The Durham Heritage Coast: A Visitor's Guide

Ask most people in the south of England to name a beautiful stretch of coastline and you will hear the same answers — Cornwall, Dorset, the Jurassic Coast. Ask someone who has walked the Durham Heritage Coast and they will tell you quietly, with the satisfaction of someone sharing something underappreciated, that it is as good as any of them.

What Makes It Special

The Durham Heritage Coast runs for approximately eleven miles between Seaham in the north and Crimdon in the south. It is characterised by dramatic magnesian limestone cliffs, some rising to over thirty metres, and a series of small denes — ancient wooded valleys carved by streams that run down to the sea. The contrast between the wild clifftop grassland, rich with wildflowers in summer, and the dark geological strata of the cliff faces is unlike anything else on the North East coast.

What makes the story of this coastline even more remarkable is what it used to be. For much of the twentieth century, colliery waste was dumped directly onto the beaches here — the so-called 'black beaches' of County Durham were a byword for industrial despoliation. Since the last pit closed and a major restoration project began, the cliffs and beaches have been transformed back into a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Nature reclaimed the coast with extraordinary speed, and today it is genuinely breathtaking.

The Walk from Seaham to Horden

The best way to experience the Heritage Coast is on foot. The clifftop path between Seaham and Horden — roughly seven miles — is one of the finest coastal walks in the North East. The path is well maintained and clearly marked, and on a clear day you can see north to Sunderland and south towards the headlands of Cleveland and, on rare days, the Yorkshire coast beyond.

Seaham itself is worth spending time in. The harbour, built by the third Marquess of Londonderry in the 1820s, is still a working port and has a rugged, authentic character that perfectly suits the landscape. Byron married Annabella Milbanke at Seaham Hall, a few minutes inland, in 1815 — the hall is now an acclaimed spa hotel if you fancy a post-walk treat.

Hawthorn Dene

Of the denes that cut down through the cliffs to the sea, Hawthorn Dene is the most celebrated. A National Nature Reserve, it is one of the best remaining examples of magnesian limestone ash woodland in Britain. In spring it is carpeted with wild garlic and bluebells, and the walk down through the dene to the small beach below is genuinely magical. Park at the village of Hawthorn and follow the signed path.

Getting There from Sunderland City Stays

The Heritage Coast is easily accessible from Sunderland City Stays. Seaham is just fifteen minutes by car via the A19. For those who prefer not to drive, the X18 bus from Sunderland city centre stops at Seaham and runs regularly throughout the day. The coastline is most beautiful in the long evenings of late spring and early summer, when the clifftop wildflowers are at their peak and the light on the water is extraordinary.