emilywillisblogEasington Beach is one of County Durham’s quieter coastal secrets — a wide, exposed stretch of North Sea shoreline that takes a little effort to reach but rewards with a sense of genuine remoteness that is increasingly hard to find on the north east coast. It is not a beach you stumble upon, and that is precisely part of its appeal.
Getting to Easington Beach
The easiest way to reach the beach is to park in Easington Village and walk down. There is a small car park at the edge of the village which is convenient, but come with one important caveat in mind: the barrier comes down at 6pm. If you are planning a long afternoon walk or want to catch the evening light on the water, either keep a close eye on the time or park elsewhere in the village to avoid getting caught out.
If you are travelling without a car, Easington Village is served by local bus routes, making it a genuinely accessible day out by public transport. Check current timetables before you travel as services vary by day.
From the village, the walk to the beach takes you through a surprisingly varied landscape — the path winds inland through trees before opening back out onto coastal views, following clifftop trails that alternate between sheltered woodland and wide sea panoramas. It is a pleasant walk in its own right, and arriving at the beach feels like a proper destination rather than simply pulling into a car park and stepping onto sand.
The scenery at Easington
The aerial view of this coastline tells you everything you need to know about why it feels so special at ground level. Dramatic sandstone and limestone cliffs curve around a tucked-away cove, with vivid green fields running almost to the cliff edge — farmland and sea meeting with very little in between. From above, the contrast between the deep blue of the North Sea, the pale crescent of beach, and the patchwork of fields is striking; from the clifftop path, it is simply one of the better views on the Durham coast.
Down on the beach itself, the character changes entirely. The shoreline here is rocky and raw — flat slabs of warm-coloured stone scattered across the sand, the cliffs rising steeply behind, and the North Sea rolling in with some force. It is not a bucket-and-spade beach; it is a place for watching the waves, picking your way across the rocks, or simply standing and feeling the wind come off the water. A lone figure fishing from the shore is a common sight. Look down and you may also notice small lumps of coal among the stones — washed out from the seabed where the old undersea workings once ran, a ghost of the mining past still making itself known in the landscape long after the colliery closed.
The woodland section of the walk offers a complete contrast — a green tunnel of mature trees, the path soft underfoot, birdsong replacing the sound of the sea. It is one of those transitions that makes a coastal walk feel like a proper journey rather than simply getting from A to B.
History and heritage at Easington
This stretch of the Durham coast carries a weight of history that is easy to feel even if you do not know the detail. Easington was coal mining country, and the colliery here — once one of the largest in the county — shaped the village and the community around it for generations before its closure. The landscape has recovered considerably since then, but the heritage remains close to the surface. It surfaces literally on the beach itself, where fragments of coal still wash ashore from the old undersea workings beneath the North Sea — a reminder that this coastline was industrial long before it became somewhere people came to walk and think.
Look out too for the pillboxes still standing along the clifftops — concrete remnants of the Second World War coastal defences, built to guard against invasion from the North Sea. They are weathered and overgrown now, but they sit remarkably well in the landscape, and finding one on a clifftop walk has a way of making you stop and think about what this coastline once meant strategically. It is the kind of detail that turns a pleasant walk into something more interesting.
The coastline around Easington
This stretch of the Durham coast is characterised by cliffs, which means that much of the shoreline is simply inaccessible. There are points where you can get down onto the beach itself, but these tend to be a considerable distance from the village, from parking, and from any facilities — so it is worth going in with realistic expectations about what the walk involves rather than assuming you can drop down to the water at any point.
What this inaccessibility gives you in return, however, is a coastline that feels largely untouched. The clifftop paths offer elevated views across the North Sea, and on a clear day the sense of space and scale is genuinely impressive.
Where to eat and drink near Easington Beach
After a clifftop walk you will likely be ready for something to eat, and there are a few good options in and around the village. Squire’s, housed in a converted Methodist chapel in Low Row, has built a strong local reputation — particularly for its cakes and a very well-regarded bacon, sausage and egg situation if you time your walk for the morning. The Miner’s Lamp on Seaside Lane is a solid choice for a proper meal, with good food and a friendly atmosphere, though note it opens from 4pm so is better suited to an early evening visit after a longer afternoon walk. For a pub with a bit more flexibility, The Half Moon in nearby Peterlee is a well-rated local with decent portions and a relaxed feel.
Is Easington Beach safe?
Easington Beach is worth visiting, but it warrants a little thought before you go — particularly if you are planning to walk alone. Once you are down on the beach or along the more remote sections of the coastal path, the village disappears entirely from view. There are no facilities, no other walkers guaranteed, and no real sense of being within easy reach of help if something were to go wrong.
This is not a reason to avoid it, but it is worth telling someone where you are going, making sure your phone is charged, and being honest with yourself about your confidence and fitness level before setting out. The beach rewards those who are well-prepared; it is not the place for an unprepared solo walk on a grey winter afternoon.
For those who do go prepared, it offers something genuinely special — a stretch of coast that feels a world away from the more visited beaches further north, with a stillness and solitude that is increasingly rare.
