National Trust - Souter Lighthouse and The Leas - Sunderland

Lisa Golden

We stayed in one of the cottages here and had a great time. The lighthouse is interesting and the cottage was really comfortable. The views are amazing and we loved the walks along the coast - ever changing scenery depending on the weather and the time of day.
There is a small cafe on site which did lively cakes.

Hetty Croke

Staff were fantastic and very knowledgeable! Would not recommend the climb to the top of the lighthouse if you have any sort of mobility issues and the steps are shallow and the final climb requires some level of dexterity. The video on the ground floor is fantastic for those unable to navigate the stairs. Second hand book shop very cosy but prices slightly higher than I'd usually pay for a second hand book but as money goes towards the national trust I was happy to pay on this occasion. The surrounding area is beautiful to walk around and look out over the coast!

Fırat Ozman

The first lighthouse to use electricity. The surroundings are beautiful, there are walking paths. There are toilets and a cafe. There are beautiful areas around it where you can have a picnic. There is a parking lot at the bottom. They allow you to climb the tower. You can see the giant lamp up close.

Josephine Buckley

We visited on what turned out to be a really sunny day! It was meant to be overcast. The car park is big and a good price. We put 4 hours on for 4.50 as we're not national trust members. The lighthouse is beautiful and the gardens are very well kept and a lovely place to see individually. We visited the cafe for ice cream which was so good, lots of flavours. The ladies in the cafe were very friendly and it was reasonably priced. We didn't go in the lighthouse as we have 2 dogs and didn't want to wait outside, but we walked round the grounds and took lots of lovely pictures. There's loads of benches, smaller fenced seating areas and well kept picnic benches. At the bottom the gate leads onto the coastal walk which was beautiful with long grass and wildflowers. We walked along and to the beach, which I think is also national trust? It allowed dogs so we went down. The beach is pebbly and we made our way down off the top pebbly part. Lots of baby seagulls and nesting sites were a privilege to see. Dog friendly beach with lots of interesting little caves and rock pools. We walked to the next steps and walked back up and made our way back. The lighthouse was honestly beautiful, we got some stunning pictures & with the weather holding up it was a beautiful day. I can imagine it can be quite chilly on a windy / overcast day but both equally as stunning.

Martin

An interesting site much enhanced by the passionate and knowledgeable guides. A personal tour. The final climb to the light itself is optional as its quite steep. Nice cafe at the end. Clifftop walks if you want them. Pay parking.

Jemma Curran

We used the Souter Lighthouse as our camping spot for The Great North Run. Was a half-hour walk away from the finish line. The weather wasn't great (at times). Didn't go exploring. Would be a nice little trip if you're more local.

Katja Friedrich

Es war so ein tolles Erlebnis. Oben auf dem Turm war so ein netter Mann der mir alles erklärt hat. Ich durfte sogar das Licht und den Motor einschalten. Super Interessant und super tolle Aussicht. Danke nochmal für das nette Gespräch. Leider habe ich sie nicht nach dem Namen gefragt.

David McClinton

Really worth a visit. Unsure whether the playground has been removed, couldn’t find it

Careful climbing the stairs and then ladder for the best views.

As always national trust guides very helpful!