Marsden Bay

Marsden Bay is the most dramatic stretch of the Tyne & Wear coast: sea-stacks, arches and the great detached lump of Marsden Rock standing off a curve of sand beneath tall magnesian-limestone cliffs, with Souter Lighthouse's red-and-white tower just up the clifftop. For a small drone it is a superb subject, but it needs care on two fronts. First, the clifftop grassland (The Leas) and Souter are National Trust, and the Trust bans recreational take-off and landing from its land, so launch from the public beach below the high-water line, reached by the steps or the cliff lift by the Grotto. Second, and more important, Marsden Rock and the cliffs host a large, noisy seabird colony of kittiwakes, cormorants and fulmars, so from roughly March to July you must keep well clear of the rock and cliffs to avoid disturbing nesting birds. Outside the season, and flown out over the sea with respectful distance, it is magic. Newcastle Airport's FRZ is about 14km to the north-west, so airspace here is clear. Parking is at the Marsden Grotto/Souter pay-and-display, there is a pub and toilets, and the beach can get busy on warm weekends. Go at low tide on a calm morning for exposed rock, glassy water and side-lit stacks.