This circular walk, which is 3.1 miles or 5km long, starts and finishes at Sunderland Marina, Roker, and it is estimated to take around an hour to complete.
The heritage trail, which was produced with Sunderland City Council, takes you along the River Wear and takes in some of the city’s most famous sites – like the Stadium of Light and the Port of Sunderland.
The walk takes you from Sunderland Marina along the river to the Stadium of Light. We take a look at some of the sites you will see and even include some retro pictures from what they looked like more than 50 years ago.
For detailed instructions click here.
1. Starting at Sunderland Marina
Walk along the length of the marina, passing the lifeboat station and blue plaque commemorating Harry Watts, and continue up the bank towards the petrol station. Photo: Frank Reid
2. Port of Sunderland.
Just before the station, turn left and following the blue sign down the bank from here you'll have excellent views of the Port of Sunderland. Pictured is the Gladstone Swing Bridge. Photo: Stu Norton
3. National Glass Centre
Follow the riverside path and pass the National Glass Centre. Inside the iconic building it tells the story of Sunderland's long history of glass making, dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. Photo: JPI
4. Sunderland's Shipyards
This is also the site of a former Sunderland shipyard. Ships have been built on the Wear since at least 1346. This stretch of the river was home to J.L Thompson's shipyard. Pictured in October 1957 is 19,000 ton tanker Spinanger which entered the Wear from the shipyard J L Thompson and Sons. It was the first ship of her size to be launched without the assistance of tugs. Photo: Sunderland Echo