The Beautiful Blue Flag Beaches of North Wales

If you love beaches, you’ll love North Wales. And here’s a few good reasons to love it all the more: a whopping 17 of our beaches were awarded the prestigious Blue Flag status in 2021. This is your guide to where you can find the beautiful Blue Flag beaches of North Wales.

With 250 miles of coastline to explore, beautiful beaches aren’t hard to come by in North Wales. You’ll find a fantastic variety of diverse beaches here, with something to suit everyone. From quiet coves to huge sandy expanses, rocky headlands to secret surf breaks.

To be awarded Blue Flag status, a beach has to meet the strict environmental credentials set by the world-renowned Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), and the award is considered the gold standard for beautiful, well-managed beaches.

It’s worth bearing in mind though, that there are plenty of fantastic smaller, less-well known beaches that don’t appear on this list – follow the links in the text below to explore some of our favourites. Another thing to note: in peak season, most Blue Flag beaches will have dog restrictions. If you are planning a beach day out with your pooch, it’s always worth doing a quick google check before you set off.

Here is the full list of the the beautiful Blue Flag beaches of North Wales:

Anglesey

Almost the entire Anglesey coastline has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and it’s pretty easy to see why. The coastal landscape takes in rugged cliffs, secret coves, sheltered bays and sweeping, expansive sands. It is as varied as it is beautiful. These are Anglesey’s 2021 Blue Flag winners:

• Benllech
• Church Bay / Porth Swtan
• Llanddwyn
• Llanddonna 
• Trearddur Bay
• Porth Dafarch

Want to explore some more? Check out our favourite beaches on Anglesey. 

Gwynedd and Pen Llŷn

This part of Wales is well known for its beautiful beaches, from the broad golden sands at Barmouth to the hidden coves of Pen Llŷn. You’ll be hard pushed to find a better place to watch the sun sink into the sea. These are Gwynedd and Pen Llŷn’s 2021 Blue Flag winners:

• Barmouth (Abermaw)
• Abersoch
• Dinas Dinlle
• Morfa Bychan (Black Rock Sands)
• Pwllheli
• Aberdaron

Want to explore some more? Check out our guide to the hidden beaches of Pen Llŷn.

Conwy and Denbighshire

Our award winners across the north coast of North Wales stretch from Llanfairfechan in the West to Prestatyn in the East, and include the popular seaside resorts of Llandudno and Rhos, Colwyn Bay. These are Conwy and Denbighshire’s 2021 Blue Flag winners:

• Llandudno West Shore
• Llanfairfechan
• Rhos, Colwyn Bay
• Porth Eirias
• Prestatyn

Want to explore this area some more? Check out our guides to Conwy and Llandudno.