Hope Cove
Good to go
No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself.
Checked against the Environment Agency (England) · data last changed 2 months ago.
Sea conditions
Water temperature
17.0°C
Cool — comfortable for a shorter swim
Wave height
1.3 m
Significant wave height offshore; inshore conditions vary.
Tide
Going out
- Low water around UTC
- High water around UTC
Modelled values, not measurements — coastal water often differs from the open-sea model, and tide times are approximate to within about half an hour. Use official tide tables for anything that depends on precise timing.
This spot’s record
Hope Cove is in South Hams, about 7 km from Kingsbridge. Hope Cove was rated Good in 2025 by the Environment Agency (England). Its previous classifications were Excellent in 2024, Excellent in 2023 and Excellent in 2022, so the rating here has moved rather than held. Across the 12 most recent samples published by the Environment Agency (England), E. coli counts ranged from 10 to 150 per 100 ml. The highest was taken on 9 September 2026. A classification is calculated from percentiles across four seasons, so no single reading decides how this water is rated.
Recent sample results
The last 12 bacterial samples published by the Environment Agency (England), most recent on the right. Counts are per 100 ml of water.
Dashed line: 500 E. coli per 100 ml, the Bathing Water Directive guide value for coastal / transitional waters.
| Date | E. coli | Enterococci | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Sept | 10 | 10 | — |
| 13 Sept | 36 | 36 | — |
| 9 Sept | 150 | 27 | — |
| 3 Sept | 18 | 36 | — |
| 26 Aug | 10 | 10 | — |
| 19 Aug | 100 | 310 | — |
A bathing water's official classification is calculated from percentiles across four bathing seasons, not from any single sample — so one high reading doesn't mean a spot is unsafe, and one low reading doesn't mean it's clean today.
Quality over the last 4 years
- Excellent2022
- Excellent2023
- Excellent2024
- Good2025
This water has declined, from Excellent in 2022 to Good in 2025.
Facilities & access
- Parking
- YesCar park about 100 m away (OpenStreetMap)
- Toilets
- YesPublic toilets about 300 m away (OpenStreetMap)
Storm overflows nearby
None of the storm overflows within 5 km with an up-to-date reading are discharging. Heavy rain makes combined sewers overflow into rivers and the sea by design, so this changes with the weather.
- Not dischargingabout 0.1 km awayDischarges into HOPE COVE(C)Last discharge ended Reported by South West Water
- Not dischargingabout 0.3 km awayDischarges into HOPE COVE (C)Last discharge ended Reported by South West Water
- Not dischargingabout 0.9 km awayDischarges into GALMPTON STREAM(S)Last discharge ended Reported by South West Water
- Not dischargingabout 2.8 km awayDischarges into SOUTH MILTON STREAMLast discharge ended Reported by South West Water
- Not dischargingabout 3.3 km awayDischarges into TRIBUTARY OF COMBE STREAMLast discharge ended Reported by South West Water
- Not dischargingabout 3.6 km awayDischarges into TRIB OF BLANKSMILL CREEK (S)Last discharge ended Reported by South West Water
- Not dischargingabout 3.6 km awayDischarges into STREAM (S)Last discharge ended Reported by South West Water
- Not dischargingabout 3.7 km awayDischarges into COMBE STREAM (S)Last discharge ended Reported by South West Water
These are the water company’s own reports of when an overflow is operating, not a measurement of the water at this spot. A discharge into a river some distance away may never reach here; a quiet list does not mean the water is clean. The swim status above comes from the bathing-water monitoring body and does not use this data.
Official water quality
Classified Good in 2025.
Official bathing-water profileCommon questions
- Can you swim at Hope Cove right now?
- Hope Cove is currently marked "Good to go". No current pollution alerts — always assess conditions yourself. This reflects the latest data published by the Environment Agency (England). Conditions change quickly — always assess the water yourself before entering.
- What is the water quality like at Hope Cove?
- the Environment Agency (England) classified Hope Cove as Good in 2025. Classifications are a rolling assessment of bacterial samples taken over four bathing seasons, measured against E. coli and intestinal enterococci limits set by the EU Bathing Water Directive.
- Is there a swimming ban or warning at Hope Cove?
- There are no active bathing restrictions published by the Environment Agency (England) for Hope Cove. That is not a guarantee of safety — assess conditions yourself.
- What facilities are there at Hope Cove?
- Hope Cove has toilets, parking. Facility information comes from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Get told when this changes
We’ll email you when the swim status at Hope Cove moves — a pollution alert opening, or one lifting. Not a newsletter: only this spot, only when it changes, at most once every 12 hours.
Your address is used for these alerts and nothing else, is never shared, and is deleted the moment you unsubscribe — a link is in every email.
Nearby swimming spots
See all swimming spots near Kingsbridge — about 7 km away.