Wallsend Library

Wallsend Library sits in the heart of a former shipbuilding town, and while it won't set your pulse racing like some attractions, it's genuinely worth popping into if you're staying at Parkdean Resorts Whitley Bay Holiday Park nearby. The building itself is a proper community hub - local information, decent children's section if you've got little ones getting cabin fever, and the kind of staff who actually know the area.

What makes it useful during a park holiday is the exhibition space, which often features local history bits about the shipyards that once dominated this stretch of the Tyne. It's the sort of thing that clicks into place when you're walking along the riverfront and wondering what all those Victorian buildings used to be. You can usually work your way through everything in about 45 minutes, maybe longer if local displays have caught your interest.

It's free to browse and borrow, though you'll need to register if you want books. Go mid-morning on a weekday if you want a quieter experience. During school holidays it gets busier, especially the children's area. From Whitley Bay, it's a short drive inland - not worth making a special trip, but definitely worth the detour when you're exploring the wider area around the coast.