Best Beaches in Kent
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best beaches in Kent are Epple Bay Beach, Hampton Beach, Seasalter Beach, Dumpton Gap, Littlestone Beach, Shakespeare Beach, Shellness Beach and Minnis Bay Beach.
Kent has a long and varied coast, and these eight beaches run right around it, from the chalk bays of Thanet in the north-east to the shingle of Romney Marsh in the south. In between are the shell beaches and saltmarsh of the Isle of Sheppey and the Whitstable shore, the seaside towns of Herne Bay, and the white cliffs of Dover.
Much of the coast is chalk, and at low tide the sea draws off flat platforms of it to leave rock pools full of crabs and small fish. Several of these beaches are quiet neighbours to busier resorts, tucked into a gap in the cliffs or set out along a marsh, better for rock-pooling, birdwatching and long walks than for crowds.
A few carry a landmark or a story: a tidal bathing pool, a Victorian water tower, a starting point for swims across the Channel. Here are eight beaches to seek out along the Kent coast.
Epple Bay Beach
Photo: David Martin via Geograph.org.uk
Epple Bay Beach is a sandy bay set into the white chalk cliffs at Birchington on the Thanet coast, with a promenade path along the back. At low tide the sea draws off to leave a wide platform of chalk and sand full of rock pools, while at high tide the beach shrinks back beneath the cliffs.
A ramped path leads down from the clifftop grass. It is a quiet bay away from the busier Thanet resorts, a short walk from Minnis Bay Beach.
Hampton Beach
Photo: Stephen Craven via Geograph.org.uk
Hampton Beach lies at the western end of Herne Bay, on the site of a small village long since lost to the sea. It is a mostly shingle beach beside the short remnant of Hampton Pier, with beach huts, a promenade and rock pools at low tide.
Timber groynes and banks of rock hold the shore against the waves. It is a quiet stretch of coast away from the main Herne Bay front.
Seasalter Beach
Photo: Gordon Griffiths via Geograph.org.uk
Seasalter Beach is a quiet, natural beach just west of Whitstable, a steep bank of shingle held by lines of timber groynes, giving way to flat sand and mud at low tide. Behind it lie saltmarsh and mudflats, part of a nature reserve rich in wading birds and wildfowl, with the Saxon Shore Way running along the shore.
The area has a long history of oyster fishing. It is a place for solitude, walks and birdwatching under wide estuary skies rather than a busy resort beach.
Dumpton Gap
Photo: Phillip Perry via Geograph.org.uk
Dumpton Gap is a small sandy beach set in a gap in the chalk cliffs between Broadstairs and Ramsgate. A promenade runs along the back, and at low tide the sea draws off the flat chalk platform to leave rock pools full of crabs and small fish.
You can walk along the foot of the cliffs to the neighbouring bays when the tide is out, with white chalk framing the little bay.
Littlestone Beach
Photo: Oast House Archive via Geograph.org.uk
Littlestone Beach is a wide, gently sloping beach on Romney Marsh, just south-east of New Romney. Above the high-water line it is mostly shingle with wooden groynes, but at low tide the sea draws back a long way to reveal a large expanse of rippled flat sand.
Behind the beach are a grassy strip, a row of coloured beach huts, a slipway and a car park. A landmark just inland is the Littlestone Water Tower, a tall square Victorian tower of red brick built in 1890, and the beach is used for sand-yachting.
Shakespeare Beach
Photo: Helmut Zozmann via Geograph.org.uk
Shakespeare Beach is a long shingle beach in a bay directly below the white chalk of Shakespeare Cliff, just west of Dover harbour. It is best known as one of the traditional starting points for cross-Channel swims, the shortest crossing to France, and swimmers set off from here on the long haul across the busy shipping lanes.
Deep rock pools open up toward the cliff at low tide, and the beach draws anglers and walkers. There are no lifeguards and no beach parking, and the way down is awkward, a walk and steps from the western side of the marina.
Shellness Beach
Photo: Stefan Czapski via Geograph.org.uk
Shellness Beach is a remote, undeveloped beach at the far south-eastern tip of the Isle of Sheppey, a world away from the resorts to the west. Its sandy upper shore is thickly covered with tiny seashells, giving it its name, over a mix of sand, shingle and mud, with the sea drawing far back at low tide.
It adjoins a national nature reserve rich in birds, part of it fenced for nesting terns, and one stretch is used by naturists. It is reached on foot past the little hamlet of Shellness, with parking back at a car park and no facilities on the beach.
Minnis Bay Beach
Photo: N Chadwick via Geograph.org.uk
Minnis Bay Beach is a broad, gently sloping sandy beach at the western end of Birchington-on-Sea, with rock and shingle showing at low water and low grassy banks behind a raised promenade. Its best-known feature is a tidal pool at the eastern end that holds water as the tide falls, making a sheltered place to bathe.
There are toilets, showers, seasonal lifeguards, a play area and beach chalets for hire, and the Viking Coastal Trail runs through the bay. The beach carries a Blue Flag.
FAQs
What are the best beaches in Kent for rock pools?
The Thanet chalk bays are best for rock pools. Epple Bay and Dumpton Gap both uncover wide platforms of chalk at low tide, full of rock pools with crabs and small fish, and you can walk along the foot of the cliffs to neighbouring bays when the tide is out.
Which Kent beach is linked to Channel swimming?
Shakespeare Beach, below Shakespeare Cliff just west of Dover, is one of the traditional starting points for swims across the Channel, the shortest crossing to France. Deep rock pools open up toward the cliff at low tide, and the beach draws anglers and walkers.
Where is the best birdwatching on the Kent coast?
Seasalter and Shellness are the best for birdwatching, both sitting beside nature reserves of saltmarsh and mudflats rich in wading birds and wildfowl. Part of the reserve at Shellness is fenced off for nesting terns.
Is Minnis Bay in Kent good for a family day?
Yes, Minnis Bay at Birchington is the most family-ready of the eight. It has a tidal bathing pool, toilets, showers, seasonal lifeguards, a play area and beach chalets, and holds a Blue Flag.
Conclusion
These eight run the length of the Kent coast and cover most of its moods. Thanet supplies the chalk bays, with the rock-pool platforms of Epple Bay and Dumpton Gap and the family sand and tidal pool of Minnis Bay.
The Whitstable and Sheppey shore is quieter and wilder, all saltmarsh and shell sand and wading birds at Seasalter and Shellness. Herne Bay adds the low-key shingle of Hampton on the site of a lost village, while the south brings the wide low-tide sand of Littlestone on Romney Marsh under its Victorian water tower.
Dover rounds things off with Shakespeare Beach, where Channel swimmers still set out below the white cliffs. Low tide is the time to come for the chalk rock pools, and several of these reward a walk out from the busier resorts nearby.
