However, Wearside and the surrounding areas are also home to some more off-the-beaten-track beauty spots and landmarks that are definitely worth exploring. Here’s some of our favourites.
9. Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve
On the site of a former coal mine, Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve is now home to a host of animals which inhabit its grassland, scrub, woodland and ponds. It's home to the headquarters of Durham Wildlife Trust and is a beautiful spot for swans, ponies, water voles and more. Photo by Molly Howell-Pound. You can follow her on Instagram @mollybhp Photo: Molly Howell-Pound
10. Cleadon Hills
Cleadon Hills offers some great variety for a walk. In the winter months, ponies roam and graze the land, to preserve the habitat by encouraging greater floral diversity and creating benefits for invertebrates and ground nesting birds. Photo: Stu Norton
11. Doxford Park
Doxford Park doesn't get as many visitors as larger parks, but it's steeped in history and character. Originally a garden for the home of shipbuilder Charles Doxford, Doxford Hall and its grounds were bequeathed to the city in the late 1960s. Friends of Doxford Park do a great job of promoting the park and before lockdown were running a crowdfunding campaign to enhance the city's only walled garden. Known as the 'Secret Garden', it's housed within the park. Photo: JPI Media
12. Ryhope pumping station
One of the city's most impressive industrial buildings of yesteryear, Ryhope Pumping Station was built in 1868 and supplied drinking water to Sunderland and the surrounding areas for 100 years. Today it's run by a team of dedicated volunteers who host steaming weekends on bank holidays so visitors can see the historic engines in action. Photo: JPI Media