Why Whitley Bay is my Ultimate Seaside Destination

A few weeks ago, feeling slightly hyper following the reopening of Spanish City, I announced to my followers on Twitter that Whitley Bay is THE ultimate seaside destination and someone replied

"I like Whitley Bay as much as the next man but I don't think I'd call it the "ultimate seaside destination"

.... which prompted me to write this blog post!

I have so much love for Whitely Bay and it really has become my special place, it's where we head when we have visitors, the place we go when we need some fresh air, our "go to" for delicious food and, most recently, was the only place I wanted to be after the death of my Grandma. Whitley Bay is good for my head, heart and soul and today I just had to share some of the reasons why I love it so much.

Di Meos

I think we all knew this was coming! Everyone knows how obsessed I am with the ice-cream at Di Meos, I honestly have to stop myself driving to Whitley Bay every night of the week for a cone. The flavours are so rich, the mixture is so creamy and I think it's safe to say that we have now tried every single flavour on the counter. There are many fantastic ice-cream parlours in the North East, but Di Meos in Whitley Bay will always have our heart.

Rendezvous Cafe

I love the history around the Rendezvous Cafe on Whitley Bay's Promenade, I love to imagine that couples who first began their courting over ice-cream sundaes in the 1930s now take their children and grandkids to the parlour to tuck into the classic desserts that they enjoyed many years before. It is such a stunning and iconic building and walking through the doors is a lovely little glimpse at Whitley Bay's past.

St Mary's Lighthouse

St Mary's Lighthouse was one of the first dates Simon and I ever went on so it'll always be somewhere very special to us. I may be biased, but I believe climbing St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay is something that everyone should do. The views are just spectacular! To me the lighthouse is iconic, it can be seen for miles, features in just about every seaside photograph that I take and makes Whitley Bay just that little bit more beautiful.

Beautiful Empty Beaches

Whenever the UK has a heatwave I have a little chuckle to myself when I see the photos in the paper of Brighton beach packed out with sun worshippers covering every last inch of the sand. Here in North Tyneside our beaches are award winning yet you will always find a space to park your bum even on a hot and sunny day. We have miles and miles of beautiful beaches and the sands at Whitley Bay are pretty empty compared to other British seaside resorts.

Spanish City

Restored and ready to be loved by a new generation of Whitley Bay residents, Spanish City once again stands proud over the seafront and has made the seaside town look glorious once again. The Taj Mahal of Whitley Bay offers the most beautiful views of the coastline (with a glass of prosecco in your hand of course!) and has brought loads of new restaurants to the seafront.

Local food

The foodie scene in Whitley Bay is out of this world and if you haven't tried any of the local spots yet you are truly missing out. There are so many independent restaurants, cafes and coffee shops to try all offering the most fantastic dishes and run by hardworking, extremely talented local people.  If I lived in Whitley Bay I'm convinced I'd eat out for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day!

Rockpooling

I used to love playing in rock pools when I was a youngster and whenever I visit Whitley Bay it makes me smile to see families carefully balancing on the rocks with buckets full of creatures. The Bay is a prime spot for rock pooling with plenty to explore and discover and, if you're very lucky, you'll even get to see seals on the rocks by St Mary's Lighthouse.

Those are just some of the reasons why I think Whitley Bay is the ultimate seaside destination but I'd love to hear some of your ideas, or if you think somewhere else deserves the crown!