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General
Sandwich Bay is situated on the Eastern coast of Kent, about five miles
south of Ramsgate. This beach was removed from the listing after reports
of problems in past years with the adjacent golf club and new buildings
which overlooked the beach.. More recent reports suggest that parts of the
beach are still frequented by naturists, so we have re-listed it - but
beware of unfriendly 'natives' .
Access & Parking
Note: access to the beach is complicated by the presence of a 'Private
Estate' which levies a toll for use of the roads to the beach and the golf
course(s).
From Ramsgate to the north take the the A256 to Sandwich. The A256
bypasses Sandwich itself - which has "a notorious one-way system"
- so turn off to reach the town.
From the near the town railway station, take St. Georges Road to the
Private Estate, past a turning to Sir Roger Manwood's school. Follow the
bends and pay at the toll booth (£4 per day, season ticket £42
for 2000) then turn left and left again. At the seafront drive to the end
of the road. Park at the end, collect your gear and prepare to hike for
about 15mins northwards....
From Deal, take a minor road north (parallel to the coast) that becomes a
single track across a golf course. This brings you to to the same Private
Estate and but a different toll booth. Having paid the toll, turn right
then left along the seafront. Look out for 'Golf Road' and signs to a
caravan park.
One contributor suggests: "To avoid the tolls, as you are heading
south from Sandwich you will see a road to your left which leads to a golf
club, just as you go over a little bridge the road follows a drainage
channel .....follow that road but bear left and keep going until you come
to a farm where you can park. There is a footpath indicated which takes
you across the golf course but straight to the nudist section of the
beach....dont strip off on the golf course.. the natives are hostile!!"
Description
The whole beach is a long sandy bay. At the Southern end there is steep
stone beach which protects the Private Estate and home of the former MP
Jonathan Aitken. As you go North and the sand takes over there is a
popular family (textile) beach also popular with windsurfers. Going still
further North, the road ends and the thin line of dunes starts. Adjoining
the whole beach is a golf course and the Members aren't too keen on
naturists. As the dunes start so the beach seems to become less 'textile'
and the further north you go the more naked couples you will find. The
line of dunes doesn't afford much in the way of privacy from the footpath
but most people don't seem to be too worried. When the tide is out there
is a massive sandy beach to stroll along and the beach is said to be
well-used despite the cost of access by car and the long walk from the car
park to the nude section. Distractions include watching the passing
Ramsgate-Dunkirk ferries!
UPDATE: August 5th 1998
A recent visitor was: "saddened by the amount of rubbish that
was on the foreshore - it spoils what could be a nice beach". He
also points out that the designation of the area as a nature reserve may
mean visits from school parties - but only in term-time presumably.
UPDATE: July 2000
"Naturists... will be familiar with some of the problems
experienced at this beach over the years - antagonism by the adjoining
golf club owners, bad sea water pollution and large amounts of rubbish on
the beach are just some. On a recent visit, the good news was that the
beach is reasonably clean, the water is much better (thanks to new sewage
treatment along the coast) and the golf club seems to have calmed down."
"I would suggest that you keep your kecks on until you pass the Golf Clubhouse, most everyone else does though families are tolerated in front of it but struttin' your stuff where the gentlefolk are bashing their balls or looking out to sea sipping a bucks fizz is not appreciated..."
Reports suggest that estate security guards are always on the lookout for "flashers" [naturists] and WILL call in the police. Also, local residents are trying to prevent naturist use of the beach, so BEWARE. To avoid trouble you should walk a long way past the car park - nearly to end of the beach - and keep out of sight of the golf course.
Facilities
As usual bring your own or stock up in Sandwich.
Water Quality
Was poor at one time, but has been greatly improved by the installation
of an "extensive new sewage works" in 1999.
Trip Report - September 2005
"I visited this beach for the first time today on a glorious late summer Sunday.
The suggestion to avoid the tolls (now £5.00 per car) by parking at the end of the farm road leading off the St Georges Golf Club access road is a good one, provided you don't mind the extra 10-minute walk across the golf course. On reaching the beach car park I walked north a short way (not far enough, it transpired) but could see only textiles in both directions, so I simply stripped off where I was in mid-beach (about 50 yards from the nearest textiles) and spent about 3 hours there, swimming, eating, reading, with no objections from the many textiles who passed me as they strolled along the beach.
Later, when the tide went out, I enjoyed a 4-mile naked walk all the way up the beach to the River Stour estuary and back again. Doing this revealed that the naturist stretch of beach was further north than I'd imagined - lots of couples and some single men, mostly basing themselves close to the low dunes for privacy. If you feel safer being surrounded by other naturists, keep walking north till you see them. But if, like me, you're happy mingling with textiles, it seems you can pick any part of the beach that's not too crowded. I sighted no other naked walkers during my stroll - do naturists not enjoy beach walks, or are they too scared to come out from behind their windshields, even when the remoter parts of the beach are virtually deserted?"
Trip Report - May 2005
"Recent visits to this beach throughout last summer (2004) suggest there is no problem with the local golfers, provided one doesn't wander inland towards the golf course. The beach is actually out of sight of playing golfers, behind dunes & long grasses.
In practice, a great time can be had by all on the beach from a point roughly adjacent to the club house northwards for several hundred metres. My wife and I joined several nude couples and families sunbathing, playing on the beach and swimming, and will definitely return. The cost of access and parking the car all day is little different from any other public car park and is well worth it. Although this is an unofficial site, take some comfort from the fact that the local police are not interested in genuine naturists along here."
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