Walpole Bay Tidal Pool
Local highlightMore than four acres of sea held behind walls on the Cliftonville foreshore, free to swim in at low tide
Open accessfree and open all year at low tide; no lifeguards, and the walls go under at high tide
Margate built the Walpole Bay pool in 1937, when the borough engineer walled off a stretch of foreshore below the Cliftonville cliffs for about £7,000. The result covers more than four acres, about 450 feet long and widening to around 550 feet at the landward end. Thanet District Council believes it is the biggest tidal pool in the UK, and the structure is listed Grade II.
At high tide the sea covers the walls and refills the pool, and as the tide drops the walls reappear with a huge sheet of calm sea water held inside. Swimmers use it all year, winter included. Walpole Bay Tidal Pool is free and there’s nothing to book, but there are no lifeguards, showers or toilets, so bring what you need and plan your swim around the tide. Back towards Margate, the Shell Grotto, an underground passage lined with millions of shells, and the Turner Contemporary gallery are both within a couple of kilometres. Margate station is about 2.5km west.
