Transport

Seafront Active Travel Route Approved, Linking Our Coast to Blyth

A segregated walking, wheeling and cycling route along the coast north from Whitley Bay to Blyth has been approved, despite its cost rising from £9.7m to £13.5m.

Tynemouth.live·13 July 2026

Anyone who walks or cycles the seafront north from Whitley Bay knows how the smooth, protected paths of the North Tyneside coast give way to busier, less forgiving roads once you cross into Northumberland. That gap is now set to close.

Northumberland County Council's cabinet has approved the A193 Seafront Active Travel Scheme, a segregated corridor for walking, wheeling and cycling running along the coast between Old Hartley, just north of Whitley Bay, and Kingsway in Blyth. Crucially for people here, it is designed to join up with North Tyneside's existing Sustainable Seafront route, extending the traffic-free coastal path most of us already use further up the coast.

The scheme will provide dedicated space away from traffic, along with improved crossing points and new bus stops. To the north it will connect towards Blyth town centre, meaning that in time a continuous, protected route will run the length of the coast from our own seafront up into south-east Northumberland.

Best for:

The A193 route links directly to North Tyneside's Sustainable Seafront Scheme, so a family setting off from the Tynemouth or Whitley Bay promenade will eventually be able to reach Blyth without sharing the road with coastal traffic.

The approval came despite the cost rising sharply. The scheme was initially expected to cost £9.7m but has now climbed to £13.5m, which the council attributes to updated construction cost assumptions in line with current market conditions and to additional detailed design work. Most of the funding comes from the North East Strategic Mayoral Authority, with a smaller contribution from the county council, and cabinet members agreed unanimously to accept the extra money.

"This is a big investment in that part of the county," the council's deputy leader told the cabinet meeting, noting that the bulk of the funding had been won from the combined authority and matched by a modest local contribution.

For people living along the North Tyneside coast, the appeal is straightforward: safer, unbroken routes for walking and cycling that connect our seafront towns to their neighbours, and an easier, more pleasant way to travel the coast without a car.

You can read more about the scheme and its rising cost in the Northumberland Gazette.

Have a story? Get in touch.