Today I thought we could play a game. It’s called ‘Guess where the above picture was taken.’ Let’s look for clues: calm, clear water, shingle-sandy beach, endless blue sky, retro-green beach umbrella, hardly anybody around. Where could it be?
Remote Greek island, perhaps? Somewhere in Sicily. Maybe Croatia. Give up? OK, I’ll tell you. You’ll find this lovely snapshot of a beach a 10-minute drive from the city of Brighton and Hove on England’s south coast. It’s my latest spot in Brighton for escaping the summer crowds, revealed in this post.
So, if like me, you enjoy seeking out places others might not know about, this guide to secret beaches near Brighton is for you. So grab your Panama hat and bikini and let’s go!
1 Kemptown Beach is the quietest beach along the seafront stretch in Brighton and Hove. It’s also your best bet if you still want to be within walking distance of the city, but not in the thick of it. Despite its proximity to the centre of town, it always amazes me how quiet it is down by the water’s edge.
To find Kemptown Beach, head east from the Palace Pier along Madeira Drive, past the Volks Railway station until you get to this incredible seafront sauna-spa. Here, you’ll see a gate through and over the railway track to the beach! As you walk towards the sea, you’ll start to feel a million miles away from the crazy crowds that build up on Madeira Drive at the weekend and on sunny days.
This beach gets bonus points for being close to my ‘secret Brighton beach club’, a permanent pop-up-style beachfront village home to the incredible sauna-spa I talked about above, this cool café-beach-bar for your morning coffee and evening sundowner, volleyball courts and this cafe for healthy salads.
2 Shoreham Beach and boardwalk. Despite how close Shoreham Beach is to Brighton and Hove – a brisk flat 20-minute cycle along the seafront – plenty of long-time residents overlook it and its boardwalk, which features in my bestselling guide to Secret Brighton, as a tranquil place for a beach day and stroll.
With its rare vegetated shingle habitat and modernist beach houses, it feels like you’ve stumbled on a wild part of southwestern Australia, parts of Canada or California. It’s also close to this incredible houseboat AirBnB set within a houseboat community which is fun to explore when you’re in the area.
3 Southwick Beach. Close to Shoreham Beach above, despite its bizarre industrial setting – it backs onto Shoreham Power Station – this beach is huge, spacious, and sandy at low tide!
It’s popular with surfers and close to a proper cafe for sausage sandwiches, mugs of tea etc, and Shoreham Harbour for a walk around the canals to look at the boats.
4 Ovingdean Beach. This peaceful shingle beach is a favourite with locals and my recent favourite discovery. Even on the hottest of days, you’ll find only a handful of people enjoying it. This is probably due to its location a few miles east of Brighton.
Tourists don’t seem to make it this far unless they’ve been tipped off or are cycling or walking along the Undercliff Path. Driving here is a little more tricky as you have to park inland, and then walk through a foot tunnel under the road to get to it.
You’ll know you’ve made it when you spot the row of whitewashed Art Deco beach huts with their wavy roofs, one of which is a classic British cafe by day, serving basic hot drinks, bacon sandwiches, and cakes which get great reviews.
So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed my guide to the hidden beaches near Brighton.
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