Surf spot

Folkestone East Cliff Sands

Forecast conditions and map view for Folkestone East Cliff Sands in UK, South East. Open the interactive surf map to inspect wind, waves, and nearby spots.

Country: UK, South East
Coordinates: 51.0903, 1.2050

Metric
Metric	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00
Wave height (m)	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1	0	0.1	0.4	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.6	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.5	0.9	0.9	0.7	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.2	0.1	0.2
Wave direction	SSW	SW	SW	SW	SW	S	SSW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SSW	SSW	SW	SW	SW	SSE	SSE	S	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SSW	S	SSW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	SW	S	S
Wave period (s)	3.1	3.1	3	3.3	4.9	4.5	4.5	4.3	4	3.9	3.9	4	4.3	4.3	4	3.9	3.9	3.7	3.6	3.5	4.2	4.2	3.4	3.1	3	3	2.9	2.4	2.6	3.6	3.6	3.6	3.7	4	4.2	4.3	4.2	4.2	3.9	4	3.7	4	4.3	5.2	5.5	5.6	5	4.7	4.6	4.5	4.4	4.6	5.1	6.2	6.2	6
Wave energy (kJ)	1	1	1	0	0	1	5	11	11	8	6	6	7	9	13	9	6	4	2	1	1	0	3	3	1	0	0	0	0	1	9	5	4	4	4	3	2	2	2	2	2	3	5	5	2	17	43	34	18	13	10	10	9	4	1	2
Wind speed (km/h)	5.7	8.9	10.1	22.3	27.3	25.1	22.6	18.8	16	14.2	17.4	17	14.5	13.1	9.4	5.6	6.8	8.3	10.1	12.2	13.8	22.7	15.4	12	10.6	11.2	13.5	20.1	23.4	25.4	16.5	20.3	16.1	12.8	13.2	20.2	16.7	21	12.4	13.4	15.5	14.1	13.7	26.9	23.7	24.5	19.7	14.4	14.8	11.9	12.6	16.9	19.4	24.7	17.3	13
Wind direction	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	WCross	WSWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	WSWCross-on	WSWCross-on	WSWCross-on	WSWCross-on	WSWCross	WCross	WCross	WSWCross-on	WCross	WNWCross	WCross	WCross	WCross	WSWCross	WSWCross-on	SWCross-on	SSWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	WCross	NWCross-off	NWCross-off	NWCross-off	WNWCross-off	WNWCross-off	WNWCross-off	NWCross-off	WNWCross-off	WSWCross-on	WCross	WSWCross	WSWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	WCross	NWCross-off	WCross	WCross	WCross	WCross	WCross	WSWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on	SWCross-on

Folkestone East Cliff Sands is a small beach break on the Kent coast in South East England, near Folkestone. It’s a fairly exposed stretch of shoreline that can pick up S to E/SE swell from the English Channel, though conditions are often wind- and tide-dependent.

What it’s like

Wave type: Beach break, with shifting sandbars
Best for: Beginner to intermediate surfers when it’s working
Wave quality: Usually modest rather than world-class, but can produce fun, clean waves on the right swell
Crowds: Generally not heavily surfed compared with more famous UK spots

Conditions

Best swell direction: Typically south to southeast
Best wind: Offshore or light northerly/northwesterly winds can clean it up
Best tide: Often best around mid tide, though this can vary with sand movement
Consistency: More seasonal and weather-dependent than reliable year-round surf

Hazards and things to know

Strong currents and shorebreak can be an issue in bigger conditions
Shifting sandbanks mean the wave quality can change frequently
Being on the English Channel, conditions can change fast with wind and tide
Watch for rocks and groynes/sea defenses in the area, depending on exact break location

Overall

Folkestone East Cliff Sands is a local, conditions-driven beach break that can offer fun surf on a good southeast swell, especially for surfers looking for something quieter in Kent. It’s not a guaranteed high-performance wave, but it can be a nice session when the sandbars and wind line up.