Swimming spots near Folkestone
10 swimming spots within 30 km of Folkestone, 10 of them designated bathing waters monitored by the Environment Agency (England). Nearest first — the closest is Folkestone, about 1 km away.
3 under a do-not-swim notice right now. 2 carrying a caution. 4 with no current pollution alert. 1 not monitored. 3 rated Excellent under the EU Bathing Water Directive, which describes four seasons of samples rather than today.
- Folkestone0.9 km from FolkestoneCaution
- Sandgate Granville Parade2.4 km from FolkestoneNot monitored
- Seabrook4.1 km from FolkestoneGood to go
- Hythe7.0 km from FolkestoneGood to go
- Dymchurch14.1 km from FolkestoneDo not swim
- St Mary's Bay (Kent)15.7 km from FolkestoneCaution
- St Margaret`s Bay16.5 km from FolkestoneGood to go
- Littlestone18.7 km from FolkestoneDo not swim
- Deal Castle22.6 km from FolkestoneDo not swim
- Sandwich Bay26.6 km from FolkestoneGood to go
Browse the wider area
Common questions
- Where can you swim near Folkestone?
- 10 sea, lake and river swimming spots lie within 30 km of Folkestone, spread across 2 areas. This page lists them by distance from the town rather than by county, because a boundary is not what decides where you drive.
- What is the nearest beach to Folkestone?
- Folkestone in Folkestone and Hythe, about 1 km away. It is the closest of the 10 listed here; the next few are within a short drive and each shows its current status, so the nearest is not always the one to pick.
- Is the water clean near Folkestone?
- 10 of these 10 spots are designated bathing waters with published monitoring, from the Environment Agency (England). Monitoring covers bacterial quality only — it says nothing about tides, currents, swell or cold-water shock, and nothing here is a clearance to swim.
- Which spots near Folkestone have the best water quality?
- 3 of them hold Excellent, the top classification under the EU Bathing Water Directive, based on bacterial samples across the previous four bathing seasons. That describes a four-year record rather than the water today — each spot page shows both.
- Can you swim near Folkestone right now?
- 5 of the 10 are currently flagged, including 3 under an active do-not-swim notice, and 4 have no current pollution alert. These change day to day, so check the individual spot before you travel.