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County CorkGreen Coast

Galley Cove

Galley Cove is on the EPA's list of places people swim, though not one of the waters it tests in County Cork, 1.5 km south-west of Crookhaven. The State does not test the water here, so there is no grade. The register records a lifebuoy and an information board. It leaves 2 of the questions on this page unanswered, and those are shown as not recorded rather than as a no.

No
Blue Flag
No
lifeguard
1.5 km
from Crookhaven
Water quality
Not monitored for a classification
Water testing
Not tested by the EPA on its list, but not sampled for a grade
Season restriction
Not recorded
Pollution after rain
Not recorded
Awards
Green Coast · the register does not say which year's award
County
County Cork
Managed by
Cork County Council
Nearest town
Crookhaven, 1.5 km south-west of it, in a straight line
From that town
1.6 km by road, about 3 min drivingor 1.6 km on foot, about 20 minutes at 4.8 km/h
Lifeguard
No
Toilets
No
Parking
No
Access
Surfaced car park adjacent to beach
Dogs
Allowed on a lead
Cars on the beach
No
Public transport
No
Protected area
Recorded as a natural sensitive area
Position
51.4612° N, 9.7436° W
Record changed
2023-09-16
Looking east-south-east from Galley Cove - Ballynaule Townland
Looking east-south-east from Galley Cove - Ballynaule Townland·Mac McCarron, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Looking east-south-east from Galley Cove - Ballynaule Townland·Mac McCarron, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Looking east along the shoreline of Galley Cove - Ballynaule and Crookhaven Townlands
Looking east along the shoreline of Galley Cove - Ballynaule and Crookhaven Townlands·Mac McCarron, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Looking east along the shoreline of Galley Cove - Ballynaule and Crookhaven Townlands·Mac McCarron, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

Galley Cove is located at Crookhaven in Co Cork. The beach is around 250m in length and is part of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a National Heritage Area (NHA).

Where it is

Galley Cove, and the other places to swim in County Cork. Share your position and the map will show how far each one is from you.

Getting to Galley Cove

Your journey, your way

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Going toGalley CoveDestination: the mapped location
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All times are local to Ireland. Scheduled services, without live delay updates.

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About these directions

Public transport times come from National Transport Authority. Timetables cover 2026-09-18 to 2027-09-19. These are scheduled services; check with the operator for cancellations and changes before travelling.

Walking and driving times are estimates. A town search starts at its centre; choose your location or a point on the map for a more precise starting point. Eircode search is not available.

How journey planning works
Destination, access and nearby stops

Galley Cove is in Crookhaven, County Cork. Routes here end at the point the map records for this place. The entrance has not been verified, so the last few metres are for you to judge.

The nearest settlement is Crookhaven, 1.5 km south-west of the beach. The register records no parking here. Getting to the town is not getting to the beach, so the journey below is worked out to the beach itself and the last stretch on foot is measured rather than left out.
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Stops near it

The nearest scheduled stop is Crookhaven (12215), 1.5 km away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.

  • Crookhaven 1.5 km
    bus 265
    Scheduled departures from this stop

Getting to Crookhaven covers the journeys into the town itself.

Other places to swim in County Cork

Questions people ask

Is the water clean at Galley Cove?
Galley Cove is on the EPA's list but is not one of the waters it tests, so the State works out no grade for it and none exists. Nothing here says the water is clean or dirty, because nobody has published either.
Is swimming restricted at Galley Cove?
The register leaves this blank for Galley Cove, which it does for the 89 waters it does not monitor. A blank is not a no. Check with Cork County Council.
Does Galley Cove have a Blue Flag?
No Blue Flag, but the register records a Green Coast award, which recognises clean water and an unspoilt shore rather than facilities.
Is there a lifeguard at Galley Cove?
No. The register records no lifeguard here, so nobody is watching the water.
How do you get to Galley Cove without a car?
The nearest stop in the national timetable is Crookhaven, 1.5 km from the beach in a straight line, and bus 265 call there, run by TFI Local Link Cork. The planner on this page works out the walk from that stop over real footways, and the whole journey from wherever you are starting, for the day and time you pick. Where no footway joins the stop to the beach it says so rather than making a number up.
Where does this come from?
The Environmental Protection Agency's list of places people swim, which it calls the bathing water register, read on 2026-09-20, where this record was last changed on 2023-09-16. Water quality, awards, lifeguards and facilities are the EPA's own fields, and a field it leaves blank is shown as not recorded rather than as a no. The distance to the nearest town is this site's own measurement, in a straight line.

Water quality, awards, lifeguards, toilets, parking and access are the Environmental Protection Agency’s own fields, from its bathing water register, read 2026-09-20. The classification covers four years of sampling and is not a reading for today: after heavy rain the water can be worse than the classification suggests, and the EPA and the local authority post notices when it is. Positions are the EPA’s grid references, projected to latitude and longitude. Journeys are the National Transport Authority’s published timetable.

Beaches and bathing waters in Ireland·Beaches in County Cork