Best Beaches with Rockpool’s Near London
Rock pooling is a fun and free outdoor activity the whole family can enjoy! It is an easy and cheap way to entertain kids at the beach fora whole day. Rock pools are magical worlds full of sea creatures and kids can explore a whole range of interesting sights, smells and textures. It’s fun to be able to sneak a peek and explore ocean life without having to venture out to sea. Each rock pool can be teaming with life and makes a fun activity for kids to do on the beach whether the weather is dry or wet. Rock pooling is also a great activity for kids to do at the beach during the winter. There are plenty of beaches near London – we’ve written about our favourite sandy beaches here. Keep reading for the closest beaches to London where you can find the best places to go rock pooling!
If you’re off to the beach – you’ll love our ‘Things to do on a Beach with Kids’
Best places to go rock pooling near London
Seven Sisters Country Park, East Sussex
Seven Sisters is a beach with chalk cliffs and wonderful views on a clear day. It’s a very pebbly beach and you do have to walk 2km to get to this beach. You follow the ‘beach trail’ signs along the river Cuckmere to be rewarded with spectacular views of the Seven Sisters cliffs and some great rockpools at low tide.
- Distance from London: 1 hr 45 min drive
- Nearest Station: Eastbourne (with a bus needed to get to the country park.)
Hope Gap, Sussex
Near Seven Sisters, Hope Gap is a small beach at low tide that is a good place to go rockpooling near London. At high tide, the beach is covered so you can only access at low tide via some stone steps so check the tide times before visiting. It is a great place for rockpoolers. Look out for strawberry anemones and velvet swimming crabs.
Rottingdean
Rottingdean is a popular beach just outside Brighton. It’s a popular spot which has great rock pools and is a lovely place for a day trip. You can spot crabs here and there are lots of good cafes in Rottingdean!
- Distance from London: 1 hr 45 min drive
- Nearest Station: Brighton (with a bus needed to get to the beach.)
Kingsdown Beach, Deal
This pebble beach in Deal has plenty of rock pools to explore and is a great coastal walk. There’s lots of tea rooms on the sea front and the beach is an easy walk from the train station.
- Distance from London: 2 hr 15 min drive
- Nearest Station: Deal
Reculver Beach
There are plenty of rock pools to explore on a day out here, with the shingle beach stretching ten miles along the north Kent coast so it’s an ideal spot for rockpooling. Reculver is also good for fossil hunting. There’s also new public toilets which are useful for families. The beach is also dog friendly, and a popular walking and cycling route.
- Distance from London: 2 hr drive
Broadstairs Beach
This is a lovely sandy beach. When the tide is out, there are rockpools.
- Distance from London: 2 hr 15 drive
- Nearest Station: Broadstairs
Samphire Hoe, Kent
Samphire Hoe in Kent has a large rock pool and a beach with plenty of space At low tide you get up to seven species of crab and prawns and shrimp, dogfish eggs and anemones. You can find multicoloured seaweed and shells on the beach.
- Distance from London: 1 hr 15 drive
What can you find when you’re rock pooling in the UK
The most common little sea creatures and wildlife that you’ll find rock pooling when in the UK include, small fish crabs, shrimps, anemones, limpets, snails and starfish.
What equipment do you need for rock pooling with kids?
The beauty of rock pooling is you need very little equipment to get started and it’s cheap and easy to get what you need to enjoy rock pooling. It also can be done in shallow waters so it can be safe for kids. All you need is:
- A Bucket to put your findings in
- A spade – to dig around in the sand
- Water shoes/ Jelly shoes (optional)
- A fish net to explore the rock pools
- A fishing line (optional)
- A white shallow dish or tray
- Magnifying Glass
Top Tips for Rockpooling with Kids
- Check the weather – rock pooling is a great thing to do in cool weather but it can be a bit slippery on the rocks if it rains
- Check the Tide Timetable! Some rock pools are only visible when the tide is out!
- Jelly shoes or surfing/ water shoes are recommended so that you don’t slip on the seaweed or rocks.
- Teach kids how to move the net in a figure of eight so as to be gentle to the wildlife
How to go Rockpooling with Kids
- Fill your containers about halfway with sea water – you might want to have separate containers or buckets to keep some creatures apart, such as large and small crabs.
- Sea creatures like to stay cool and damp so look into deep pools, crevices and holes in the rock and gently lift stones and seaweed. Make sure you replace stones and seaweed exactly as they were and leave the creatures where you found them.
- Start searching in the shallow rockpools to see what you can find. Using your hands, carefully lift rocks to look underneath and see what creatures might be dwelling underneath.
- You could draw what you find, or take some photos with your camera. Don’t forget to use your rockpooling ID sheet to tick off what you’ve found!
- When you’ve finished looking, make sure you return the animals back to the sea where you found them.
How to go crabbing with Kids
Another great beach activity for kids to try is crabbing. Find a suitable spot on a harbour wall. The best places to try crabbing near London are:
Best Places to go crabbing with kids near London
- West Witterings in West Sussex
- St Margaret’s Bay in Kent
- Whitstable Harbour
- Canvey Island, Essex
What do you need to go Crabbing with Kids?
Again you don’t need much to go crabbing with kids. A bucket, lines or a net and some bait is all you need. A clear bucket is good so that you can see the crabs up close. Bacon or any fish off-cuts are ideal as bait. Bacon that’s slightly passed it’s sell by date also works well. You also need a crabbing net or a crabbing line. We prefer crabbing hoop nets as we tend to catch more crabs with these. But crabbing lines are fun, particularly for older kids. See a good crabbing kit to buy here.
When Is The Best Time To Go Crabbing
The best time of day to go crabbing is just before high tide and then up to two hours after high tide. The water moves faster with the tide and encourages the crabs to be active. This is the point you find you’ll catch more. Crabbing can also be done at low tide, or when the tide is going out but there are less crabs available then. The best time of year to go crabbing is during the Summer months when the water is warmer. During the Winter when the water is cold, the crabs may not be as visible.
Hope these crabbing and rock pooling tips have been useful! Try all our beach activities for kids here.
