Pembrokeshire once again tops list of best beaches in Wales with 16 Wales Coast Awards for 2026, with Tenby’s Castle and South beaches, along with Saundersfoot and Coppet Hall all picking up the coveted Blue Flag. Sadly, Tenby’s North Beach seems to have once again lost its Blue Flag status, something it regained in 2024, after previously being downgraded due to sewage pollution.

As the Wales Coast Award winners for 2026 show, Pembrokeshire once again officially has the best beaches in Wales, with more locations recognised in the awards than any other part of the country.

Announced by environmental charity Keep Wales Tidy, Pembrokeshire’s coastline received an impressive 16 Wales Coast Awards.

This includes nine Blue Flag Awards and seven Green Coast Awards, recognising high environmental standards, meeting tough water quality targets and delivering top standards of environmental education.

Pembrokeshire received nine of Wales’ 20 Blue Flag Award beaches, with Tenby’s South Beach, Poppit Sands, Broadhaven North, Newgale, Dale, Whitesands and Coppet Hall all meeting the awards’ high criteria, along with Saundersfoot and Tenby Castle, which both celebrate an impressive 25 years of the Blue Flag Award.

The Blue Flag Award is recognised internationally, recognising the highest standards of environmental quality, safety, and environmental management.

Awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), it means the beach or marina is clean, safe, and well-managed, promoting sustainability and attracting visitors.

Sadly, it seems that Tenby’s North Beach has lost its Blue Flag status, after regaining it in 2024, after it had been downgraded in recent years, due to sewage pollution. Pembrokeshire County Council have been contacted for comment...

Pembrokeshire also has the most Green Coast Award beaches in Wales, with seven of the 13 locations receiving the award located here.

Green Coast Award beaches boast unspoilt beauty, high environmental standards, and excellent water quality.

Aberiddy, Freshwater East, Manorbier, Penally, Caerfai, Druidsone, and West Angle Bay all retaining their status of being exceptional places to visit.

The Wales Coast Awards have been managed by Keep Wales Tidy for more than 20 years and 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.

In addition to the Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards, an additional 15 beaches across Wales achieved the Seaside Award. This is a UK-only beach award available in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, its yellow and blue flag signifying a clean, attractive and well-managed coastal stretch.

Recipients of the award this year include popular tourist resorts Aberystwyth South and North, New Quay Harbour, Aberavon in Neath Port Talbot, and Whitmore Bay and Jackson’s Bay in Barry Island.

Owen Derbyshire, Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy congratulated Pembrokeshire on its impressive tally of award-winning beaches.

He said: “Once again, Pembrokeshire has shown us it is home to some of the most beautiful beaches not just in Wales but in the world and we’re delighted to see this recognised in the 2026 Wales Coast Awards, which are a fantastic celebration of Wales’ beautiful and diverse coastline.”

“These awards recognise high and consistent standards and we would like to thank staff, volunteers and everyone else at sites across Wales who work so hard to protect and preserve our natural landscape in the face of increasingly challenging circumstances. All of these places are beautiful, but seeing that flag flying means visitors can be assured that they are clean, safe and well-managed with excellent facilities too.”