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Walpole Bay

Big sandy bay east of Margate with an expansive tidal pool. Works in a broad N / NE / E / SE arc — a good Thanet alternative to Minnis when the wind backs east. Shallow and flat at low tide, popular with novices. Kite Pirates run sessions here.

ParkingLaunch area🚻 Public toilets (promenade)☕ Walpole Bay Hotel tearoom🏄 Kite Pirates Kite School➤Today's wind direction (N ~13 kt at low tide ~10:17 (window 07:17–13:17 BST)) 🚗 Directions • Open in Google Maps: Parking • Launch area • Public toilets (promenade) • Walpole Bay Hotel tearoom • Kite Pirates Kite School
Region
Kent
Skill level
Beginner OK at low tide
Best tide window
Low to mid tide
Bathing water
The bathing water at Walpole Bay, Margate is rated Good. (EA)
Windguru
Windguru forecast →
Tide station
Margate
Tide data
UKHO Admiralty — 6-day coverage (BST)
Wind data
Multi-model composite: AROME-FR 1.3km + UKV 2km own the first 60 h; ICON / Zephr-HD / IFS-HRES / GFS extend to the end of day 7
Last updated
Page rebuilt: 19 July 2026 00:22 BST
Forecast data: 18 July 2026 23:31 BST
Tide data: 18 July 2026 23:31 BST
📏 Tide heights — next 7 days (chart datum at Margate)
Sun 19HW 04:25 4.6m · LW 10:15 1.0m · HW 16:35 4.7m · LW 23:05 0.5m
Mon 20HW 05:10 4.4m · LW 10:55 1.1m · HW 17:15 4.6m · LW 23:45 0.7m
Tue 21HW 05:50 4.2m · LW 11:40 1.2m · HW 17:55 4.4m
Wed 22LW 00:25 0.9m · HW 06:40 4.0m · LW 12:30 1.4m · HW 18:50 4.2m
Thu 23LW 01:20 1.1m · HW 07:40 3.9m · LW 13:40 1.5m · HW 19:55 4.0m
Fri 24LW 02:25 1.3m · HW 08:45 3.9m · LW 15:00 1.5m · HW 21:05 4.0m
No measured beach/groyne height for this spot yet — log a beach report to add one.
🧭 Wind directions
N: bestNNE: goodNE: goodENE: goodE: bestESE: bestSE: okSSE: okS: no_goSSW: no_goSW: no_goWSW: no_goW: no_goWNW: excludedNW: excludedNNW: excludedNESW
Walpole Bay, Margate, faces ~NE. Onshore N-through-SE arc; SW–W is offshore over the town.
green = works (brightest = side-on) · blue = cross-shore · orange = side-off / unproven (care) · red = offshore, never · grey = excluded locally

Next 7 days at Walpole BayLighter option: Sun 19 Jul ~17 kt — viable — a powered-down 12 m session.

Windguru forecast

7-day forecast

Wind scale: <10 10–11 12–13 14–15 16–19 20–29 30+ kt ⚠

Multi-model composite: the first 60 hours come from AROME-FR 1.3km and UKV 2km (AROME first, UKV filling its gaps); beyond 60 h the best available of HARM-DK 2km → ICON 2.2km → Zephr-HD 2.6km → IFS-HRES 9km → GFS 13km extends the table to the end of day 7. Temperature blended from GFS. Tides from UKHO Admiralty (BST, 6-day window). Always verify on Windguru.

Sun 19 Jul

HW 04:25 4.6m LW 10:15 1.0m HW 16:35 4.7m LW 23:05 0.5m
Marginal — ~13 kt, big kites only. Peak ~13 kt N in the tide window. marginal — larger kites (14 m+) — most riders won't get planing; 15 m+/foil specialists only.
Time
Wind
Gust
Dir
Cloud
Temp
06:00
17 kt
23 kt
↓ NNW
11%
16°C
09:00
14 kt
22 kt
↓ N
17%
16°C
12:00
9 kt
13 kt
↓ N
89%
17°C
15:00
10 kt
15 kt
↙ NNE
73%
17°C
18:00
11 kt
18 kt
↙ NE
68%
17°C
21:00
16 kt
21 kt
↓ NNE
46%
17°C

Mon 20 Jul

HW 05:10 4.4m LW 10:55 1.1m HW 17:15 4.6m LW 23:45 0.7m
Marginal — ~13 kt, big kites only. Peak ~13 kt N in the tide window. marginal — larger kites (14 m+) — most riders won't get planing; 15 m+/foil specialists only.
Time
Wind
Gust
Dir
Cloud
Temp
06:00
14 kt
20 kt
↓ N
25%
16°C
09:00
14 kt
20 kt
↓ N
41%
17°C
12:00
12 kt
16 kt
↙ NE
14%
17°C
15:00
11 kt
16 kt
↙ ENE
3%
17°C
18:00
12 kt
19 kt
↙ NE
16%
18°C
21:00
16 kt
21 kt
↙ NE
4%
17°C

Tue 21 Jul

HW 05:50 4.2m LW 11:40 1.2m HW 17:55 4.4m
Marginal — ~11 kt, big kites only. Peak ~11 kt NNE in the tide window. marginal — big kites (15 m+)/foils — most riders won't get planing; 15 m+/foil specialists only.
Time
Wind
Gust
Dir
Cloud
Temp
06:00
13 kt
18 kt
↓ N
14%
17°C
09:00
12 kt
17 kt
↓ NNE
21%
17°C
12:00
8 kt
12 kt
↙ NE
7%
17°C
15:00
6 kt
10 kt
← E
1%
17°C
18:00
9 kt
13 kt
↙ ENE
2%
18°C
21:00
6 kt
10 kt
← E
—
17°C

Wed 22 Jul

LW 00:25 0.9m HW 06:40 4.0m LW 12:30 1.4m HW 18:50 4.2m
Sub-kiteable — peak only 7 kt. Peak wind only 7 kt from W in the tide window. Below the kiteable threshold for almost every rider.
Time
Wind
Gust
Dir
Cloud
Temp
05:00
7 kt
10 kt
↗ SW
70%
16°C
06:00
7 kt
10 kt
↗ SW
66%
16°C
07:00
8 kt
11 kt
↗ SW
88%
17°C
10:00
7 kt
9 kt
→ W
80%
19°C
13:00
1 kt
4 kt
↙ NNE
93%
19°C
16:00
13 kt
17 kt
↙ ENE
86%
18°C
19:00
12 kt
16 kt
↙ ENE
8%
18°C

Thu 23 Jul

LW 01:20 1.1m HW 07:40 3.9m LW 13:40 1.5m HW 19:55 4.0m
Sub-kiteable — peak only 7 kt. Peak wind only 7 kt from E in the tide window. Below the kiteable threshold for almost every rider.
Time
Wind
Gust
Dir
Cloud
Temp
07:00
14 kt
19 kt
↓ N
14%
16°C
10:00
12 kt
16 kt
↓ NNE
66%
16°C
13:00
6 kt
9 kt
↙ NNE
11%
18°C
16:00
7 kt
10 kt
← E
1%
17°C
19:00
9 kt
13 kt
← E
—
17°C

Fri 24 Jul

LW 02:25 1.3m HW 08:45 3.9m LW 15:00 1.5m HW 21:05 4.0m
Marginal — ~13 kt, big kites only. Peak ~13 kt SE in the tide window. marginal — big kites (15 m+)/foils — most riders won't get planing; 15 m+/foil specialists only.
Time
Wind
Gust
Dir
Cloud
Temp
07:00
6 kt
9 kt
↗ SW
—
16°C
10:00
5 kt
7 kt
↑ S
1%
19°C
13:00
11 kt
15 kt
↖ SE
46%
19°C
16:00
15 kt
16 kt
↑ SSE
97%
21°C
19:00
16 kt
20 kt
↑ SSW
97%
22°C

Sat 25 Jul

No tide data
Not kiteable today — wind from WNW. Peak 11 kt from WNW is not a working direction at Walpole Bay. Working directions here: NNE / NE / ENE / E / ESE / SE.
Time
Wind
Gust
Dir
Cloud
Temp
07:00
11 kt
14 kt
→ WNW
100%
19°C
10:00
9 kt
11 kt
→ WNW
100%
18°C
13:00
8 kt
10 kt
→ WSW
100%
20°C
16:00
8 kt
18 kt
→ WSW
100%
17°C
19:00
8 kt
10 kt
→ W
82%
22°C
Tide times: UKHO Admiralty predictions via Admiralty Tidal API. Times in BST, rounded to nearest 5 min. Wind & temperature: Windguru multi-model composite (AROME-FR + UKV 2km for the first 60 h, then ICON / Zephr-HD / IFS-HRES / GFS out to day 7). Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Important: Forecasts are model-derived and may change. Always verify on Windguru and check local tide tables before you go. LKSA accepts no liability for decisions made based on this forecast.