Souter Lighthouse SR6 7NH
Free for NT Members
Open: Seasonal - See website
About:
Opened in 1871 Souter remains an iconic beacon. Hooped in red and white and standing proud on the coastline midway between the Tyne and the Wear.
Souter is a special place all year round and was the first lighthouse in the world designed and built to be powered by electricity.
To the north The Leas is a two and a half mile stretch of magnesian limestone cliffs, wave-cut foreshore and coastal grassland.
The cliffs and rock stacks of Marsden Bay are home to nesting Kittiwakes, Fulmar, Cormorants, Shags and Guillemots. South of the lighthouse is Whitburn Coastal Park and Nature Reserve – reclaimed colliery land, now a haven for wildlife.
Dog Friendly:
Dogs on leads in grounds only please.
Entry Charge:
See website
Parking:
Parking: The car park is open 9am - 8pm daily (closes 6pm November - March). Charges 9am - 8pm. £1 - 1 hour, £2 - 2 hours, £3 - 4 hours, £4 all day. National Trust members free.
Facilities:
Toilets
Cafe
Notes:
Access from both car parks is level, as are most of the paths and trails in the coastal park and along The Leas.
There are steep steps down to Marsden Bay next to the Marsden Grotto public house and shallower stone steps further north which again lead down to the foreshore.
There is a risk of rockfall from the cliffs and Marsden Rock, and visitors are asked not to go within 10 metres of the cliff base.
Contact:
Website:
Tel: 01915293161
