Best Sandy Family beaches a short drive from South East London

When the weather is hot and sunny and you live in London – you often think of escaping to the beach! Here’s some of the best Sandy beaches for families that are a short drive away from South East London. We might think we don’t live near the coast but many of these beaches are under 2 hours away from South East London and many of them are Blue Flag Beaches and stunning! I’ve only included beaches that have some sand (bare in mind this might be at low tide) there is nothing wrong with a rocky beach, they are a lot of fun but kids always love a sandy beach to build sandcastles!

Many of these beaches are also accessible by public transport – I’ve indicated if this is the case. If you don’t fancy a beach but are looking for some awesome free things to do in London – try these great FREE things to do in London!

Table of Contents

Best Sandy beaches near South East London

Minnis Bay

Minnis Bay is a blue flag beach in Birchington which is near Margate (a bustling arcade and busier town). There are seasonal lifeguards and an outdoor playground. It’s about an 1 hour 40 minute drive from South East London. There’s a small car park but there is also off street parking available, some free and some paid spots. There’s a few shops and restaurants in the area and there are public toilets. There are some rock pools at one end but they are only accessible during low tide. Birchington-on-sea is the closest station which is about 2 hours from London.

best sandy beach near south east london — Photo Credit: Jenny from peakdistrictkids.co.uk

sunset beach near south east london — *Photo Credit: Jenny from* peakdistrictkids.co.uk

Frensham Beach

This is a beautiful man made beach surrounded by woodland trails and plenty of walks. When it’s good weather – Frensham Great Pond is very popular. The car park is usually full by noon and there is no local parking. It costs £6 to park for the day and there are two car parks, one at Great Pond and one at Little Pond. During hot weather – you may find you cannot swim due to high algae content so check the website here before you go. It’s about 1 hour 30 minutes from South East London.

sandy beach near south east — Photo Credit: Sarah from Kippers and Curtains

Broadstairs

Broadstairs is one of the most popular beaches on our list. There’s a wide variety of paid for parking options although it does still get very busy on sunny days. There’s lots of lovely restaurants as well as fish and chips options and even a Food and Wine Festival in the Autumn. There’s two sets of public toilets and some rock pools. If you prefer somewhere quieter, you can walk past the pier and in five minutes you’ll get to Stone Bay. This is a much quieter but still sandy beach. Broadstairs is easily accessible by train from London, the station is about a 15 minute walk from the beach. Broadstairs beach is about a 1 hour 40 minute drive from South East London.

Greatstone

Further along from Camber Sands is a quieter, much less developed beach which is sandy and clean. There are very little tourist attractions around which makes for a lovely quiet day out to simply enjoy the beach with your kids. Greatstone is also a popular with a whole range of wind-based sports such as kite surfing, kite boarding and land yachting – it’s great for kite flying as there is plenty of space. Parking is £6 for the day and toilet facilities are available at local eateries – you can get ice creams and fish and chips from across the beach. It has many sand dunes to walk on when the tide is in which makes it a pretty. On a clear day you can see France from the beach. There are no-dogs zones in the summer but still parts of the beach you can walk dogs on.

Bell Wharf Beach – Leigh on Sea

This is a very small but lovely sandy beach near South East London. It has toilets (with a baby change) and ice creams and Leigh station is close by, as is the high street. The tide does go very far out but there is a paddling pool section – a small ‘fenced’ area on the beach where the sea remains when the tide has gone out which is perfect for small children to paddle in. There are a few pay and display car parks in the area, the quieter one is near Belton Bridge. It’s one of the closest beaches to South East London at 1 hour 15 minutes.

If you’d like more ideas for places for kids to cool down on a hot summer’s day then you’ll love our ideas for Best Splash Parks for Kids in South East London

West Wittering

West Wittering is one of the best sandy beaches near south east london – really lovely large sandy beach. You have to pay for parking a day in advance. It costs £8 for the day but the car park is large, organised and close to the beach. You can park elsewhere and walk into the beach, but the walk is over 15 minutes and it is very hard to find spaces during the busy season. There are toilets, a cafe and during busy season – there are lifeguards. West Wittering is a picture perfect beach with sand dunes and beach huts. The beach is clear and the sand is clean and once the tide is out there are many water spots for paddling or you can go for a swim and go out quite a way with it still only coming up to your knees! It’s slightly further away at around 2 hours drive from South East London.

sandy beaches near kent — West Wittering Beach

Need some ideas of things to do on the beach? Try clicking here for our favourite activities for kids to do on the beach and get your FREE Beach Scavenger Hunt!

Camber Sands

Camber Sands is a gorgeous sand dunes beach around 1 hour 25 minutes from South East London. It’s is a popular windsurfing / kite-surfing spot. The beach is also regarded as one of the best places for beachcombing in the UK. There are toilets but they are small. There is a ‘Water Sports Zone’ suitable for kite surfing and other water sports activities located at Broomhill car park, Camber Sands. Broomhill car park provides free parking and from there you can walk directly on to the area of the beach designated for kite and water sports. There are other car parks both opposite the beach and further down the road but it does get busy so set off early.

Sandy beaches near london — Photo Credit: Erica from www.thingstodoinkent.co.uk

Dymchurch

Dymchurch is a very long and wide sandy beach – it goes on and on at low tide and deserves to be one of the best sandy beaches near south east london! It’s a very tidy beach and well looked after, it does seem to be less busy than other Kent options such as Broadstairs. There are specific dog walking sections of the beach which is good for families eating picnics! Dymchurch is a traditional British seaside beach – there are Donkey rides for the kiddos along with amusements, fresh doughnut kiosk, an ice cream kiosk, gift shops and local cafes very close by. It has toilets and there are quite a few paid car parking options close by to the beach front. Dymchurch is approximately 1 hr 25 min from South East London.

Hope these suggestions help you have a lovely happy family day at the beach! If you’re not in the mood for a beach – here’s lots of family friendly things to do in London.

Best Sandy Beaches Near London

Map created using Wanderlog, a trip planner app on iOS and Android

If you’re local to South East London and are looking for some more family days out – we have a whole list of ideas of fun things to do with kids here: