Herne Bay

Herne Bay · North Kent · sand and shingle

Victorian seaside town with pier and bandstand.

What the tide does here

At a spring high tide only about 24% of Herne Bay is out of the water. By spring low the sea has drawn back roughly 320 metres, uncovering 77% of it — about 137 hectares of sand and shingle.

Herne Bay at high water: the dry beach shaded on a satellite map — **High water, 4.9 m above chart datum.** About 25% of Herne Bay is out of the water.

Herne Bay at low water: the dry beach shaded on a satellite map — **Low water, 1.0 m above chart datum.** About 51% is uncovered.

Dogs

From 1 May to 30 September dogs are banned from the beach between the pier and Lane End, and must be on a lead on the promenade there. Dogs must be on a lead all year on the promenade from Neptune Jetty to the pier.

Water quality

Classified Good by the Environment Agency in 2025, sampled as "Herne Bay Central", a designated bathing water since 1999. Daily pollution risk forecasts appear on this page in the bathing season.

Lifeguards

No RNLI lifeguard patrol here.

Awards

Seaside Award 2026 (Herne Bay Central).

Facilities

Nearby: public toilets, parking and a café or kiosk. Access: a step-free path, accessible toilets and pushchair-friendly access. Accessible seafront promenade; level access to beach.

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.