Swimming spots near Barnstaple
10 swimming spots within 30 km of Barnstaple, 10 of them designated bathing waters monitored by the Environment Agency (England). Nearest first — the closest is Saunton Sands, about 12 km away.
1 carrying a caution. 8 with no current pollution alert. 1 not monitored. 7 rated Excellent under the EU Bathing Water Directive, which describes four seasons of samples rather than today.
- Saunton Sands12.0 km from BarnstapleGood to go
- Westward Ho!13.0 km from BarnstapleGood to go
- Putsborough13.4 km from BarnstapleGood to go
- Croyde Bay13.7 km from BarnstapleGood to go
- Combe Martin14.2 km from BarnstapleCaution
- Woolacombe Village14.6 km from BarnstapleGood to go
- Ilfracombe Hele14.7 km from BarnstapleGood to go
- Ilfracombe Tunnels Beach15.2 km from BarnstapleNot monitored
- Combesgate Beach, Woolacombe15.2 km from BarnstapleGood to go
- Lynmouth23.5 km from BarnstapleGood to go
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Common questions
- Where can you swim near Barnstaple?
- 10 sea, lake and river swimming spots lie within 30 km of Barnstaple, spread across 2 areas. This page lists them by distance from the town rather than by county, because a boundary is not what decides where you drive.
- What is the nearest beach to Barnstaple?
- Saunton Sands in North Devon, about 12 km away. It is the closest of the 10 listed here; the next few are within a short drive and each shows its current status, so the nearest is not always the one to pick.
- Is the water clean near Barnstaple?
- 10 of these 10 spots are designated bathing waters with published monitoring, from the Environment Agency (England). Monitoring covers bacterial quality only — it says nothing about tides, currents, swell or cold-water shock, and nothing here is a clearance to swim.
- Which spots near Barnstaple have the best water quality?
- 7 of them hold Excellent, the top classification under the EU Bathing Water Directive, based on bacterial samples across the previous four bathing seasons. That describes a four-year record rather than the water today — each spot page shows both.
- Can you swim near Barnstaple right now?
- 1 of the 10 is currently flagged, and 8 have no current pollution alert. These change day to day, so check the individual spot before you travel.