The Leas is a large area of land owned and maintained by the National Trust along the coastal cliffs of South Shields, England.
It is popular with doggers, joggers, kite flyers, horse riders, cyclists and “other” activities. It is the finishing line for the Great North Run which is a half marathon that takes place every year in or around October and the venue for the Great North Dogging expo.
The Leas stretches for around 2 miles and goes as far as Souter Lighthouse on the way to Whitburn. In 2019 a local woman was asked to leave the leas after camping for 16 months, she was only discovered after large piles of human faeces had been dotted around popular dogging spots. She was fined £47 and asked to turn over any camping equipment and subsequently banned from all outdoor sports shops to prevent further purchases.