Durham Heritage Coast

Seaham

Start your coastal journey in this quietly compelling town — known for its sea glass beach, working harbour and a growing creative scene. The cliffs here signal the beginning of a coast unlike any other in England.

Blast Beach

One of the Durham coast's most striking and photographed locations. Once blackened by colliery waste, this rugged beach is slowly returning to nature — its dark geology and dramatic cliffs a raw reminder of the region's industrial story.

Noses Point Nature Reserve

A clifftop wildlife reserve perched above the North Sea. Seabirds wheel below, the views stretch south toward Yorkshire, and the coastal path here feels like genuine edge-of-England wildness.

Hawthorn Dene

A secluded ancient woodland valley that runs all the way down to a hidden beach — one of the coast's best-kept secrets. The dene is a National Nature Reserve, rich with spring flowers, seasonal wildlife and the dramatic silence of a place few tourists find.

Easington Colliery

Once one of County Durham's most productive collieries, Easington closed in 1993. Stand on the clifftop and look out — this is where the coal met the sea, and where a community's story is written into the land.

Crimdon Dene

The southern end of the Durham Heritage Coast — wide dunes, a sweeping beach and one of the quietest stretches of north-east coastline. Perfect for sunset walks, slow afternoons and the feeling that you've earned the view.