The six cleanest beaches in the UK where you can safely swim in the sea this summer

Scottish Sun

29-05-2025

One is near the village known as Wales' 'Italian Riviera'
WATER WORKS The six cleanest beaches in the UK where you can safely swim in the sea this summer
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SUMMER is coming in hot and soon, and lots of us will descend on the UK's beaches, but which ones are the cleanest and best to swim in?
Which? has revealed the top six UK beaches with the highest water quality that are perfect for a dip.
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These are the six beaches in the UK with the cleanest waters
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Bamburgh in Northumberland has some of the cleanest coastal waters
Credit: Alamy
There's good news for anyone who lives in or is planning to visit the village of Bamburgh in Northumberland.
The waters off the coast have been classified as 'excellent' - which is highest and cleanest rating designated by the Environment Agency.
Not only that but visitors can take in the beautiful views of Bamburgh Castle too which sits on top of a nearby hillside.
Over in Wales, Portmeirion is known as the 'Italian Riviera' because of its folly village.
It was built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis which he turned into a Mediterranean looking sub-tropical gardens with a piazza and historic cottages.
However, there are lots of beaches there too like Harlech which is part of the Snowdonia National Park.
The waters here have also been classified as excellent by the government agency Natural Resources Wales, meaning they're perfect for swimming and paddling.
Another area where the waters have been classified as being of high quality and cleanliness is in St Andrews, Fife in Scotland.
St. Andrews has several beaches, like East Sands, which meets the high standards, it's a sandy stretch of beach with a path on the inland side.
East Sands is close to the harbour and sailing club meaning it's a hotspot for watersports like surfing and sailing.
UK beach named one of the top 100 in the world
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East Sands Beach in St Andrews is much cleaner than its neighbour West Sands
Credit: Alamy
Currently the bigger, and most well-known beach in St Andrews called West Sands, is currently rated as 'good'.
This means the water quality is generally not as clean as its neighbour, according to Which?.
Two beaches in Tynemouth, North Tyneside have Blue Flag status, Long Sands beach and King Edward's Bay - they are also both classed as 'excellent' when it comes to water quality.
Which? advises not to swim in Cullercoats Bay which is nearby, but failed to meet the minimum standards for water quality - so it's best just to frolic on the sand for this one.
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Whitesands Bay near St Davids has water quality rated 'excellent'
Credit: Alamy
Very near the UK's smallest city, aka St Davids in Pembrokeshire, is Whitesands Bay.
It's a hit with surfers and swimmers alike for good reason - the 'excellent' water quality.
Along the Suffolk coastline is the town of Southwold whose beach is among one of the cleanest.
It's lined with colourful beach huts and has a long pier full of arcade games and fun fair rides.
Southwold Pier Beach received a rating of excellent and is a very popular tourist spot during the summer months.
Here are more UK beaches, and these three have been named the best in Europe by Tripadvisor this year.
And here is one of England's most secluded beaches you can now only reach by boat.
Here Are TheSix Best Beaches For Swimming in the UK Bamburgh, Northumberland Portmeiron, Gwynedd (Wales) St Andrews, Fife (Scotland) Tynemouth, North Tyneside St David's, Pembrokeshire (Wales) Southwold, Suffolk