South Gare

This is the southern and more productive breakwater at the mouth of the River Tees, with the white lighthouse standing prominently at its seaward extremity. It has a mosaic of habitats, virtually all man-made, which include the Cabin Rocks (a huge area of tipped slag), the Quarry (a lunar-like landscape of tipped slag and pools), the Shrike Bushes (an area of scrub and reed-bed) and the Golf Course. Natural habitats include the extensive dune system and sandy foreshore between the Gare and Redcar and the mudflats of Bran Sands, including Paddy’s Hole. The area gives excellent views over the mouth of the Tees and, in the recent past, has held breeding Little Terns. In the winter it is a good location for divers, grebes and wildfowl and in spring and autumn is often a prime spot for sea watching, particularly for terns, skuas and shearwaters. Migrant birds often turn up on the Cabin Roacks, Quarry and Shrike Bushes and sometimes include rarities. The latter have included Subalpine Warbler, Rose-coloured Starling, Pallas’s Warbler, Common Rosefinch, Short-toed Lark, Stone Curlew, Bluethroat, Little Bunting and Roller.

Access is via the A1085 Trunk Road, Kirkleatham Lane, York Road at Warrenby, Todd Point Road and then along the private access road which runs the full length of the South Gare peninsula to the parking areas near the lighthouse. From the peninsula there are expansive views over Tees Bay and the Tees Estuary.