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The Irish Sun
11-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
The award-winning Irish beach with golden sand, turquoise waters, watersports and shaded spots
WITH pristine sand, captivating views and a tranquil atmosphere, this Irish beach makes the perfect day out. Templetown Beach is situated near Dundalk in Co Advertisement 4 Templetown Beach is located in Louth Credit: Tourism Ireland 4 It has a Blue Flag Award Credit: Tourism Ireland Named after the medieval crusaders, the Knights Templar, this seaside spot is also known as Shellinghill The large sandy beach is located in a curving bay towards the end of the Cooley Peninsula. Boasting a Blue Flag Award, this beautiful beach has something for all the It has excellent water quality and excellent environmental standards. Advertisement READ MORE ON TRAVEL A stroll along sandy Templetown Beach will instantly make you feel like you are abroad. As well as What makes this beach a great choice for all is the numerous spots to get some shade. As temperatures sizzle during the heatwave, there's lots of slanted slopes and rocks to catch some shade by. Advertisement Most read in Beach Exclusive Exclusive Low level rock promontories protect each side of the beach. There's a small harbour at the end of the north stretch which makes good shelter during sea swells. The Irish cable car that's only one that crosses open sea in Europe with incredible views, stone walls & €10 tickets Make a day of it, pack a picnic or explore the local area. It has a good sized car park at the east end and lifeguards are on duty during the summer months. Advertisement Blue Flag officials said: 'Shellinghill/Templetown, called after the crusading "Knights Templar", fronts one of Louth's most popular stretches of coastline. 'Protected on each side by a low level rock promontory, its smooth safe sands extends its friendly playground to curious underwater marine life and to numerous local and day trippers. 'The sand and shingle beach faces southward and is manned by lifeguards during the bathing season.' Meanwhile, this popular Advertisement Curracloe Beach in Co Wexford, is the perfect place to visit to enjoy the warmer weather. It is located in Co Wexford, stretches for 11km from Raven Point to Ballyconigar near Blackwater - and it is a particularly safe area for bathing. And the beach has shaded areas near the Raven Nature Reserve if you need a break from the heat - as temperatures are set to soar to 28C this weekend. The golden strand is accompanied by hilly sand dunes where various plants bloom in spring and summer. Advertisement 4 Templetown Beach is perfect for watersports Credit: Getty 4 The beach is near busy Carlingford Credit: Social Media Collect
The Irish Sun
07-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
‘Probably the best beach in Ireland' – The Irish oasis with golden sands, sauna, playground and fresh water lagoon
TAKE a look at this beach with pristine sands, stunning views and a children's playground - and people reckon it's the best beach in Ireland. Situated on the Inishowen peninsula in County 5 Culdaff Beach has a Blue Flag Award Credit: 5 Culdaff Beach boasts great waling routes Credit: Alamy This long sandy beach has two rock outcrops, sand dunes and a fresh water lagoon. Little ones will love the beach playground with climbing frames, ropes, roundabout, slides and swings. Take a stroll along the It is a very popular spot among surfers and there's a number of surf schools located on the beach. READ MORE ON TRAVEL It's also a great spot for fishing all year round. The coastal habitats of Culdaff Beach have been identified as a Special Area for Conservation (SAC). Dating back to the 8th century, this beach was originally the site of the monastery of St Buadán. There are lifeguards on Culdaff Beach during the bathing season. Most read in Beach Don't forget to drop by the Sea View Sauna to unwind and warm up at the end of the day. The village of Culdaff, just a short walk from the beach, has three Everyone can see the beach but only those with a high IQ can spot five differences in 32 seconds in this brainteaser Visitors took to One person said: 'This is probably the best beach I've ever been to in Ireland. The sand is so soft and the water is so clean. 'Good rocks to climb on. Beware of a possible sea urchin - I saw one! Amazing beach.' Another shared: 'We were wowed by Culdaff beach, we were there at low tide and the golden sand seems to stretch on for miles. 'Great spot for a walk, it appears to be accessible for buggies and wheelchairs with a boardwalk down to the sand though not sure how far onto the beach that goes. 'There's a rocky area off to the right, great for a sheltered spot from the breeze or searching for shells and rocks.' One visitor said: "Stunning and peaceful, you could stay on this beach for hours. This beach would be the perfect beach for a barbecue." While another added: 'Beautiful sandy beach, good parking, water tap at parking so handy to wash. Stunning views and easy access.' 5 Unwind at the Sea View Sauna Credit: 5 Culdaff Bay is a Special Area for Conservation Credit: Alamy 5 Culdaff has lifeguards on duty during the summer Credit: Alamy
South Wales Guardian
17-05-2025
- South Wales Guardian
Carmarthenshire beach among world's best in awards
Cefn Sidan, near Burry Port, was one of 49 beaches across Wales to receive the globally recognised Blue Flag Award. The award, given by Wales' leading environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy, is a symbol of quality and plays a vital role in protecting the marine environment. Cefn Sidan, an eight-mile sandy beach within Pembrey Country Park, was the first Welsh beach to receive the Blue Flag Award when it was introduced in 1988. The beach has now won the accolade 38 times, more than any other Welsh beach. Carmarthenshire County Council's cabinet member for regeneration, leisure, culture, and tourism, Cllr Hazel Evans, said: "I am delighted that Cefn Sidan beach has retained its Blue Flag status. "This recognition not only reinforces our commitment to protecting Carmarthenshire's coastal environment but also ensures that residents and visitors alike can continue to enjoy a world-class, picturesque, and unique beach experience. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the hardworking team at Pembrey County Park for working hard to preserve one of Carmarthenshire's greatest beaches." The Blue Flag is one of the world's most recognised awards for beaches, marinas, and tourism boats, recognising high standards of water quality, amenities, sustainable tourism development, information provision, environmental education, safety, access, and site management. Owen Derbyshire, chief executive of Keep Wales Tidy, congratulated Carmarthenshire on continuing to ensure Cefn Sidan is one of Wales' best coastal locations. He said: "Congratulations once again to Cefn Sidan on retaining its Blue Flag Award status. "It's great to see that Wales' very first Blue Flag Award winner continues to be not only a beautiful place to visit, but one that visitors know is clean, safe, and well-managed with excellent facilities too."
Leader Live
15-05-2025
- Leader Live
Denbighshire and Anglesey beaches among Wales' best at awards
Environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy announced the recipients of its annual Coast Awards on Thursday (May 15). A total of 49 sites received awards: A post shared by Wales Coast Awards (@walescoastawards) Blue Flag Award The Blue Flag Award is one of the world's most recognised awards for beaches, marinas and boats. It is awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) to beaches that adhere to specific criteria that ensures the beach or marina is: Seaside Award The Seaside Award is a UK-only beach award available in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Its distinctive yellow and blue flag signifies a clean, attractive and well-managed coastal stretch, with a good standard of water quality, public facilities, safety provision and management. Green Coast Award Green Coast Awards celebrates the "hidden gems" of the Welsh coastline and shows a site is: The 49 sites that received a Wales Coast Award in 2025 are: Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy, Owen Derbyshire, said: "The Wales Coast Awards are a fantastic celebration of Wales' beautiful and diverse coastline and are testament to the huge effort of staff and volunteers at sites across Wales. "Thank you to everyone who works so hard to protect and preserve our natural landscape in the face of increasingly challenging circumstances.' There were three beaches in North Wales named among the nation's best at the Coast Awards: Silver Bay was one of 13 beaches in Wales to receive a Green Coast Award. (Image: Getty Images) Silver Bay, in Rhoscolyn, was one of 13 locations in Wales to receive a Green Coast Award in 2025. Keep Wales Tidy describes the private beach, located in the Silver Bay Holiday Park, as one of the "hidden gems" of the Welsh coastline. It added: "The Green Coast Award marks Silver Bay as an exceptional place to enjoy stunning scenery, rich coastal heritage and diversity. "It joins the likes of Mwnt and Penbryn in Ceredigion and Freshwater East and Manobier in Pembrokeshire in being commended for unspoilt beauty, excellent water quality and a high standard of environmental education." Prestatyn Central was also recognised among Wales' best beaches in the 2025 Coast Awards. (Image: Tripadvisor) Prestatyn Central was recognised among the best in Wales with a Seaside Award. The North Wales beach is described as a "much-loved tourist destination" and is popular for its wide, sandy beaches and water sports (including surfing, sailing and windsurfing). Prestatyn Central boasts a 4.3 (out of 5) rating on Tripadvisor from 84 reviews (at the time of writing). One person described it as "my favourite beach", before adding: "This is a lovely Beach, my husband grew up staying with his nan & grandad during the school holidays at Lido beach caravan park so it's always been a favourite. "It's clean, tidy and my grandchildren love it. Will continue to visit this for years to come." RECOMMENDED READING: Secret North Wales beach named among the best in the UK and a must visit The 2 'beautiful' North Wales beaches with 'golden sand' among the UK's best Seaside town in North Wales with 'surprisingly blue waters' among UK's prettiest Rhyl East, which is a "long-sandy stretch of coastline", also received a Seaside Award in 2025. It was also commended for its dedicated zone for beach sport activities including kite surfing, wind surfing and kayaking.
Wales Online
15-05-2025
- Wales Online
13 'untouched' Welsh beaches win awards for unspoiled beauty and clean water
13 'untouched' Welsh beaches win awards for unspoiled beauty and clean water The winner of the Green Coast Awards have been announced which recognise smaller, untouched beaches Beautiful Mwnt in Ceredigion is among the beaches that have been praised (Image: Getty ) Wales' stunning beaches have once again been recognised for their beauty, cleanliness, and high standards, as Keep Wales Tidy has announced the winners of the 2025 Wales Coast Awards. Most people have heard of the Blue Flag Award which is a global symbol of clean, well-managed beaches with excellent water quality and facilities. But there's also another important award: the Green Coast Award. The award celebrates hidden gems along the Welsh coast - beaches known for their natural beauty, clean water, and strong commitment to the environment. It recognised the beautiful, untouched, rugged beaches that line our coast that may not have the facilities of more traditional seaside resorts. But they are held to high environmental standards. This year, 13 beaches in Wales have earned the Green Coast Award. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here . The beaches which have earned the award include: Silver Bay, Anglesey Cilborth, Ceredigion Llanrhystud, Ceredigion Mwnt, Ceredigion Penbryn, Ceredigion Abereiddy, Pembrokeshire Freshwater, East Pembrokeshire Manorbier, Pembrokeshire Penally, Pembrokeshire Caerfai, Pembrokeshire Druidstone, Pembrokeshire West Angle Bay, Pembrokeshire Bracelet Bay, Swansea Article continues below Pembrokeshire leads the way with the most winners including seven beaches: Abereiddy, Freshwater East, Manorbier, Penally, Caerfai, Druidston, and West Angle Bay. Ceredigion follows with four award-winning beaches: Cilborth, Llanrhystud, Mwnt, and Penbryn. Bracelet Bay in Swansea and Traeth Llydan in Rhoscolyn, Anglesey, also retained their awards. These beaches offer more than just a beautiful view as they also promote environmental education, meet strict water quality standards, and are well managed to keep them safe and enjoyable for visitors. Alongside the Green Coast winners, 21 beaches across Wales received the prestigious Blue Flag Award for their excellent facilities, safety, and water quality. An extra 15 beaches also received the Seaside Award, which recognises clean, attractive, and well-managed beaches in the UK. These beaches fly a yellow and blue flag as a symbol of their quality. Article continues below
