Caravan Parks In Tyne And Wear | MOTORHOMEingLife

On the coast, every time. The best touring bases sit along the shore at Whitley Bay, Tynemouth and South Shields, which keeps you away from congested Newcastle and Gateshead while putting a beach on your doorstep. Old Hartley Caravan and Motorhome Club Site at Whitley Bay is our pick, a clifftop park overlooking St Mary's Lighthouse with electric hook-up hardstanding pitches. Lizard Lane at South Shields and Whitley Bay Holiday Park are strong alternatives. From any of them the Tyne and Wear Metro whisks you into Newcastle in about twenty minutes, so you get city and seaside without driving a big outfit through town.

We would not recommend it. Central Newcastle and Gateshead are congested with tight streets and some low bridges, and parking a large outfit is a genuine headache. The far better plan is to pitch on a coastal caravan park and use the Tyne and Wear Metro, which is fast, cheap and drops you right at the Quayside and the shops. Keep the van on the A1 and A19 bypasses when you arrive rather than routing through the city cores. The Tyne Tunnel does take motorhomes for a toll if you need to cross the river between the north and south banks.

Genuinely, yes, and it surprises visitors who expect only industry. Tynemouth Longsands is a Blue Flag surf beach below a clifftop priory, Whitley Bay has a long sweep of sand and the restored St Mary's Lighthouse, and South Shields offers Sandhaven and Marsden Bay with its dramatic rock stacks. The whole stretch is walkable on coastal paths, and because the north-east sits in an eastern rain shadow it is drier than much of Britain. The water is bracing off the North Sea, but for walks, surf, rock pools and fish and chips the coast here is a real highlight of a touring trip.

May to September gives the mildest, driest weather, with summer highs around 19°C and the north-east benefiting from an eastern rain shadow that keeps it drier than the west. That is also the busiest window on the coast, so book beach-facing pitches ahead. Spring and autumn are quieter and good for city day trips and blustery coastal walks. Winter is cold, grey and windy off the North Sea with short days, though a few coastal parks stay open for those who want a bracing off-season break. The haar sea fog can appear on summer mornings but usually clears by midday.

Yes. The coastal touring and club parks provide electric hook-up, usually on hardstanding at the club sites and on grass at the holiday parks. Old Hartley Caravan and Motorhome Club Site offers 16 amp electric hook-up hardstanding pitches along with a chemical disposal point, shop and laundry, while Lizard Lane and Whitley Bay Holiday Park have electric pitches too. Sixteen amp supply comfortably runs a fridge, lights, a kettle and a low heater, which you will want on breezy coastal evenings even in summer. Confirm hook-up when you book if you need a specific pitch type, as the best beach-facing spots go first.

The Angel of the North, Antony Gormley twenty-metre steel figure, stands beside the A1 at Gateshead and is free to visit. Newcastle Quayside gives you the famous bridges, the Baltic art gallery and the Sage music venue on the Gateshead bank. On the coast, Tynemouth Priory and Castle sit above a surf beach, St Mary's Lighthouse at Whitley Bay is a tidal-island landmark, and South Shields is worth the trip for its beaches and chip shops. With a coastal base and the Metro you can pack all of these into a few relaxed days without long drives or parking hassle.

St Mary's Lighthouse sits on a tidal island just north of Whitley Bay, reached by a short concrete causeway from the mainland. The catch is that the causeway floods at high tide, and people get caught out or stranded every season by not checking the times. Look up the tide tables before you set off, cross well before high water, and give yourself time to get back. At low tide you can walk out, climb the lighthouse and explore the rock pools around the island. It is one of the best free things to do on the coast, but respect the sea.

Generally yes, though it pays to check specifics. Most coastal caravan parks in Tyne and Wear are dog friendly, and the club sites welcome pets on a lead. Many of the beaches allow dogs, though some impose seasonal restrictions on the main bathing stretches between May and September, with dog-friendly sections nearby. The clifftop and coastal paths from Tynemouth to Whitley Bay are excellent for walks whatever the season. Bring waste bags, keep dogs under control near livestock on any inland walks, and confirm the individual park and beach rules when you book so there are no surprises on arrival.

No. On-street and car-park overnighting is not permitted in the built-up areas of Tyne and Wear, and the coastal car parks are for day use only. This is an urban and suburban county with no informal wild camping, so the reliable option is an official caravan park or club site with a proper chemical disposal point, electric hook-up and fresh water. That is no hardship here, since the coastal sites are good and sit right by the beaches and the Metro. Book ahead in summer and you have a comfortable, legal base without any of the friction of trying to overnight on the street.

Busy in July and August, when the beaches draw crowds and the club sites fill through the school holidays. The best beach-facing pitches at Old Hartley and the other coastal parks go early, so book well ahead for peak weeks. Outside the summer holidays it is far more relaxed, and midweek arrivals in spring and autumn usually find plenty of space. Because this is a compact county with a limited number of good coastal parks, there is less fallback than in a rural region, so we would not rely on turning up on spec during the summer peak. Plan ahead and you will pitch where you want.

Milder and drier than many expect, but breezy. The north-east sits in an eastern rain shadow, so it gets less rain than western Britain, and summer highs sit around a pleasant 19°C. The catch is the North Sea wind, which keeps the coast breezy year-round, so pitch with the wind in mind and peg down well. On summer mornings a haar, a coastal sea fog, can sit over the shore until it burns off around midday, so do not write off a grey start. Winters are cold and grey with the odd snow shower, and days are short.

Yes. The club and touring parks along the coast provide a chemical disposal point for the toilet cassette, a motorhome service point for grey and black water, and fresh-water taps for members and paying guests. Old Hartley Caravan and Motorhome Club Site, for example, has a chemical disposal point along with a shop and laundry. Since there is no informal overnighting in this urban county, plan to empty and refill on the site where you stay. Facilities are easy to reach here compared with remote parts of Britain, so servicing the van between legs is never a problem in Tyne and Wear.

Absolutely, and it makes a great start or finish. Tyne and Wear sits right on the A1 and A19, so heading north takes you quickly into the Northumberland coast and Northumberland National Park, with castles at Bamburgh and Alnwick and miles of empty beaches. South leads to Durham and the North York Moors. Many of us use a coastal Tyne and Wear site for a city-and-seaside break, then push north for the wilder Northumberland coast. The road links are excellent, so building this county into a longer north-east loop is easy and rewarding whichever direction you travel.

On the coast, every time. The best touring bases sit along the shore at Whitley Bay, Tynemouth and South Shields, which keeps you away from congested Newcastle and Gateshead while putting a beach on your doorstep. Old Hartley Caravan and Motorhome Club Site at Whitley Bay is our pick, a clifftop park overlooking St Mary's Lighthouse with electric hook-up hardstanding pitches. Lizard Lane at South Shields and Whitley Bay Holiday Park are strong alternatives. From any of them the Tyne and Wear Metro whisks you into Newcastle in about twenty minutes, so you get city and seaside without driving a big outfit through town.

We would not recommend it. Central Newcastle and Gateshead are congested with tight streets and some low bridges, and parking a large outfit is a genuine headache. The far better plan is to pitch on a coastal caravan park and use the Tyne and Wear Metro, which is fast, cheap and drops you right at the Quayside and the shops. Keep the van on the A1 and A19 bypasses when you arrive rather than routing through the city cores. The Tyne Tunnel does take motorhomes for a toll if you need to cross the river between the north and south banks.

Genuinely, yes, and it surprises visitors who expect only industry. Tynemouth Longsands is a Blue Flag surf beach below a clifftop priory, Whitley Bay has a long sweep of sand and the restored St Mary's Lighthouse, and South Shields offers Sandhaven and Marsden Bay with its dramatic rock stacks. The whole stretch is walkable on coastal paths, and because the north-east sits in an eastern rain shadow it is drier than much of Britain. The water is bracing off the North Sea, but for walks, surf, rock pools and fish and chips the coast here is a real highlight of a touring trip.

May to September gives the mildest, driest weather, with summer highs around 19°C and the north-east benefiting from an eastern rain shadow that keeps it drier than the west. That is also the busiest window on the coast, so book beach-facing pitches ahead. Spring and autumn are quieter and good for city day trips and blustery coastal walks. Winter is cold, grey and windy off the North Sea with short days, though a few coastal parks stay open for those who want a bracing off-season break. The haar sea fog can appear on summer mornings but usually clears by midday.

Yes. The coastal touring and club parks provide electric hook-up, usually on hardstanding at the club sites and on grass at the holiday parks. Old Hartley Caravan and Motorhome Club Site offers 16 amp electric hook-up hardstanding pitches along with a chemical disposal point, shop and laundry, while Lizard Lane and Whitley Bay Holiday Park have electric pitches too. Sixteen amp supply comfortably runs a fridge, lights, a kettle and a low heater, which you will want on breezy coastal evenings even in summer. Confirm hook-up when you book if you need a specific pitch type, as the best beach-facing spots go first.

The Angel of the North, Antony Gormley twenty-metre steel figure, stands beside the A1 at Gateshead and is free to visit. Newcastle Quayside gives you the famous bridges, the Baltic art gallery and the Sage music venue on the Gateshead bank. On the coast, Tynemouth Priory and Castle sit above a surf beach, St Mary's Lighthouse at Whitley Bay is a tidal-island landmark, and South Shields is worth the trip for its beaches and chip shops. With a coastal base and the Metro you can pack all of these into a few relaxed days without long drives or parking hassle.

St Mary's Lighthouse sits on a tidal island just north of Whitley Bay, reached by a short concrete causeway from the mainland. The catch is that the causeway floods at high tide, and people get caught out or stranded every season by not checking the times. Look up the tide tables before you set off, cross well before high water, and give yourself time to get back. At low tide you can walk out, climb the lighthouse and explore the rock pools around the island. It is one of the best free things to do on the coast, but respect the sea.

Generally yes, though it pays to check specifics. Most coastal caravan parks in Tyne and Wear are dog friendly, and the club sites welcome pets on a lead. Many of the beaches allow dogs, though some impose seasonal restrictions on the main bathing stretches between May and September, with dog-friendly sections nearby. The clifftop and coastal paths from Tynemouth to Whitley Bay are excellent for walks whatever the season. Bring waste bags, keep dogs under control near livestock on any inland walks, and confirm the individual park and beach rules when you book so there are no surprises on arrival.

No. On-street and car-park overnighting is not permitted in the built-up areas of Tyne and Wear, and the coastal car parks are for day use only. This is an urban and suburban county with no informal wild camping, so the reliable option is an official caravan park or club site with a proper chemical disposal point, electric hook-up and fresh water. That is no hardship here, since the coastal sites are good and sit right by the beaches and the Metro. Book ahead in summer and you have a comfortable, legal base without any of the friction of trying to overnight on the street.

Busy in July and August, when the beaches draw crowds and the club sites fill through the school holidays. The best beach-facing pitches at Old Hartley and the other coastal parks go early, so book well ahead for peak weeks. Outside the summer holidays it is far more relaxed, and midweek arrivals in spring and autumn usually find plenty of space. Because this is a compact county with a limited number of good coastal parks, there is less fallback than in a rural region, so we would not rely on turning up on spec during the summer peak. Plan ahead and you will pitch where you want.

Milder and drier than many expect, but breezy. The north-east sits in an eastern rain shadow, so it gets less rain than western Britain, and summer highs sit around a pleasant 19°C. The catch is the North Sea wind, which keeps the coast breezy year-round, so pitch with the wind in mind and peg down well. On summer mornings a haar, a coastal sea fog, can sit over the shore until it burns off around midday, so do not write off a grey start. Winters are cold and grey with the odd snow shower, and days are short.

Yes. The club and touring parks along the coast provide a chemical disposal point for the toilet cassette, a motorhome service point for grey and black water, and fresh-water taps for members and paying guests. Old Hartley Caravan and Motorhome Club Site, for example, has a chemical disposal point along with a shop and laundry. Since there is no informal overnighting in this urban county, plan to empty and refill on the site where you stay. Facilities are easy to reach here compared with remote parts of Britain, so servicing the van between legs is never a problem in Tyne and Wear.

Absolutely, and it makes a great start or finish. Tyne and Wear sits right on the A1 and A19, so heading north takes you quickly into the Northumberland coast and Northumberland National Park, with castles at Bamburgh and Alnwick and miles of empty beaches. South leads to Durham and the North York Moors. Many of us use a coastal Tyne and Wear site for a city-and-seaside break, then push north for the wilder Northumberland coast. The road links are excellent, so building this county into a longer north-east loop is easy and rewarding whichever direction you travel.