Weston-super-Mare beach is two miles of golden sand with a Grand Pier in the middle, donkeys in summer and a tide that goes out further than almost anywhere in Britain. It is a classic English seaside day, and it is ten minutes from our cottages. We have spent more days on it than we can count, so here are ten tips to make yours a good one.
In this guide
1. Understand the tide before anything else
The Bristol Channel has the second highest tidal range in the world, and on Weston-super-Mare beach that means the sea can be a mile away at low water. Check the tide times before you go. High tide is for paddling and swimming near the pier; low tide is for kites, football and long walks across the sand. Stay within the marked areas, because the mud beyond the sand is dangerous.
2. Start at the Grand Pier
The pier is the landmark and the natural meeting point. Opened in 1904 and rebuilt after a fire in 2008, it now has a huge pavilion at the end with arcades, rides and an indoor play area. Walking out over the water is free and the views back along the bay are the best in town.
3. Swim in the Marine Lake when the sea is out
At the northern end of the seafront, beside Knightstone Island, the Marine Lake holds water when the tide goes out. It is shallow, sheltered and popular for paddling, crabbing and paddleboarding. Knightstone Island itself has cafés and restaurants with tables looking across the bay.
4. Park at the ends, not the middle
The seafront car parks by the pier fill early on sunny days. Try the northern end near Knightstone or the southern end towards Uphill, both of which have a flat promenade walk into the centre. Better still, stay with us in Kewstoke and take the bus, which drops you on the seafront.
5. Bring the dog, but check the signs
Dogs are welcome on the beach outside the busy months and on the end sections all year, but the central stretch has seasonal restrictions. Look for the signs at each entrance. If you would rather not worry about it, Sand Bay and Uphill a few minutes away are dog friendly all year. Our dog beaches guide has the full list.
6. Donkeys, deckchairs and ice cream
Weston has had donkey rides on the beach for well over a century, and they still run in the summer months near the pier. Deckchairs, ice cream, fish and chips and candyfloss are all along the promenade. It is a proper old-fashioned seaside and all the better for it.
7. Walk the promenade
The flat, paved promenade runs the whole length of the bay from Knightstone to Uphill, about two miles each way. It is perfect for buggies, bikes and evening strolls, with gardens, cafés and the Winter Gardens along the way. Uphill at the far end has the old church on the hill and a marina café for a turning point.
8. Look for Birnbeck Pier
At the northern edge of the bay you can see Birnbeck Pier, the only pier in Britain that links to an island. It has been closed for years and is being restored, but it is a striking sight from the promenade and from Sand Bay on the other side. The Cove, a seafront restaurant nearby, has one of the best views of it.
9. Escape the crowds at Sand Bay and Uphill
On a hot August Saturday the town beach is busy. Ten minutes away, Sand Bay is a long, quiet crescent of sand below Sand Point, and Uphill has dunes and a nature reserve. Both are dog friendly and both have cafés. We live at Sand Bay and think it is the better beach, but we are biased.
10. Time your visit with an event
Weston-super-Mare beach hosts the Weston Air Festival in summer, the Sand Sculpture Festival on the sand in front of the pier, and the carnival procession along the seafront in November. Our events guide and the Visit Weston-super-Mare site have dates.
Weston-super-Mare beach through the year
Summer is the classic season, with donkeys, deckchairs and the pier in full swing, and the beach at its busiest on sunny weekends. Spring and autumn are our favourite times: warm enough for sandcastles, quiet enough for a walk, and with the best light for photographs. Winter on Weston-super-Mare beach is empty and bracing, with big skies, storm-watching from the promenade and hot chocolate afterwards. The pier and the seafront cafés stay open all year.
A history of Weston-super-Mare beach
Weston grew from a fishing village into one of the great Victorian resorts once the railway arrived in 1841, bringing day-trippers from Bristol and the Midlands to the sands. The Grand Pier opened in 1904, the Winter Gardens followed in 1927, and Birnbeck Pier at the northern end was the landing stage for paddle steamers from Wales. The famous tide, which exposes more than a mile of sand at low water, has been part of the town’s character from the start, and so has the sand yachting and kite flying it makes possible.
Swimming at Weston-super-Mare beach
The sea here is safe to swim in near the pier around high tide, and there are lifeguards on the central section in summer. Never swim at low tide, because the water is a long way out across soft mud, and never try to walk out to the water’s edge beyond the marked sand. The Marine Lake at Knightstone is the reliable option: it is enclosed, shallow and full whatever the tide is doing.
Where to eat on the seafront
The promenade is lined with cafés, fish and chip shops and ice cream parlours from the pier to Knightstone, and the island itself has restaurants with tables over the water. The Winter Gardens and the streets behind the seafront have more. For a picnic, the grass of the seafront gardens and the sea wall by the pier are the classic spots, and the big supermarkets are a short drive inland.
Accessibility on Weston-super-Mare beach
- The promenade is flat and paved for its full two-mile length, with slopes down to the sand at intervals.
- Beach wheelchairs are available to hire in summer; ask at the seafront information points.
- The Grand Pier is fully accessible along its length and into the pavilion.
- Accessible toilets are on the seafront near the pier and at Knightstone.
- Blue Badge parking is available along the seafront.
Beyond the sand
Weston has more than the beach. Weston Museum in the town centre tells the story of the resort, the Playhouse and the Blakehay run shows through the year, and the Italian Gardens and Grove Park are good for a quiet half hour. Over the hill at Kewstoke, Sand Bay and Sand Point give you a wilder coast, and inland the Mendip Hills and Cheddar Gorge are half an hour away. Our days out guide covers the wider area.
Weston-super-Mare beach: our local tips
Go early or late. Walk the whole bay at least once. Watch a sunset from the sea wall at Sand Bay. Try the Marine Lake before you try the sea. Take the children to the donkeys before the queue builds. And if you only do one thing, walk to the end of the Grand Pier at high tide on a clear evening and look back at the town with the hills behind it. That view is why people have been coming to Weston-super-Mare beach for two hundred years.
A few practical notes
- Public toilets are on the seafront near the pier, at Knightstone and at Uphill.
- Tide and beach safety information is published by North Somerset Council, which manages the beach.
- The sand is fine and gets everywhere. A car boot mat and a towel are worth bringing.
- Sunsets over the Bristol Channel are spectacular from anywhere on the bay in summer.
Stay ten minutes from the sand
Our seaside apartments in Weston are a few minutes’ walk from the beach with parking included, and the cottages at the farm in Kewstoke have Sand Bay at the end of the lane. Browse all our properties, or read our family guide to Weston for the rest of a great day out.