Pantrini’s
Vera’s favourite fish and chip shop (though there are other brilliant ones now)
The Amusement Arcades
You might recognize this from one of the ITV dramas
Public Toilets
The public lavatories on the slipway to the beach. These were turned by the production team into a very fancy nightclub when they adapted The Seagull.
Panama Swimming Club
In my head, the real nightclub – The Seagull – was a fabulous 1930s building where the Panama Swimming Club stands now.
The Rendezvous Café
The Rendezvous Café. This iconic building has appeared many times in the TV dramas. The streetlight outside was once changed into a fancier design.
St Mary’s Wetland
On the mainland, very close to the path that leads over to St Mary’s Island and the lighthouse is a little nature reserve – St Mary’s Wetland. In The Seagull a body is found in a culvert here.
Turknaz
Turknaz has been a great supporter of Bay Tales since we started. And we’re delighted that it appeared in an episode of Vera too!
Vera Tour
See how many Whitley Bay locations from the TV show Vera you can spot!
The Seagull by Ann Cleeves was published in 2017. In her Author’s Note at the end of the book, Ann writes about how despite the fact Whitley Bay is sometimes described as ‘a little shabby’ in her books it doesn’t mean she loves it any less and that plans are underway to give Whitley Bay a more prosperous future.
Now here we are in 2024 and, seven years later, there have been some huge changes to the area.
As Ann concludes in her note:
I’m fighting with you in my own way and hope that as a result of the book more people will visit us and get to know Whitley for themselves.
– from the Author’s Note (The Seagull, Pan Macmillan)
For those of us who grew up around the area we’ve seen the changes – the funfair may have gone, but the Spanish City is still here. Where there used to be empty premises, there are now independent stores, cafes, bars and restaurants in abundance. And for the book lovers among us there is the bound (part of the Forum trio of bookshops) and Keel Row Books – newly settled in Whitley Bay but the longest established antiquarian and second-hand bookshop in the North East of England.
We hope this map, Ann’s accompanying notes and a few facts about Whitley Bay help some of you enjoy your time in Whitley.
Public Toilets
You may not want to hang around the toilets too long on your walking tour – but grab a snap and then stop for a coffee at Lido Di Meo opposite if the weather allows or pop into Valerie’s Tearoom, The Split Chimp independent ale house, or Trenchers fish and chip restaurant in the Dome, all just a few yards away. Just two minutes’ walk away you could try The Crab and Waltzer.
Pantrini’s Fish and Chips
The Amusement Arcades
Season 4, Episode 2 ‘Protected’ saw the (slightly fictionalised) amusement arcades feature prominently. Like the nightclubs, the vast majority of the amusement arcades in Whitley have now gone. But there are still a couple left, including TJ Leisure and Tyne Tees Entertainment so if you want to pop in for a go on the fruit machines, you still can. While the Spanish City funfair (immortalised in the Dire Straits song ‘Tunnel of Love‘) has gone, the dome still remains a beacon for the town. Now, as part of the regeneration Ann mentioned in her afterword, the dome contains restaurants and shops in and around it. If you’re visiting and want to take some mementos back with you, Love of the North is the place to go.
The Seagull
In my head, the real nightclub – The Seagull – was a fabulous 1930s building where the Panama Swimming Club stands now.
– Ann Cleeves
Although it isn’t in the book or the TV series as such, we’ve included Panama Swimming Club on the walking map – so do check it out. And you can read more about it here.
As Ann said in her Author’s Note: there is a lot of regeneration going on across Whitley Bay…and the Panama Swimming Club is one of those areas. Our images compare a duo of pictures below showing the current and proposed look of the club.
The Rendezvous is probably one of the most painted, photographed and drawn places in Whitley.
This iconic building has appeared many times in the Vera TV dramas. The streetlight outside was once changed for a fancier design.
Turknaz has been a great supporter of Bay Tales, offering discounts to our audience members and hosting a meal for our guest authors.
And we’re delighted that it appeared in an episode of Vera too!
This award-winning Turkish restaurant is the perfect place for a bite to eat once you’ve completed our walking tour.
Thank you to Ann Cleeves for giving us some of her personal notes on the visiting points.
Thanks to Nicola Young (https://ragtagmagpie.com/) who drew the map and iconic local spots by hand for us.
If you do come to Whitley Bay and take some pics of Whitley and the surrounding areas, feel free to share your photos with us by emailing us. Of course, we’d recommend that you join us on1st March, 2025 for Bay Tales 2025.
