Walpole Bay Tidal Pool

About

A little over a mile east of the harbour, below the cliffs at Cliftonville, there is a very large seawater tidal pool built out into the bay. At high tide it disappears into the sea and you would not know it was there; as the tide drops it separates out and holds a body of calm seawater long after the North Sea has gone somewhere else. That is what makes it the town's serious swimming spot rather than Main Sands: no current, no surf, and a swimmable depth at times when the actual sea is a long walk away. It is free, open at all times, and used year-round by a committed cold-water swimming crowd who are there in February in nothing but a swimsuit and a hat. There is no lifeguard and no supervision of any kind. Sea temperature around Thanet peaks in early autumn, so September is the friendliest month for a first go, and the water inside the pool warms faster than the open sea on a sunny day. Check the tide before you walk out, because the pool only exists as a pool for part of the cycle.

Highlights

• ✓Calm seawater with no current or surf
• ✓Free and open at all times
• ✓Year-round cold-water swimming community
• ✓Only a pool for part of the tidal cycle
• ✓A little over a mile east of the harbour

Tips

• →Check the tide first. At high water the pool is simply part of the sea.
• →There is no lifeguard. None. Swim with someone.
• →Early autumn is the warmest water of the year around Thanet, warmer than July.
• →The walk out along the promenade from the harbour is flat and takes about half an hour.
• →The descent from the clifftop to the pool involves steps.

Best Season