📌 Town in Tyne & Wear
★
With a population of around 75,000, South Shields is one of the largest settlements in the Tyneside conglomeration. Arbeia is its original, second century name, and the namesake Roman fort can still be visited. Later, the town developed around fishing (since the 13th century), heavy industry and mining (19th century), but decline of all of these in addition to heavy World War bombing have resulted in a patchwork of old and new buildings that couldn’t really be described as pretty. Nevertheless, the long list of local attractions gives ample reason to visit South Shields. Navigation is easy: almost all the points of interest (except for the Roman fort) lie on a mile-long thoroughfare with the Shields Ferry at one end and Ocean Beach Pleasure Park at the other, with the slightly dilapidated town centre in between. Walking this route feels like a bit of a pilgrimage, following in the footsteps of decades of Tynesiders alighting from the metro, bound for the superb beaches. Shopping seemed to be on the decline on our 2023 visit, but restaurants surely aren’t; there most be over a hundred on Ocean Road alone.
🌍 Location
📌 Tyne & Wear
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NZ 363672
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 54.998332,-1.434222
🚶 Most of the attractions are close to the King Street / Ocean Road axis, which stretches just over a mile between the Shields Ferry and the beaches.
🚇🚌🚢 South Shields is the terminus for one of the Newcastle metro lines, integrated with a major bus station. Bus routes serve Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham and most other Tyne & Wear towns south of the River Tyne. Don’t forget the ferry shuttling passengers across the River Tyne from North Shields.
🚗 Parking is chargeable in the town centre and along the beach strip, but largely free in between the two.
Explore nearby
<1 mi away
>> Arbeia Roman Fort ★★★
>> Littlehaven Beach ★★★
>> Sandhaven Beach ★★★★
>> South Marine Park ★★
>> South Shields Musuem & Gallery (not yet featured)
>> The Word, National Centre for the Written Word (not yet featured)
