Ten Cornwall Beaches Retain Blue Flag Status for 2026

Is Your Favourite Cornwall Beach on the 2026 Blue Flag List?

Cornwall has held onto every single one of its Blue Flags this year, and there is a fair chance your nearest patch of sand made the list.

Ten beaches across the county will be flying the flag through summer 2026 after retaining the award. The Blue Flag is managed by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education, and it is only handed to beaches that meet high standards across four areas: water quality, environmental management, environmental education and safety.

The 10 Cornwall beaches with Blue Flag status for 2026

• Crooklets
• Polzeath
• Porthmeor
• Porthminster
• Porthmissen/Trevone
• Porthtowan
• Summerleaze
• Widemouth
• Gyllyngvase Beach
• Carbis Bay in St Ives

All ten are owned by Cornwall Council apart from Carbis Bay, which is privately owned.

Five more beaches land a Seaside Award

A further five Cornish beaches have picked up a Seaside Award for 2026:

• Crackington Haven
• Great Western
• Porth
• Portreath
• Sennen

The Seaside Award is presented to the best beaches in England and celebrates the quality and diversity of the coastline.

Lifeguard cover and beach safety

Cornwall Council contributes towards the cost of the RNLI providing lifeguard cover on many of Cornwall’s beaches. Beachgoers are urged to visit beaches with RNLI patrols and to follow the RNLI’s beach safety advice.

What Cornwall Council said

Councillor Loic Rich, cabinet member with responsibility for Environment and Climate Change at Cornwall Council, said: “Cornwall has some of the best beaches in the world and it’s fantastic that we have retained all ten of our Blue Flag awards.

“We’re proud of our beautiful beaches and we ask that people help us to keep them clean and protect marine life by making sure they don’t leave litter behind.

“We also encourage people to visit beaches with RNLI cover and to follow the advice of the lifeguards.”