Whitley Bay - when did it change?
Discussion
On my travels around Newcastle this weekend I went to Whitley Bay to have a look around, last went there on a stag night about 20 yrs ago. I see now that it has completely changed and is no longer the hen/stag capital of the north.
I learnt that due to the ongoing problems with drunks/fights etc the authorities gradually took the licences off the pubs & bars, closing them down. Where they once stood are now flats and hotels. The big white building o the front has been redeveloped and looks smart, and there's a few nice looking restaurants on the front, but otherwise not a lot there.
For a Saturday night it was like a ghost town, when it was once a riotous drunken urine soaked bonanza. Where once there would have been the Wayne's, Trevors, Sandra's and Tracey's staggering around drunk and urinating in the street, with a few parked up police vans, now there is nothing.
I can't figure out who it caters for now. So what kind of people does it now attract? Is it holidaymakers, tourists passing through or just folk living near by visiting for a restaurant meal?
I learnt that due to the ongoing problems with drunks/fights etc the authorities gradually took the licences off the pubs & bars, closing them down. Where they once stood are now flats and hotels. The big white building o the front has been redeveloped and looks smart, and there's a few nice looking restaurants on the front, but otherwise not a lot there.
For a Saturday night it was like a ghost town, when it was once a riotous drunken urine soaked bonanza. Where once there would have been the Wayne's, Trevors, Sandra's and Tracey's staggering around drunk and urinating in the street, with a few parked up police vans, now there is nothing.
I can't figure out who it caters for now. So what kind of people does it now attract? Is it holidaymakers, tourists passing through or just folk living near by visiting for a restaurant meal?
Edited by LeadFarmer on Sunday 27th November 17:27
Whitley Bay went through a rough patch a few years ago where there were lots of empty abandoned buildings - it was horrible & quite an embarrassment to be honest.
The local authority wouldn’t invest.
Eventually & gradually the town has had a bit of a makeover with the Spanish City being the white building you mention being the main beneficiary. That consists mainly of restaurants & cafes. It seems to have gone a bit more upmarket thankfully.
Tynemouth is the main draw at the coast now with North Shields Fish Quay also having a good few bars & restaurants.
As a “Trevor”, I’ve never been known to stagger around drunk willingly!
Many many moons ago, my mates & I used to go to The Sands nightclub near the old bus station in Whitley Bay on the odd Saturday night - I absolutely hated it! It was a dump of a place & when you came out, you were greeted with the smell of burning rubber hotdogs from the street vendor. That’s actually traumatised me thinking about the place - I may need to seek counselling 😂😂
The local authority wouldn’t invest.
Eventually & gradually the town has had a bit of a makeover with the Spanish City being the white building you mention being the main beneficiary. That consists mainly of restaurants & cafes. It seems to have gone a bit more upmarket thankfully.
Tynemouth is the main draw at the coast now with North Shields Fish Quay also having a good few bars & restaurants.
As a “Trevor”, I’ve never been known to stagger around drunk willingly!
Many many moons ago, my mates & I used to go to The Sands nightclub near the old bus station in Whitley Bay on the odd Saturday night - I absolutely hated it! It was a dump of a place & when you came out, you were greeted with the smell of burning rubber hotdogs from the street vendor. That’s actually traumatised me thinking about the place - I may need to seek counselling 😂😂
Boxster5 said:
As a “Trevor”, I’ve never been known to stagger around drunk willingly!
So you had to do it unwillingly? 
Thanks for the explanation. Maybe if the police & council did start closing a few pubs down, perhaps the few that remained wouldn’t have been enough to draw the crowds anymore, with the remainder going bust?
It does now seem a nicer place than I remember it, but who goes there now? Just locals for the restaurants? The Turkish and the Indian restaurants did look very busy early evening, but by night time they were empty.
Edited by LeadFarmer on Sunday 27th November 17:58
I remember watching an episode of Location Location Location. A young family looking to settle down and expand their family were looking there and Kirsty was explaining how it was a good family stay.
I guess it is now catering for young families.
I must go some time and have a look for myself.
I guess it is now catering for young families.
I must go some time and have a look for myself.
I’ve been a few times over the passed few years on the way up to Northumberland. My youngest always wants an ice cream from one of the shops there. Ice cream and a walk along the sea front.
I agree though, it there’s not much there now, when I was a kid in the 80’s the Spanish City was quality, dodgems, corkscrew, etc. Me and my brother would go on the rides and my Gran would be on the prize bingo. Bag of chips then the Metro back to my Grans house in Felling.
I agree though, it there’s not much there now, when I was a kid in the 80’s the Spanish City was quality, dodgems, corkscrew, etc. Me and my brother would go on the rides and my Gran would be on the prize bingo. Bag of chips then the Metro back to my Grans house in Felling.
LeadFarmer said:
Boxster5 said:
As a “Trevor”, I’ve never been known to stagger around drunk willingly!
So you had to do it unwillingly? Thanks for the explanation. Maybe if the police & council did start closing a few pubs down, perhaps the few that remained wouldn’t have been enough to draw the crowds anymore, with the remainder going bust?
It does now seem a nicer place than I remember it, but who goes there now? Just locals for the restaurants? The Turkish and the Indian restaurants did look very busy early evening, but by night time they were empty.
Edited by LeadFarmer on Sunday 27th November 17:58
As you say the Indian & Turkish restaurants look good although we’ve never tried them.
Some of the soul has gone but it’s a nice place for a day trip - we sometimes take our dogs for a walk there.
Alorotom said:
Wrong time of year for a start.
Whitley Bay / Tynemouth etc. are all about Summer weekends and Bank holiday weekends and always have been (certainly the last 30odd years)
But my point is there are now no pubs there for the stag/hen do's to visit regardless of time of year.Whitley Bay / Tynemouth etc. are all about Summer weekends and Bank holiday weekends and always have been (certainly the last 30odd years)
Boxster5 said:
Whitley Bay went through a rough patch a few years ago where there were lots of empty abandoned buildings - it was horrible & quite an embarrassment to be honest.
The local authority wouldn’t invest.
Eventually & gradually the town has had a bit of a makeover with the Spanish City being the white building you mention being the main beneficiary. That consists mainly of restaurants & cafes.
Never having been there, I only know the romanticised version of Whitley Bay from the Dire Straits classic 'Tunnel of Love'The local authority wouldn’t invest.
Eventually & gradually the town has had a bit of a makeover with the Spanish City being the white building you mention being the main beneficiary. That consists mainly of restaurants & cafes.
Boxster5 said:
It seems to have gone a bit more upmarket thankfully...
Mr Knopfler still seems to like it:LeadFarmer said:
Alorotom said:
Wrong time of year for a start.
Whitley Bay / Tynemouth etc. are all about Summer weekends and Bank holiday weekends and always have been (certainly the last 30odd years)
But my point is there are now no pubs there for the stag/hen do's to visit regardless of time of year.Whitley Bay / Tynemouth etc. are all about Summer weekends and Bank holiday weekends and always have been (certainly the last 30odd years)
Stag and Hen parties dont tend to head for grotty boozers/drinkers, they tend to head abroad for a few days of sun and beach clubs, but those that do stay in the UK often gravitate to much more pleasant cocktail bar type environments - but rarely "out of season"
LeadFarmer said:
On my travels around Newcastle this weekend I went to Whitley Bay to have a look around, last went there on a stag night about 20 yrs ago. I see now that it has completely changed and is no longer the hen/stag capital of the north.
I learnt that due to the ongoing problems with drunks/fights etc the authorities gradually took the licences off the pubs & bars, closing them down. Where they once stood are now flats and hotels. The big white building o the front has been redeveloped and looks smart, and there's a few nice looking restaurants on the front, but otherwise not a lot there.
For a Saturday night it was like a ghost town, when it was once a riotous drunken urine soaked bonanza. Where once there would have been the Wayne's, Trevors, Sandra's and Tracey's staggering around drunk and urinating in the street, with a few parked up police vans, now there is nothing.
I can't figure out who it caters for now. So what kind of people does it now attract? Is it holidaymakers, tourists passing through or just folk living near by visiting for a restaurant meal?
Its definitely now more for families and has probably happened as a result of people growing up and being unable to afford the likes of Tynemouth and getting the gradual spread out to neighbouring villages. Step back from the sea front and there are loads of really nice pubs/restaurants/cafes/independent shops which cater for the more affluent working class. There are still plenty absolute dives if you want that type of pub but the mass market cheap trebles and pints places are a thing of the past and slowly reducing in Newcastle too as the councils and police crack down through restrictive licensing. I learnt that due to the ongoing problems with drunks/fights etc the authorities gradually took the licences off the pubs & bars, closing them down. Where they once stood are now flats and hotels. The big white building o the front has been redeveloped and looks smart, and there's a few nice looking restaurants on the front, but otherwise not a lot there.
For a Saturday night it was like a ghost town, when it was once a riotous drunken urine soaked bonanza. Where once there would have been the Wayne's, Trevors, Sandra's and Tracey's staggering around drunk and urinating in the street, with a few parked up police vans, now there is nothing.
I can't figure out who it caters for now. So what kind of people does it now attract? Is it holidaymakers, tourists passing through or just folk living near by visiting for a restaurant meal?
Edited by LeadFarmer on Sunday 27th November 17:27
Our neighbours moved there 2 years ago and absolutely love it with the dog and still being within easy reach of Newcastle on the metro. If you ever come back to Newcastle there is a Premier Inn attached to Spanish City (big white building) and straight out onto the beach. We always book this when visiting friends as it generally works out cheaper than a taxi and get a bracing early morning beach walk in
pavarotti1980 said:
Its definitely now more for families and has probably happened as a result of people growing up and being unable to afford the likes of Tynemouth and getting the gradual spread out to neighbouring villages. Step back from the sea front and there are loads of really nice pubs/restaurants/cafes/independent shops which cater for the more affluent working class. There are still plenty absolute dives if you want that type of pub but the mass market cheap trebles and pints places are a thing of the past and slowly reducing in Newcastle too as the councils and police crack down through restrictive licensing.
Our neighbours moved there 2 years ago and absolutely love it with the dog and still being within easy reach of Newcastle on the metro. If you ever come back to Newcastle there is a Premier Inn attached to Spanish City (big white building) and straight out onto the beach. We always book this when visiting friends as it generally works out cheaper than a taxi and get a bracing early morning beach walk in
Thanks.Our neighbours moved there 2 years ago and absolutely love it with the dog and still being within easy reach of Newcastle on the metro. If you ever come back to Newcastle there is a Premier Inn attached to Spanish City (big white building) and straight out onto the beach. We always book this when visiting friends as it generally works out cheaper than a taxi and get a bracing early morning beach walk in
I did look at booking at the Spanish City Premier Inn but they were charging £150 per night compared to £80 at North Shields. Being on the Metro was useful too, albeit a 15 min walk from Percy Main. But if I went again I would consider Spanish City if their prices were right, guess it depends on when you book etc.
LeadFarmer said:
Thanks.
I did look at booking at the Spanish City Premier Inn but they were charging £150 per night compared to £80 at North Shields. Being on the Metro was useful too, albeit a 15 min walk from Percy Main. But if I went again I would consider Spanish City if their prices were right, guess it depends on when you book etc.
We stayed at the North Shields one last year, it was ok location wise, a bit old. Half the price of the Whitley Bay PI that the wife wanted me to book. The rooms on the south side where like a greenhouse in the summer. Plenty of parking though!I did look at booking at the Spanish City Premier Inn but they were charging £150 per night compared to £80 at North Shields. Being on the Metro was useful too, albeit a 15 min walk from Percy Main. But if I went again I would consider Spanish City if their prices were right, guess it depends on when you book etc.
The Brewers Fayre next door was a good laugh of an evening, pissed up geordies trying to steal beer!
The area in general is probably changing due to the expansion of the port of Blyth and all the wind farm related work. We're building something there so I travel through Blyth every week and there is a lot of new housing being built. There is also a new windfarm related factory being built at battleship quay to more and more people.
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