North Shields is a historic fishing port at the mouth of the River Tyne, with the Fish Quay preserving the working character of a quayside that has landed catches here since the thirteenth century. The Low Lights area and the cliff-top streets above the fish quay carry ivy-clad garden walls, mature sycamore and lime; sea buckthorn and coastal grassland on the Tynemouth and Cullercoats shoreline to the east give local colonies a salt-air forage supplement, and the sheltered riverside gardens of the older terraces above the Tyne carry white clover through summer.
Collectors attend swarms on the eaves and chimney pots of the Victorian and Edwardian terraces around Howard Street and Bedford Street, along the Tyne riverside scrub and elder hedgerows above the Fish Quay, in the sea-buckthorn and coastal grassland at Tynemouth Longsands and Cullercoats Bay, and in the mature garden trees of the Northumberland Square conservation area.
Nearest BBKA-affiliated associations to help with swarm collection and local advice.
NE12 8EH· approx. 9 km
Visit websiteNE9 5AX· approx. 12 km
Visit websiteDH1 3SG· approx. 28 km
Visit websiteAssociation data sourced from the British Beekeepers Association directory via SwarmBase.
Spring opens on sycamore and horse chestnut in Jesmond Dene, Leazes Park and Saltwell Park. The lime avenues of the Georgian terraces of Newcastle and the Victorian parks of Sunderland lead the June flow. Bramble and rosebay willowherb are heavy on former pit-head and industrial land. The coastal denes — Marsden, Whitburn, Castle Eden — contribute sea-buckthorn and coastal meadow forage; ivy on old stone streets and garden walls closes the year.
More on beekeeping in Tyne and WearReport it in under a minute and a trained local beekeeper will arrange safe collection.
