Kent Beachcombing Guide - Deal to Beginning of Sandwich Bay Estate

Though the town of Deal itself is lovely, I have to admit that Deal beach is not the best place to go beachcombing, I'm going to find it hard to write this guide as after 3 hours walking and scanning, from Deal to the beginning of Sandwich Bay Estate, we found hardly anything at all.

The high tide line was pretty much non existent, and any shells that had been thrown up on the beach had been quickly smashed. It was clear that Deal beach does not catch much in the way of 'sea treasures' - It seems as if everything is pushed into Sandwich Bay instead. IMO There is a huge difference in beachcombing at Sandwich. (one of the best places I've been beachcombing) and Deal (one of the worst places I've been beachcombing)

Deal's great for fishing though, and the shingle beach makes a nice spot to sit and have fish and chips.


Type of Beach: Deal has a very steep shingle beach with patches of sand here and there towards the low tide mark. It has wide berms (the shelves that run along the top of the shingle banks) and is quite hard to walk along as it is so steep.

There are groynes on the beach and further along, closer to Sandwich bay, there are rocky sea defences.

Is Deal Beach Good for Kids?: I used to enjoy going to Deal as a child, this was mainly to fish from the pier. If kids enjoy throwing stones into the sea (which most of them do, lol) then Deal is perfect.

Amenities: Plenty of unique shops, the pier, cafes, toilets, parking, pubs, you name it.


What Can be Found There?: OK, so I did mention before that we did not find much at all at Deal. I will give it another try, after a storm or something and see it it's more productive.

Sea Shells: These were all common shells, mainly whelk, and very few and far between. Every shell was smashed.

Fish: We found 3 (2 to 3ft long) lesser spotted dog fish stranded on the berms at Deal beach. I suspect that if you pop down to the beach just as a high tide is receding, you could probably pick them up fresh from off the beach, without having to even cast a line into the sea.

Geodes: I wish I had concentrated on looking for more geodes at Deal. there are quite a lot there amongst the shingle. It's probably one of the best places to find them after Copt point in Folkestone. Look for stones with cavities as these are geodes that have been broken open, the crystals will be easier to see if the stone is dry too, so look nearer the top of the beach.

Fishing Tackle: Plenty of fishing weights at the low tide mark.