Broadstairs’ seven beautiful sandy beaches

• Written by: Lorraine
• Written on: July 5, 2015
• Filed Under: Broadstairs, Children, Days Out, Local Area

This morning we were pretty thrilled to see that The Sunday Times Travel has listed two of Broadstairs’ beaches in their list of the top 50 in the country.

Thanks to journalist Chris Haslam for recognising and writing about the beauty of the beaches here and choosing to rank them with the very best the country has to offer.

Of course we knew already, we’ve travelled a little and we’ve seen what other towns in the UK, as well as places further afield, have to offer. Maybe we’re slightly biaised because we’re based here, but we definitely believe that Broadstairs beaches are of the very highest calibre. We know they are perfect for family holidays which is why we offer family friendly holiday accomodation here.

Chris maybe didn’t get the chance to spend as much time as he would have liked in Broadstairs, or on the other beaches he has included. We thought it would be nice to publish some more detail than he was able to include, on Viking Bay and Joss Bay (both in the Sunday Times list), as well as the other beautiful beaches we have here in Broadstairs, for the benefit of anyone considering a holiday here who’d like to know a little more….

For starters, did you know that there are seven sandy bays in Broadstairs alone? And the surrounding area has a full 26 miles of sandy bays, starting at Birchington (Minnis Bay) in the West (just past Herne Bay as you drive away from London), all the way round the coast to Pegwell Bay, just south of Ramsgate. The Visit Thanet site is a great source of info on the area as a whole.

Broadstairs’ main beach is Viking Bay, that’s the one in the photo above. It’s in the heart of the town, walk down the High Street from the train station and you’re there in ten minutes. It’s also a short walk from all of our Broadstairs holiday properties.

Viking Bay has a children’s mini fairground (the giraffe is called Gerald), deckchair hire, ice creams, a decomissioned seawater paddling pool which is great for spotting starfish in and a gentle slope into the sea which makes it perfect for swimming, particularly at high tide. Broadstairs Sailing Club and Kent Surf School provide sailing and surfing activities througout the season. The Pavillion with it’s gardens on the sand, offers kids’ and grown up meals and liquid refreshments at beach level and there are plenty of other eating, drinking and shopping options practically in your lap.

On the northern side of the jetty you’ll find Stone Bay, which has a few stones (hence the name) but is actually also one of our sandy beaches, with Blue Flag status, partially lined with beach huts and accessible from the cliffs above via stairs and paths so you don’t have to go to Viking Bay to reach it. Stone Bay is very long and has a quieter more secluded feel but is still very close to the town and has its own cafe at the far end.

At low tide you can keep walking along the beaches in this direction all the way to Margate, it’s about a two hour walk if you don’t dilly dally but beware getting caught out when the tide comes in, don’t do this unless you are well prepared as regards tide times and ready to get a move on if you need to!  You might prefer to drive or cycle between the sandy beaches going in this direction. Or walk the long way round at clifftop level if you are up for a bit of a hike and would enjoy a trip to see the North Foreland Lighthouse on the way.  However you decide to go you will be well rewarded for your explorations, discover Kingsgate, Joss and Botany Bays – all beautiful with chalk stacks and golden sand and more remote than the main town beaches.

Joss Bay Blue Flag beach is the best place to surf in the South East and is home to Joss Bay Surf School as well as the annual Wheels and Fins Festival.

By the time you get to Botany Bay you will have reached the outer edge of Broadstairs and walking further will take you on to Margate’s beaches, equally delightful in many ways but we haven’t got the space to write about them in this article.

Walking instead, in the opposite direction away from Viking Bay, south towards Ramsgate, you will encounter first Louisa Bay, which is covered over when the tide is in but at low tide is a pleasant and quiet spot to sunbathe or paddle and is overlooked by more beach huts and the delightful Louisa Bay cafe on the stone walkway. This walkway carries on and takes you Dumpton gap beach which also has it’s own cafe and beach huts and marks the southernmost tip of Broadstairs.

A walk to Dumpton Gap from Viking Bay is just 20 minutes leisurely stroll, whether you go on the walkway, on the cliffs above, or on the beach itself. At low tide you can carry on at beach level and in another twenty minutes you’ll have reached Ramsgate’s glorious Royal Harbour. If the tide is in and you want to do this walk, just go up the path between the cliffs by the cafe at Dumpton Gap and continue in the same direction along the cliff tops and through charming St George V park and you’ll get to the same destination.

In short, we have sandy beaches galore here – just dont expect to see any donkeys, the last time we checked there weren’t any….sorry Chris!