Beaches South East England Botany Bay - Margate | Botany Bay - Margate |
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General
Botany Bay is located at Kingsgate on the north-eastern tip of Kent. It offers a long sandy beach with low cliffs, sand dunes and excellent clean waters. The area long used by naturists is to the north of the main beach. It involves a short walk and tends to be fairly quiet - apart from hot sunny weekends when some folk choose to avoid the masses on the main beach. 
Thanet District Council attempted to discourage naturists by erecting "prohibition notices" in 2007. This was challenged and the general view is that the Council have no powers to enforce their attempted ban. The notices have now been removed. In 2009 local naturists have promoted the idea that the dunes to the north of Kingsgate beach could be designated as an "official" naturist beach. Getting There Botany Bay is on the north-eastern-most tip of Kent. Getting there by public transport isn't particularly convenient. The nearest rail stations are Margate (3 miles away) and Broadstairs (2½ miles away), both with a poor bus service to Kingsgate. Things are much better for car drivers who can usually find plenty of free on-street parking in roads close to the access to the beach. For those approaching from London, a suggested route is the A2, A299 (Thanet Way), A28 (to the outskirts of Margate) and B2052. At Kingsgate turn off the B2052 (now George Hill Road) into Botany Road, Percy Avenue or Kingsgate Avenue and park near the far end. Access to the main beach is via two paved slipways (one with toilets). To reach the "naturist beach" from the main beach, turn left (i.e. northwest-wards) and walk about half-a-mile. There is an alternative access via steps beside the coastguard station at Foreness Point but the bottom of these can be underwater and a problem at high tide. For those who choose this route, there's free on-street parking on nearby Palm Bay Avenue (the B2051). Description Botany Bay has two beach areas. The main (southern) beach is the one favoured by most of the public and especially families. It's close to their cars, has toilet and snacks facilities and is usually manned by lifeguards in Summer months. The "naturist beach" involves a short walk to the northwest and comprises a sandy beach with a narrow strip of sand dunes backed by low chalk cliffs. Most naturists tend to settle on the edge of (or in) the dunes. Although the dunes can be overlooked from the clifftops and there are some walkers (often exercising dogs) along the waters edge, there are few (if any) problems about use of this part of the beach for naturism.  
This part of the coast provides a good view of the busy shipping lanes serving traffic from The Thames, the North Sea and the English Channel, so there's plenty to see and a pair of binoculars can be useful. Facilities The only facilities at Botany Bay are: * toilets on the access to the main beach; * a kiosk selling light refreshments on the main beach; and * a Thorley Taverns pub and restaurant on the clifftop about 150 yards from the beach access slipways.There are no facilities on the area favoured by naturists. Water Quality In a word - excellent. This is the North Sea, though, so it can be chilly early in the season. The seabed is mostly sandy with few rocks - although non-swimmers need to be aware that the tides can create dips in the seabed sand. Websites If you want to see what Botany Bay looks like, there are some photographs at: The Beach Kiosk at Botany Bay also has a website at: |
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