Seaham Town Park

The walk down to Seaham Town Park catches you off guard. You're in a former colliery area near Peterlee, expecting industrial heritage and terraced streets, and suddenly there's this proper slice of the Durham coast laid out below - cliffs, grassland, and a genuine nature reserve that feels a world away from the housing estates at the top.

It's a modest affair, honestly. Not one of those sprawling country estates with visitor centres and tea rooms. What you get is open grassland rolling toward the cliffs, with paths that take you down to the rocky shore and a good vantage point across the North Sea. The geology's the real draw here - the cliffs expose layers of coal and shale that tell you exactly why this place was carved up for mining. Birdwatchers come for the breeding colonies in spring and summer, and it's genuinely worth timing a visit for that if you've got binoculars.

Allow an hour, maybe ninety minutes if you're taking photos or lingering on the cliff path. The ground can be boggy after rain - proper waterproof boots job. No admission charge as far as I can tell, and nothing on site to buy, so come prepared.

If you're bunking down at The Barn at Easington just down the road, this is a decent morning walk. It won't keep families with young kids entertained for long, but for a proper stretch of legs and a bit of coastal air after a few days at the holiday park, it does the job. Best in late spring when the cliffs are alive with nesting birds.