Hythe Beach

Hythe Beach is a long shingle coastline on the Kent coast, with the military canal running parallel and Sandgate and Seabrook stretching along the same sweep. It’s very much a seaside walk-and-sit kind of place rather than a sandcastle epic, and the reviews suggest it stays fairly calm even when there are plenty of people about. The best bits for families are the low-tide paddling, the small lagoon inshore of the rocky reef, and the simple pleasure of hunting for stones or watching fishing boats head out. There are cafés and chip options nearby, and one reviewer praised a clean café toilet stop, which, as any parent knows, can make or break the day. The downsides are the usual shingle-beach ones: it’s not the easiest for little legs dragging beach kit, parking can be busy, and the toilets at one end were described as not the cleanest. It sounds best suited to families who want a relaxed seaside stroll and a splash, rather than a full-on beach attraction with lots to do.