2023 has seen 22 Welsh beaches awarded the blue flag which stays the same as last year although Southerndown, Vale of Glamorgan, has lost its blue flag, whilst Aberporth in Ceredigion has gained. A further 12 beaches have gained the Seaside Award and then 14 beaches in Wales have gained the Green Coast Award, recognising the ‘hidden gems’ along our coastline.

Click on a title to go to our beach information pages with interactive maps.

Wales Blue Flag Beach Awards

Pembrokeshire Blue Flags

10 Blue Flag beaches.

• Amroth
• Coppet Hall
• Dale
• Newgale
• Saundersfoot
• St Davids, Whitesands
• Tenby, Castle
• Tenby, South
• Poppit Sands
• Broad Haven

Ceredigion Blue Flags

5 Blue Flag beaches.

• Borth
• Llangrannog
• Aberystwyth South
• Tresaith
• Aberporth

Swansea Bay & The Gower Blue Flags

3 Blue Flag beaches.

• Caswell Bay
• Langland Bay
• Port Eynon

Bridgend Blue Flags

2 Blue Flag beaches.

• Porthcawl, Rest Bay
• Trecco Bay

Carmarthenshire Blue Flags

1 Blue Flag beach.

• Pembrey Country Park, Cefn Sidan

Denbighshire Blue Flags

1 Blue Flag beach.

• Prestatyn

Blue Flag is a mark of a quality beach

The Blue Flag beach award is widely recognised as an indication of a good quality beach and has moved on a lot since it started in France in 1985. Most people think a Blue Flag indicates clean and safe water but although it does, it measures a beach against a lot more criteria:

• Environmental Education and Information. This includes displaying details on the Blue Flag award along with details on the water quality, and a beach map including locations of facilities.
• Water Quality. This is about the water is safe to swim in and water samples are taken at regular points during the bathing season and the year gets an overall grade. Each of our beach pages gives a summary of the current water quality.
• Environmental Management. This category is about managing the beach and keeping it clean along with facilities like toilets being available to the public.
• Safety and Services. This is a big one for families with children as a beach should be patrolled by lifeguards. Other criteria include the availability of drinking water and accessibility features.

Not having a Blue Flag does not mean a beach should be avoided as the tough criteria described above is only really suited to large seaside resorts and smaller villages and remote bays can’t offer the same level of management. This means they just don’t participate in the scheme and local countries have their own awards to recognise some of these other beaches.

The blue flag certification process is carried out every year by local quality organisations and for our beaches in the UK, the annual results are announced at the end of May or the beginning of June.

For more information and details of the assessment criteria visit the Blue Flag Award website.

For a full list of blue flag beaches see our list at UK Blue Flag Beaches.