Wallsend / North Shields
Rising Sun Country Park · Photo: Antonia
Three free stops with free or cheap parking: a big country park on reclaimed colliery land with a community farm and sand-and-water play, a wooded Victorian dene with a pump track, and a little sheltered beach to finish. Pack a picnic or use the park cafes.
Park · 10:00–12:30 (2h30m)
Community farm, adventure play with sand and water, and easy paths; picnic or cafe lunch.
A big country park on reclaimed colliery land with a community farm, an adventure play area with sand and water play, bird hides and a network of easy paths. Free parking and a cafe make it a solid free half day.
Photo: Antonia
Park · 12:50–14:00 (1h10m)
Pond, play area and sculpture trail in the wooded dene.
A Victorian wooded dene park between North Shields and Tynemouth with a pond, play area, BMX pump track, sculpture trail, a pet cemetery and a tea room. A free run-around stop before or after the beach.
Photo: Alex Kinney
Nature & gardens · 14:10–16:30 (2h20m)
Sandcastles and rock pools in the small bay between two piers.
A small horseshoe-shaped sandy bay between two piers, with rock pools at either side and cafes and chippies just above. Sheltered and compact, it suits little ones better than the bigger beaches nearby.
Photo: Les Hull
North EastNewcastle city centre (Haymarket)
Three free stops within a mile of each other: a natural history museum with a T. rex and Egyptian mummies, Newcastle's oldest park for a picnic and a run-around by the lake, then the city's science and industry museum. It works in drizzle because two of the three stops are indoors.
The Great North Museum → Leazes Park → Discovery Museum
North EastRowlands Gill (Gateshead)
A free green day on Gateshead's western edge: a flat old railway path along the Derwent for scooters and buggies, a picnic deep in a big Forestry England wood, then the ruins of a medieval castle above the Tyne at Prudhoe. Good for families who want fresh air without paying entry fees.
Derwent Walk Country Park → Chopwell Wood → Prudhoe Castle
North EastSunderland (Roker)
A bracing walk out along Roker Pier, a long play on Sunderland's main family beach, then into the city for a restored Victorian park with a big adventure playground. End inside a medieval gatehouse castle that is free to visit on a booked slot.
Roker Pier and Lighthouse → Seaburn Beach → Mowbray Park → Hylton Castle
