Best Parks and Green Spaces in South Shields

For a town best known for its beaches, South Shields is remarkably green. A chain of Victorian seaside parks runs along the coast, a scattering of Green Flag parks sit in the residential streets inland, and above the shore the National Trust looks after miles of open clifftop. Whether you want a boating lake, a bandstand concert, a bowling green or a bracing cliff walk, there is a park here to suit. Here are the best green spaces in South Shields.

South Marine Park

South Marine Park is the jewel of the town's green spaces. Laid out in the 1890s on reclaimed land, it wraps around a large boating lake where you can hire pedalos and rowing boats in summer. The much-loved Lakeshore Railroad, a miniature steam railway that has run since 1972, circles the water, and there are two play areas, landscaped gardens and a Victorian bandstand that still hosts live music. It sits just back from the seafront, so a visit combines easily with the beach and Ocean Road.

For the full picture, including boat hire and the railway timetable, see our South Marine Park guide.

Best for: Best for a classic seaside park day: boating lake, miniature steam railway and play areas, all free to enter and right by the beach.

North Marine Park

Just across the road, North Marine Park is the quieter, more formal sibling. Set on a headland above the mouth of the Tyne, it has manicured flower beds, a bowling green, a small Japanese-style garden and a children's play area, with fine views out over the river and the piers. It is a lovely spot for a gentle stroll and a sit-down, and pairs naturally with a walk out along the Lawe Top to Arbeia Roman Fort.

Best for: Best for peace and a view: formal gardens and a bowling green on the headland above the river mouth.

Bents Park

Bents Park is the town's big open events space, a broad sweep of grass on the seafront south of the Marine Parks. When it is not hosting a festival it is a fine place for a picnic, a kickabout or a lie in the sun. In summer it comes alive as the home of the This Is South Tyneside Festival, whose free Sunday Concerts draw huge crowds to the seafront for chart-topping and local acts. The 2026 series opened with Joe McElderry in July.

Best for: Best for events and wide open space: the seafront home of the free South Tyneside Festival Sunday Concerts.

West Park

Inland on Stanhope Road, West Park is a well-kept community park and a Green Flag Award winner. It has a bandstand, bowling greens, tennis courts, a multi-use games area, pavilions and a play area, making it a favourite with families and clubs alike. As one of the larger neighbourhood parks it gets plenty of everyday use for sport, dog walking and after-school play.

Best for: Best for sport and everyday family visits: tennis courts, a games area and a play park close to the town centre.

Readhead Park

Readhead Park on Sunderland Road was given to the town by shipbuilder Robert Readhead in 1921 and remains a much-loved local green space, holding its own Green Flag Award. It offers a bowling green, tennis courts, a pavilion and a play area, set among mature trees. It is a peaceful, traditional park that rewards a slow wander as much as an active visit.

Best for: Best for a traditional stroll: a well-tended Green Flag park with bowling, tennis and mature trees.

The Leas

For open space on a grand scale, head for The Leas. This two-and-a-half-mile stretch of magnesian limestone cliffs, rocky bays and coastal grassland runs south from the town and is cared for by the National Trust. The clifftop paths take in Marsden Rock and the seabird colonies of Marsden Bay, where kittiwakes, cormorants and fulmars nest, and the wildflower meadows come into their own in summer. Parking and a café are available at Souter Lighthouse at the southern end, and the England Coast Path threads through, so you can walk as far as your legs allow.

Best for: Best for big skies and a proper walk: miles of free clifftop grassland and seabird cliffs above the sea.

Making the most of them

Most of South Shields' parks are free, open all year and easy to reach on foot, by bus or by Metro. The coastal parks work brilliantly as one long day out, linking the Marine Parks, Bents Park and the seafront in a single stroll, while West Park and Readhead Park are handy neighbourhood escapes closer to home.

Have we missed a favourite green space, or spotted something that needs updating? Get in touch and let us know.