Parks & Gardens...

This area boasts some fantastic parks and gardens whether you are looking for wide open green spaces for playing, picturesque areas for walking or somewhere to see unusual plants. Browse using the box on the right or check out some of our favourites below.

South Shields seafront parks are the perfect spot for a gentle walk. South Marine Park with its boating lake, miniature steam railway, play area and an amazing gathering of swans and ducks is great for families whilst nearby North Marine Park is the perfect setting for pitch and putt, watching a game of bowls or just to enjoy a gentle stroll and take in the lovely coastal views.
Bents Park provides a large open space for informal summer activities and games at the heart of South Shields seafront. During the summer months the park provides a lovely open air setting for the South Tyneside Summer Festival concerts and is popular with families enjoying the free music and entertainment.

The Derwent Walk Country Park is a mixture of natural woodlands, meadows, wetlands, riverside and reclaimed industrial sites all linked by the Derwent Walk, the track-bed of the old Derwent Valley Railway. The Derwent Walk is 11 miles long and follows the Derwent Valley between Swalwell in the north and Consett in the south. (See also the Red Kite Safari)
Cared for by the National Trust, 18th Century Gibside is one of the North's finest landscapes, with a Georgian forest garden and many walks through woodland and along the riverside. There are several outstanding buildings including the Palladian Chapel and the newly conserved stables. Gibside has a full programme of events all year round.

There are a number of parks in the largely urban area of North Tyneside providing a peaceful and green escape to residents and visitors alike. The Rising Sun Country Park is a 400-acre natural green oasis set in the heart of North Tyneside, it boasts an Organic Farm, Nature Reserve, Countryside Centre, numerous ponds, woodlands
and extensive areas of grassland.

It's only a mile outside of Newcastle city centre, but the peace and tranquility on offer at the beautiful haven which is Jesmond Dene will have you thinking that you are slap bang in the middle of the countryside. This wooded valley was given to the city in 1883 by Tyneside industrialist Sir William Armstrong and now provides a wildlife corridor near to the centre of Newcastle.

It's out and about in the great outdoors where Sunderland really comes into its own, you can fill your lungs with fresh air at one of Sunderland's two country parks, Herrington and Hetton Lyons, and there's a wealth of interesting wildlife habitats to visit, including the wetland nature reserve at Joe's Pond and the Washington Wetland's Centre -where unusual and beautiful birds overwinter and breed.

Rebuilt on the site of the original Victorian glass houses in Sunderland Winter Gardens is a tropical rainforest flourishing with palms, tree ferns, bananas and citrus trees all housed in a stainless steel and glass rotunda. Overhead, a treetop walkway gives a birds-eye view of the lush canopy of foliage, complete with a 30ft water feature and individual micro climates.

One of the oldest municipal parks in the North East, Sunderland's Mowbray Park is a green oasis in the heart of the city. Now restored to its former Victorian splendour, the park features an unusual blend of historic and modern features, including an ornamental lake and a children's play area. An intriguing array of artworks celebrate the city's connection with Lewis Carroll, who wrote his famous poem Jabberwocky whilst staying in the city.

Birkhead Secret Garden & Nursery has three acres of themed garden includes formal topiary, herbaceous borders, gravel garden, Bowes Railway garden, wild flower meadow, wildlife pond, meditation garden, winter garden and beachcombers garden. All designed by Christine Liddle as a visitor attraction with magnificent views over open countryside in Gateshead.

When Gateshead's Saltwell Park was first opened to the public in 1876, it was known as The People's Park and was designed to give the impression that it stretched as far as the eye could see. Today, after a huge amount of renovation work it has been restored to its former 19th-century splendour and indeed claimed several prestigious awards.