Wales’ coastline is once again being recognised among the best in the UK, with 15 beaches awarded the prestigious Seaside Award for 2026 ahead of the busy summer season.
From Barry and Penarth to Aberystwyth and Rhyl, the award-winning beaches have been praised for their clean water, safety standards and visitor facilities, giving families and tourists confidence when planning seaside days out across Wales.
The beaches were all named in the 2026 Wales Coast Awards, which are managed by leading Welsh environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy and play a vital role in protecting our precious marine environment.
All 15 beaches have retained their Seaside Awards from last year and many of them have kept the prestigious honour for several years or more. Seaside Award beaches signify a good standard of water quality, public facilities, safety provision and management and can be recognised by a distinctive yellow and blue flag.
The Vale of Glamorgan and Ceredigion are the areas in Wales with the most Seaside Awards, with six beaches awarded in each. Whitmore Bay, Jacksons Bay and Cold Knap in Barry all retain the accolade in the Vale of Glamorgan, along with Llantwit Major, Penarth and Southerndown. In Ceredigion, Aberystwyth South, Aberystwyth North, New Quay Harbour, Aberporth, Clarach and Traeth y Dolau (New Quay North) once again receive the honour, along with Aberavon in Neath Port Talbot, and Prestatyn Central and Rhyl East in Denbighshire.
Owen Derbyshire, Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy, congratulated all beaches on maintaining their Seaside Awards.
He said: “A day at the seaside is a centuries-old tradition in Wales and a real highlight, whether you live locally and regularly visit your nearest beach, or are visiting an area. We are delighted to see all of last year’s Seaside Award-winning beaches retaining their title for 2026 by maintaining a good standard of water quality, public facilities, safety provision and management, and ensuring visitors know they can expect a clean and safe day out.”
He added: “These awards recognise high and consistent standards and we would like to thank staff, volunteers and everyone else at sites across Wales who works so hard to protect and preserve our natural landscape in the face of increasingly challenging circumstances.”
The Seaside Award is a UK-only beach award available in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, and is one of three categories in the Wales Coast Awards, which this year recognised an impressive 48 beaches across.
As well as the 15 Seaside Awards, 20 beaches achieved Blue Flag status, one of the world’s most recognised awards for beaches, marinas and boats, signalling high water quality, amenities, environmental education, safety and access, and site management. This includes Tenby’s South and Castle beaches, Poppit Sands and Broadhaven North in Pembrokeshire, and Caswell Bay, Langland Bay and Port Eynon in Swansea.
Awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), Blue Flag beaches must adhere to specific criteria ensuring the beach or marina is clean, safe, and well-managed, promoting sustainability and attracting visitors.
A further 13 Welsh beaches have also retained their Green Coast Award, given to ‘hidden gems’ along the Welsh coastline in recognition of their clean environment, excellent water quality and natural beauty. This includes Mwnt and Penbryn in Ceredigion and Freshwater East and Manobier in Pembrokeshire all of which were commended for unspoilt beauty, excellent water quality and a high standard of environmental education.
Keep Wales Tidy has managed The Wales Coast Awards for more than 20 years. They play a vital role in protecting our precious marine environment and are recognised around the world as a symbol of quality. The Awards signify that a beach or marina meets and maintains the highest environmental standards and achieves tough water quality targets, as well as ensuring high standards of information provision, environmental education, safety, and site management.
The Awards are voluntary and recognise the huge effort of staff and volunteers across Wales who are committed to protecting and preserving our natural landscape in the face of increasingly challenging circumstances.
A full list of awards can be found on the Keep Wales Tidy website.
