A bay to take your breath away
This sleepy, coastal town is known for the idyllic beach that makes for excellent evening strolls, striking sunrises that will take your breath away and the myriad of marine life that regularly graces Newbiggin Bay with its presence.
The once vital port for shipping grain and ex-coal mining town is now a small fishing port, and Newbiggin Maritime Centre is its hub. As early as 1828, Newbiggin was a popular beach resort, with facilities to cater for visitors. The town had five public houses, one of which had a spa-like array of bathing facilities, several shops and lodging houses.
The Newbiggin Maritime Centre, where you can learn more about the town's history, culture, and heritage with its very own museum featuring the ‘Girl Anne' fishing coble, community gallery, and Newbiggin's last all weather lifeboat. The lifeboat station is the oldest operational boathouse in the British Isles. The centre has a sea view cafe, Seashore Shop and three gallery museums, this fantastic visitor attraction offers an array of events, including an annual Kite Festival, live music gigs and film showings.
The illustrious history and changing fortunes of the town are explained in the Heritage Centre located at the end of the beach. Away from the beach, the main focus of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea is the 'piazza' area and the High Street immediately behind it.
If you are a budding athlete or just simply a fan of sports, the town also hosts a bi-yearly triathlon, as well as has a leisure centre and skate park for the kids.
Enjoy a short stroll along the sheltered promenade with scenic views of the bay. Don’t miss the dolphins that are regularly spotted from Newbiggin Bay, as well as whales, porpoises, seals, otters and other wildlife. Artist Sean Henry’s sculpture ‘Couple’ has become an iconic quirk to Newbiggin’s coast, as the pair look out from Church Point towards the North Sea and are extremely photogenic against their stunning sunset backdrop. Beach wheelchairs are available to hire here and accessible ramps lead onto Newbiggin’s sands.
Newbiggin’s seafront location means that holiday parks, self-catering cottages on the coast and B&Bs by the beach are never far away, offering cosy rooms to kick back in during your seaside stay.