Walpole Bay

Margate · Thanet · sand

Sandy bay with a huge historic tidal pool.

What the tide does here

At a spring high tide only about 37% of Walpole Bay is out of the water. By spring low the sea has drawn back roughly 230 metres, uncovering 90% of it — about 78 hectares of sand.

Walpole Bay at high water: the dry beach shaded on a satellite map — **High water, 4.4 m above chart datum.** About 38% of Walpole Bay is out of the water.

Walpole Bay at low water: the dry beach shaded on a satellite map — **Low water, 0.9 m above chart datum.** About 81% is uncovered.

Dogs

Dogs must be on a lead between 10am and 6pm from 1 May to 30 September. Before 10am, after 6pm and from 1 October to 30 April, they can be off the lead.

Water quality

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

Lifeguards

No RNLI lifeguard patrol here.

Awards

Seaside Award 2026.

Facilities

Nearby: public toilets and parking. Access: a step-free path, accessible toilets and pushchair-friendly access. Level seafront access; large firm-sand beach at low tide.

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.