Breezing to brilliant Whitley Bay on the terrific Tide Tour open topper!

There are days out, and then there are days out where the roof of the bus simply peels away, the salt-tinged breeze ruffles your hair and the whole glittering North East coast unrolls in front of you like a technicolour scroll. Breezing to brilliant Whitley Bay on the Tide Tour open topper is very much the second kind. It is one of those journeys that reminds you why leaving the car at home is not just sensible, it is positively joyful. Wind in your face, sea to your right, cake in your near future: what more could a scenic thrill seeker ask for?

The Tide Tour is that wonderful sort of hop-on, hop-off open-top service that turns a simple coastal ride into the day itself. It hugs the shoreline between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay, taking in Cullercoats and the great sweep of the North Sea on the way, and it is exactly the kind of scenic public transport Great Scenic Journeys was made to celebrate. You can find more details, timetable information and route notes on our dedicated page over at greatscenicjourneys.co.uk, where the Tide Tour sits proudly alongside the region's other coastal crackers.

Here is a tip that makes the whole day even better value: the Tide Tour is covered by the brilliant TNE Day Saver ticket, which at just £5.50 for a full day of unlimited travel is one of the best transport bargains going. Better still, the same ticket works right across the North East on buses from all the major operators, so you can breeze along the coast on the open topper in the morning, nip inland to explore Newcastle, North Shields or beyond in the afternoon, and hop back to the seaside for sunset, all on one little ticket. You can read all about it, and see the full list of operators and areas covered, on the Transport North East website. It is the kind of joined-up thinking that makes car-free days out feel effortless.

The beauty of an open topper is that the journey stops being a means to an end and becomes half the fun. You clamber up the stairs, pick your spot near the front (obviously), and suddenly you are eye-level with the tops of Victorian villas, the swooping gulls and the church spires that punctuate this handsome coastline. Tynemouth itself is a glorious place to start. The romantic ruins of Tynemouth Priory and Castle stand proud on the headland, gazing out to sea as they have done for centuries, and the golden crescent of Longsands beach curves away beneath you. If you have arrived by Metro to Tynemouth station, all the better; that Victorian glass-and-iron station is a beauty in its own right, and the famous weekend market held under its canopies is one of the North East's best browsing experiences.

As the open topper eases away, you get the full seaside slideshow. Cullercoats slides into view, a proper little fishing village tucked into its own sheltered bay, once home to a thriving artists' colony in the nineteenth century, when American painter Winslow Homer famously spent time here capturing the fisherfolk and the moody North Sea light. The lifeboat station still crouches at the harbour, and the terraces stack up neatly behind. It is a lovely spot to jump off for a poke about, a paddle, or a coffee gazing at the bobbing boats.

Back aboard and onwards you go, the road opening up along the promenade with the sea sparkling to one side and cheerful ice-cream queues on the other. Then, as you round the curve, the great white finger of St Mary's Lighthouse rises into view across its tidal causeway, and you know you are arriving somewhere rather special. Welcome to Whitley Bay.

Whitley Bay is a resort with real character. It has that classic British seaside soul, dressed up with a modern swagger, and it feels loved. The centrepiece of the whole town, quite literally shining in the sun, is the magnificent Spanish City. This gleaming white domed pleasure palace opened in 1910 and once housed a famous ballroom, funfair and gardens that drew day trippers from across the North. It featured in Dire Straits' song 'Tunnel of Love', immortalised by local lad Mark Knopfler, who grew up in nearby Gosforth and Blyth and clearly kept Whitley Bay close to his heart. After years of quiet, the Spanish City was beautifully restored and reopened in 2018, and today it is once again the beating heart of the seafront, filled with restaurants, bars and cafes under that unmistakable dome.

Inside and around the Spanish City you are spoilt for choice. Trenchers does proper fish and chips with a view of the waves, while Valerie's Tea Room brings serious afternoon tea theatre with tiered cake stands, delicate sandwiches and enough scones to keep any Yorkshire terrier or Northumbrian nan happy. For a fresher, brighter bite, Fireside Bar and Kitchen inside the dome does wood-fired flatbreads and cocktails with sea views that feel almost Mediterranean on a sunny day. And no Whitley Bay trip is complete without a Di Meo's ice cream, an award-winning local institution whose gelato has been putting smiles on faces along this coast for decades.

The beach itself is a huge, generous sweep of golden sand, perfect for a blustery walk, a kite fly or a determined attempt at a sandcastle. At the northern end, the causeway to St Mary's Lighthouse is one of the great little adventures of the English coast. When the tide is out you can walk across to the island, climb the 137 steps of the lighthouse and enjoy views that stretch, on a clear day, all the way from the Farne Islands to the Tyne. When the tide is in, you simply admire it from the shore, camera at the ready. The nature reserve around the lighthouse is a haven for seabirds and, if you are lucky, the occasional seal lolloping on the rocks.

Wander back into town and you find independent shops, retro amusements, cheerful pubs and a growing crop of excellent eateries. Hinnies, right on the seafront, celebrates North East classics with dishes like pan haggerty and stotties done properly. For something with a bit more buzz, Roberto's serves lively Italian in the heart of town, and the Left Luggage Room, a tiny bar tucked inside the old Metro station building, is a lovely spot for a craft beer and a natter.

When evening falls, Whitley Bay does not turn quiet. The seafront glows, the Spanish City dome is floodlit against the dusk, and lively bars along Park View and South Parade keep things ticking along nicely, including the eclectic Jam Jar independent cinema. Whitley Bay has long been a favourite night out for the wider North East, and the atmosphere is friendly, cheerful and unpretentious.

Whitley Bay's history is stitched into every street. It grew as a Victorian and Edwardian resort when the railways brought Tyneside workers flocking to the coast for fresh air and fun. As well as Mark Knopfler's connections, the town has links to Stan Laurel, who spent part of his childhood in nearby North Shields and performed in local theatres, and to author and screenwriter Lee Hall, of Billy Elliot fame, who grew up in the region and drew on its landscapes and voices. The town has always known how to entertain, and it still does.

When you finally, reluctantly, climb back up to the top deck for the ride home, the light softening over the sea and the lighthouse blinking in the distance, you understand why the Tide Tour is such a treasure. It is not just transport, it is a rolling, roofless celebration of one of England's finest coastlines. So leave the car keys on the hook, tuck a TNE Day Saver in your pocket, grab a jumper for the top deck, and let the Tide Tour breeze you off to brilliant Whitley Bay. The North Sea is waiting, the Spanish City is shining, and the ice cream is not going to eat itself.