Botany Bay

Broadstairs · Thanet · sand

Striking chalk stacks and clean golden sand.

What the tide does here

At a spring high tide only about 38% of Botany Bay is out of the water. By spring low the sea has drawn back roughly 230 metres, uncovering 90% of it — about 99 hectares of sand.

Botany Bay at high water: the dry beach shaded on a satellite map — **High water, 4.4 m above chart datum.** About 39% of Botany Bay is out of the water.

Botany Bay at low water: the dry beach shaded on a satellite map — **Low water, 0.9 m above chart datum.** About 79% is uncovered.

Dogs

Dogs are banned from the beach between 10am and 6pm from 1 May to 30 September. Before 10am, after 6pm and from 1 October to 30 April, dogs are welcome.

Water quality

Classified Excellent by the Environment Agency in 2025, sampled as "Botany Bay, Broadstairs", a designated bathing water since 1997. Daily pollution risk forecasts appear on this page in the bathing season.

Lifeguards

RNLI lifeguards: daily 23 May-6 Sep, 10:00-18:00.

Awards

Blue Flag & Seaside Award 2026.

Facilities

Nearby: public toilets and parking. Access: a step-free path and pushchair-friendly access. Accessible route via clifftop path; steep in places — check before visiting.

All Kent beaches on Beach Days

Tide predictions © UK Hydrographic Office. Beach shape from Environment Agency LIDAR survey data, © Environment Agency, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Facilities and places from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Bathing water classifications from the Environment Agency. Satellite imagery © Mapbox, © Maxar.