Walpole Bay Tidal Pool
Built in 1937 and covering about four acres of the Cliftonville foreshore, Walpole Bay's concrete-walled tidal pool is thought to be the largest in the UK, refilled by every high tide and about two metres deep at the seaward end. Swim it once the tide has dropped below the walls; there are no lifeguards, toilets or showers, and regulars swim here right through the winter.
Photo: Eddusgl · CC BY-SA 4.0
Latest reading · SwimScore 78/100 (Good swim) for a typical swimmer: air 19°C, wind 22 km/h, waves 0.3 m, UV 0. Updated .
Know before you go
- Best conditions
- A falling or low tide, once the walls are exposed and the pool is holding water; check tide times, as it can be rough around high tide.
- Getting in
- Free, open-access tidal pool entered from the beach end, which has no wall. There are no lifeguards or facilities, so everyone swims on their own responsibility.
- Parking & transport
- No on-site parking. Free on-street parking on the nearby cliff-top roads and residential streets, or the Lido Car Park on Ethelbert Terrace (CT9 1RX). Nearest station: Margate.
- Lifeguards
- None; the pool is never lifeguarded.
- Water quality
- The surrounding Walpole Bay, Margate designated bathing water was rated Good by the Environment Agency in 2024 and 2025.
- Season
- Used all year round, including through the winter. Walpole Bay Swimmers say the pool is drained for maintenance roughly every six months.
- Who swims here
- Walpole Bay Swimmers, an open community of regulars, run weekly social swims and events at the pool.
- Watch for
- Pool walls are fully submerged at high tide and the sea can be rough
- Depth varies, up to about 2.1 m at the seaward end
- Sluice and drainage outlets: storm damage in 2023 led to warnings about being pulled underwater
- Occasional closures and low water levels during repairs (most recently January 2026)
- Cold water in winter
- Facilities
- No changing rooms, toilets or showers at the pool · Café, mini golf, tennis and the Walpole Bay Hotel close by
Sources: visitthanet.co.uk, en.wikipedia.org, theisleofthanetnews.com, kentonline.co.uk, research.uca.ac.uk, assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
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Details
- Location
- Margate, England, United Kingdom
- Type
- ocean
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Coordinates
- 51.3933, 1.4042