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Dovercourt Beach

Essex, England


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Dovercourt Beach, located in Essex, is a popular family-friendly destination known for its sandy and shingle beaches, scenic promenade, and range of leisure facilities. .

Dovercourt Beach features low, wooden groynes and is backed by a sea wall, with a promenade that extends to Harwich Town. The beach is a peaceful family resort with gentle shelving sand and shingle areas, including the historic leading lights.

The promenade offers a wide range of family activities, including sport and leisure facilities such as a skate park, model yacht pond, and boating lake. Visitors can enjoy panoramic views of Harwich, the port of Felixstowe, and Hamford Water National Nature Reserve. The beach is also home to beach huts and a variety of cafes and restaurants.

At the eastern end of the beach, the promenade loops round Cornwallis Battery to join Harwich beach to the north. Visitors can take a stroll around the narrow streets in the historic old town of Harwich or walk along the seawall to the nature reserve, which is home to resident seals.

Dovercourt Bay Beach is a popular Blue Flag beach and a favourite family holiday destination. The beach is mostly dog-friendly, although there are some restricted areas from May 1st to September 30 each year.

The Dovercourt lighthouses, commonly referred to as the High Lighthouse and the Low Lighthouse, are unique structures built on cast iron legs and joined by a causeway. The beach was also the location for the Holiday Park in the classic 1980s BBC sitcom Hi-De-Hi, and visitors can see a dedicated display at the Harwich Museum.

On the eastern end of the beach is Cliff Park, a lovely open space with a children's playground and places to sit and relax on the seafront. Visitors can rent a beach hut or head to the boating lake, along Lower Marine Road.

Sand

Weather and tides for Thursday 4 June

Today
Chance of rain 76%
Max temperature 17°C
feels like 17°C
Wind 20mph
Max UV Index
Tonight
Chance of rain 34%
Min temperature 11°C
feels like 12°C
Wind 16mph

The tide at Dovercourt Beach is currently high. Low tide will be at approximately 8:20 AM, and the next high tide will be at approximately 2:47 PM.

Today's air pollution levels are forecast to be Low

Detailed weather and tides »

Recommended holiday cottages near Dovercourt Beach

Things to do and see in the area

Harwich Redoubt Fort (0.6 miles)
Electric Palace (0.8 miles)
Halfpenny Pier (0.9 miles)
Lightvessel LV18 (0.9 miles)
Stena Line (1.6 miles)
Landguard Fort (1.7 miles)
Felixstowe Museum (2 miles)
Felixstowe Seafront Gardens (3.3 miles)
Port of Felixstowe (3.7 miles)

Places to eat near Dovercourt Beach

Treo Bar Cafe (430 yards)
Thai Up At The Quay (230 yards)
The Alma Inn and Dining Rooms (200 yards)
The Cafe on the Pier (150 yards)

All distances are approximate

Other beaches nearby

Location: Dovercourt, Harwich

Location type: Urban

OS Grid: TM256313

Coordinates: 51°56'6"N 1°16'53"E

Mapcode: GBR VQR.LVN

What 3 Words: once.match.glorified

Coordinates and location codes are for an approximate mid-point of the beach, and may not reflect the best access point or the most popular part of the beach.

County: Essex

Country: England

Local Authority: Tendring

Parish: Harwich

Nearest postcode: CO12 3JY

(for sat-nav purposes only, a beach does not have a postal address!)

Important! Beach information is compiled from a variety of different sources and is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of compilation. However, information may be incorrectly supplied by our sources or go out of date after publication. BritishBeaches.uk makes no warranty as to the accuracy of any information on this page.

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Visitor information for Dovercourt Beach, Essex, England. Weather, tides, visitor comments, beach facilities, photos, nearest postcode, beach information and nearby accommodation.

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216.73.216.53 Thu, 04 Jun 2026 02:44:59 +0100