It lies 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the seaside resort of Weston-super-Mare, and across the Bristol Channel from South Wales.
This hardy grass was planted to support the banks of a tributary to the Bristol Channel further upstream than Sand Bay.
A 2004 survey reported that the beach had three times the national average quantity of sewage-related debris, with particularly high numbers of cotton bud sticks.
Sand Bay has a Bar/Fish and Chip shop, Tea Rooms and a Snack bar with Public Toilets and two Car Parks.
First West of England route 1 operates between Sand Bay and Weston-Super-Mare town centre, using open-top buses weather permitting, all year round.