Tyne & Wear
Tyne and Wear is home to The Angel of the North, a contemporary sculpture, designed by Antony Gormley, which stands on a hill on the southern edge of Gateshead, overlooking the A1 and the East Coast Main Line rail route. The steel sculpture is 20 metres (66 ft) tall, with wings measuring 54 metres (177 ft) across. This giant angel is an image that people often think of when Tyne and Wear is mentioned.
This metropolitan county is made up of five metropolitan boroughs: South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead and Sunderland, and is boarded on the east by the North Sea. It also has borders with Northumberland to the north and County Durham to the south.
The coastal regions are stunning locations for leisure activities, walks and views although they were once industrious and still show remnants of their industrial past.
You’ll find inspiration from sculptures and information plaques along the coastal path. Marsden Cliffs have an impressive cave bar and restaurant, Marsden Grotto – The Cave Bar in The Cliff Situated in South Shields.
The coastal path holds lots of opportunities for discovering more about the county and its heritage, from the tops of the cliffs or beachcombing walks where you can look for sea glass. The North East Coast had its fair share of glass factories where bottles were blown and produced by the millions. Useless and spent glass was dumped into the sea at the end of each day, and now the smooth and sea battered pieces are little gems thrown up all along the beaches.
Tyne and Wear has lots of activities to offer, from walking, to places to eat and drink, as well as city sights and history to discover. We hope our pages help guide you to some interesting places to visit.
