There are plenty of beaches close enough to London for a day trip but some of the most famous beaches near London are not sandy; Brighton is great fun but the beach is all stone.
So what are the best sandy beaches near London that you can easily get to for a day trip or weekend?
Well in this guide I've got for you 15 of the very best sandy beaches in Kent, Essex and Hampshire and most of them are easily reachable by train from London so you won't spend your whole day trip stuck in a traffic jam.
There's family favourites with loads of facilities and the best swimming beaches plus quieter little known sandy beaches that don't get crowded. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Essex Sandy Beaches
The sandy beaches in Essex win on two fronts. The south has the nearest sandy beaches to London and the cheapest by train for a day trip. Further north you can escape the crowds on wilder beaches backed by remote marshes.
The best sandy beaches in Essex are :
- Westcliff
- Thorpe Bay
- Shoebury East
- Frinton
- Walton on the Naze
- Cudmore Grove
- St Peters Bradwell
Some Essex seaside towns did get scruffy in the past but many cleaned up their act and have come back to life with cool cafes and beach front hotels.
One downside of the Essex beaches compared to Kent and Sussex is that tides come high up the beach so check tide times before visiting.
Westcliff Beach
Westcliff is the closest sandy beach to London. It is 50 minutes on the train from Fenchurch Street and 5 minutes from the station. You can easily come from London for an afternoon or evening and there's plenty of places to eat for all tastes and budgets.
As Westcliff is on the Thames the lower beach is muddy when the tide is out but for a quick trip to a sandy beach from London Westcliff is your best bet.
Thorpe Bay Beach
Thorpe Bay Beach is a long sandy beach beyond Southend backed by beach huts. Thorpe Bay station is an hour from London Fenchurch Street station with 4 or more trains an hour.
Thorpe Bay is a longer walk from the station than Westcliff taking about 20 minutes. For a weekend checkout the Roslin Beach Hotel on the front.
Shoebury East Beach
Shoebury East Beach is a quieter sandy beach in Essex you can get to from London by train in barely an hour. There's two fast trains an hour from Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness and it's just 5 minutes walk to the beach.
There are places to eat close to the beach such as the Shoeburyness Hotel.
Frinton Beach
Frinton is along the coast from Clacton and has a huge pristine sandy beach. For many years the town has protected itself from chain stores and arcades and still has independent shops and cafes PLUS immaculate beach loos!
Frinton also has very fine modernist houses and a church with beautiful stained glass by William Morris & Edward Burn Jones, so all in all it is the classiest sandy beach resort in Essex.
Frinton is less than 90 minutes from Liverpool Street by train. You have to change at Thorp-le-Soken but the trains wait for each other. The sandy beach is 10 minutes from Frinton station. Train tickets to Frinton are often much cheaper than Kent in the summer.
For a weekend there is a smart spa hotel in nearby Thorp-le-Soken.
Walton on the Naze Beach
Walton-on-the-Naze is the next stop up the line from Frinton and also has a long sandy beach. The station is right by the pier. Walton is not as smart as Frinton but has a lovely nature reserve, the Naze, at the end of the beach.
The Naze protects a salt water lagoon - the Secret Water in Swallows & Amazons - and is one of the best places to see seals near London. The Naze has its own beach which is muddy but full of fossils.
Walton and Frinton together make a great weekend break from London. There is simple but smart self catering options available on the front.
Cudmore Grove Beach
Cudmore Grove beach is a pretty but unusual sandy beach int the Cudmore Grove country park on Mersea Island. It is a weird and wonderful place with wildlife, fossils and a ruined fort so a great place for adventures with kids.
The beach is two hours from London by car or by train from Liverpool Street, changing at Colchester for a bus, so is better as part of a weekend trip to Mersea Island and its Oyster bars.
St Peters Chapel Bradwell
St Peters Chapel Bradwell is the best sandy beach near London if you want very remote and very historic. St Peter's Chapel is on the Dengie nature reserve and the oldest church in England.
St Peters is a 90 minute drive from London but tricky by public transport. The Liverpool St to Southminster train - change at Wickford - takes 75 minutes but then involves 2 buses or a taxi or a cycle to Bradwell. Serious walkers could take the St Peters Pilgrim Way from Chipping Ongar near Epping.
There's an inn in Bradwell for weekend trips and more accommodation in Burnham on Crouch & Maldon.
Kent Sandy Beaches
Kent has great sandy beaches for day trips with the quickest less than an hour away by train from St Pancras station. Kent's best sandy beaches are :
- Broadstairs
- Joss Bay
- Kingsgate Bay
- Botany Bay
- Margate
- Folkestone
- Greatstone
Sadly trains to the Kent beaches can be double the price of a day trip to the Essex beaches so do plan ahead and look out for Advanced tickets.
Broadstairs Beach
Broadstairs is one of the most family friendly and characterful seaside resorts with sandy beaches near London. Viking Bay, the main beach, is backed with white cliffs and good hotels and cafes for all budgets.
The beach is great for younger kids paddling as the harbour wall protects one end of the beach from the waves.
The fastest trains from St Pancras take 80 minutes and the station is a 15 minute walk from Viking Bay.
The three great sandy beaches north of Broadstairs - Joss, Kingsgate & Botany - are easier reached from Margate if you are coming by train from London.
Joss Bay
Joss Bay is an attractive white cliffed sandy beach popular with surfers just a mile north of Broadstairs. It is usually less busy than Viking Bay but still has lifeguards, deckchair rentals, a cafe and kids play stuff in the summer.
It is a 35 minute walk from Broadstairs station and the buses don't really help, so it can be better to hire bikes from Margate Station and cycle the King Charles III coastal path which is quicker than walking from Broadstairs.
Kingsgate Bay
Kingsgate is another sandy beach with stunning white cliffs just north of Joss Bay. It doesn't have beach facilities or lifeguards but there is a pub The Captain Digby on the cliffside. It is a good option for a wilder beach.
Public transport from Broadstairs or Margate stations is again not great but you can cycle from Margate station in barely 20 minutes on the coastal path.
Botany Bay
Botany Bay is the final sandy beach north of Broadstairs and has iconic white cliffs and good swimming. It has become a victim of its own Instagrammability and gets very busy on weekends and holidays despite having just one cafe and loo block.
If you want more peace and quiet enjoy its beauty midweek outside school holidays. There's a half hourly 8A bus from Margate station to Botany Bay.
Margate Beach
Margate is without doubt in my mind one of the best sandy beaches near London for just about everyone:
- Little kids can paddle and swim easily in its natural harbour
- Teens can enjoy Dreamland, the vintage fun fair next to the beach
- Culture vultures can visit the Turner Contemporary.
- And foodies can indulge in amazing restaurants such as Angelas on the sea front.
You literally walk straight onto the beach from the station and trains take 90 minutes direct from St Pancras or one hour 45 minutes from Victoria.
Margate has two other sandy beaches, Walpole and Palm Bay. Walpole has a tidal pool and is great for swimmers and Palm Bay for dogs and wind surfing. Both can be reached by bus from Margate station.
Folkestone Beach
Folkestone has a long sandy beach, Sunny Sands, and is 54 minutes by train from St Pancras. The beach is 20 minutes from the station via the harbour. The harbour has been revived and has cool bars and restaurants.
Sunny Sands is covered for 2 hours either side of high tide so check tide times before your visit but when the tide is in there's still lots to enjoy :
- Boat trips from the harbour
- A huge free adventure playground
- Stunning formal & wild gardens in Lower Leas Coastal Park
- Swimming off the shingle on Folkestone beach.
Greatstone Beach
Greatstone Beach is a big sandy beach on the edge of beautiful Romney Marsh and close to better known Camber Sands. Greatstone beach has fewer facilities and the sand gets a bit muddy at low tide but it is much less busy on hot days and a good base for walks to weird and wonderful Dungeness.
The beach is not that easy by public transport but you can cycle across Romney Marsh from Appledore Station which is an hour from St Pancras changing at Ashford.
There are lots of cool and quirky places to stay on Romney Marsh for a long weekend trip from London which will get you on the sandy beaches at Greatstone, Camber and Broomhill Sands before the traffic jams.
Sussex Sandy Beaches
Sussex is that bit further to get to from London for sandy beaches but the Sussex sandy beaches really are magnificent and include :
- Camber Sands
- West Wittering
- Broomhill
- Littlehampton.
The trains to Littlehampton and Chichester for West Wittering take over 90 minutes but you can often get cheaper family tickets than to Kent.
Camber Sands
Camber Sands probably is the most beautiful sandy beach near London. It's miles of lovely sand backed by big dunes. But it is also the most popular and you can stuck in traffic for hours.
Camber is not the easiest sandy beach to get to by train but if you don't want to drive it's just 70 minutes on the train from London St Pancras to Rye changing at Ashford. There is then a bus to Camber Sands or a 20 minute cycle if you take bikes.
For a weekend there are cool places to stay on Romney Marsh.
Broomhill Sands
Broomhill Sands is Camber Sands is less well known neighbour. The beach has fewer facilities and isn't quite as sandy - there's some shingle - and it lacks Camber's beautiful dunes but it it can be easier to get in and out of by car on the Lydd Road and is better located for exploring Dungeness.
There are cool coastguard cottages to rent behind Broomhill Sands.
West Wittering
West Wittering is a huge sandy beach in an area of outstanding natural beauty in Sussex. The beach has basic facilities including toilets and a cafe.
The beach is popular on sunny days but gets quieter towards the National Trust's East Head. You now have to book parking online ahead of your visit but there can still be big traffic jams.
West Wittering is not the quickest sandy beach from London by train. The train to Chichester from Victoria takes 90 minutes and a cab or bus to the beach another 20-35 minutes.
Chichester - with a cathedral and roman villa - is a pretty place to stay for a weekend and you can then be on West Wittering beach in half an hour.
Littlehampton Beaches
Littlehampton in Sussex has two big beaches which are shingly at the top when the tide is in but otherwise sandy.
The popular East Beach has a funfair and amusements and is 15 minutes walk from Littlehampton station. Whilst the quieter West Beach over the river has sand dunes and a nature reserve. Both have very cool beach cafes.
It's an hour and 40 minutes direct on the train from Victoria and there are frequently cheap tickets available.
Littlehampton is close to Arundel Castle - just 20 minutes on the bus - so there's enough to do to fill a weekend.
So there you go, a big guide to the best sandy beaches near London including the quickest and cheapest beaches to get to plus cool and unusual sandy beaches that make great days out and weekends away from London. Enjoy.
For more day out ideas check out my other guides to fun things to do in London and follow me on Pinterest.
Original image source: Walton On Naze, Camber Sands
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