Two Welsh beaches named the UK's best beaches for 2026

Two Welsh beaches top the ranking

Barafundle Bay Beach in Pembrokeshire has been named the best beach in the UK, with Traeth Mwnt in Ceredigion in second place. Both locations boast a 4.9 rating on Google and an Excellent 2025 bathing-water classification.

Travel enthusiasts at Lapland Famille compiled the ranking by analysing May 2026 Google Maps star ratings and review numbers against the most recent official bathing-water classifications.

Managing director Alex Dyer said: "Annual classifications are useful for comparing long-term water quality, but they are not a same-day safety guarantee. Families should still check live regulator updates, tides, weather and on-site flags before anyone goes into the water, particularly after heavy rain."

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Visitors praise Barafundle Bay

A recent TripAdvisor reviewer said: "This is the gem of Pembrokeshire. National Trust car park at the end of some very very narrow lanes and then a short walk across the stunning cliff tops to the stunning bay. It really is beautiful."

Another reviewer wrote: "We parked at the National Trust car park and walked for twenty minutes to this beach, which is inaccessible otherwise. Our first view of it was breath-taking as the contrasting colours of the red sand, sea and sky were beautiful. We took plenty of photos from the ruins on the path. Once on the beach, the sand is soft. It is also very clean. The beach is dog friendly. This was the best beach we came across in Pembrokeshire."

The rest of the top ten

Dunraven Bay in the Vale of Glamorgan secured fourth place. Five English beaches made the list, while Scotland and Northern Ireland each claimed one spot. Devon was England's only double representative, with Woolacombe Beach in third and Bigbury Beach in eighth.

The UK's top ten beaches for 2026 are: