whitley Bay is a good base from where to up the beach, past the light house and on to nearby Hartley Reef. This reef break can produce some epic waves when the swell is channelling down from the north and is best left to intermediate and above surfers.

Whitley Bay has some great pubs and the nearby nightlife in Newcastle is second to none. There is also a nearby mini-golf park to while away the time in between the swells. Altogether a top quality beach with a great location.

Details
Driving Access: Main road straight into town
Car Park spaces: 100 at the north end of the beach
Price: Less than £5
Beach facilities: Toilets just behind beach
Beach type: Sand
Break type: Beach
Pub: The Briar Dene
Sort of wave: Spilling
Peaks: Several shifting beach breaks & reef break
Left/Right: Both and right
Offshore wind direction: Southwesterly
Local highlights: The local nightlife
National Trust: No

Ratings
Ability: Novice - Legend
Kids: 2 - Mini golf
Other stuff: 2 - Mini golf & nightlife
Access: 3 - 10m walk to the beach
Urban proximity: Close to the beach
Water quality: Pristine - Blue Flag beach

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