Hythe Beach

Hythe · South Kent · sand and shingle

Shingle-and-sand beach along the Royal Military Canal town.

What the tide does here

At a spring high tide about 55% of Hythe Beach is out of the water. By spring low the sea has drawn back roughly 80 metres, uncovering 90% of it — about 85 hectares of sand and shingle.

Hythe Beach at high water: the dry beach shaded on a satellite map — **High water, 6.5 m above chart datum.** About 66% of Hythe Beach is out of the water.

Hythe Beach at low water: the dry beach shaded on a satellite map — **Low water, 1.4 m above chart datum.** About 88% is uncovered.

Dogs

From 1 May to 30 September dogs are banned from the beach between Twiss Road and St Leonards Road, and must be on a lead on the promenade there. A separate stretch at the far eastern end is also banned over the same dates; it comes under the Sandgate order.

Water quality

Classified Excellent by the Environment Agency in 2025, sampled as "Hythe", a designated bathing water since 1988. Daily pollution risk forecasts appear on this page in the bathing season.

Lifeguards

No RNLI lifeguard patrol here.

Facilities

Nearby: public toilets, parking and a café or kiosk. Access: a step-free path, accessible toilets and pushchair-friendly access. Good promenade access; accessible facilities in town.

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.