County Wicklow

The Cove Arklow

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

Blue Flag

lifeguard

2 km

from Arklow

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: None
County: County Wicklow
Managed by: Wicklow County Council
Nearest town: Arklow, 2 km south of it, in a straight line
From that town: 2.4 km by road, about 6 min drivingor 2.2 km on foot, about 28 minutes at 4.8 km/h
Lifeguard: No
Toilets: No
Parking: Yes
Access: No
Dogs: Allowed on a lead
Cars on the beach: No
Public transport: No
Position: 52.7810° N, 6.1451° W
Record changed: 2021-06-24

Arklow Bay aerial photo·瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Arklow Bay aerial photo·瑞丽江的河水, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

Small sandy beach gradually sloping away from coastal protection rock armour and sheltered by a break water to the north located near Arklow Rock. The beach is submerged at high tide. Access is gained at own risk via uneven steeply sloped track at the breakwater end of the beach by surefooted people only.

Where it is

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

Getting to The Cove Arklow

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

The Cove Arklow is in Arklow, County Wicklow. 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 Arklow, 2 km south of the beach. The register records 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.

Get directions

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Stops near it

The nearest scheduled stop is Knockmore (355171), 1.7 km away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.

Knockmore 1.7 km
buses 2 and 740A
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Arklow 1.7 km
train rail
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Arklow Stn 1.8 km
buses 183, 800 and 800a
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Arklow W 2.0 km
buses 2, 183, 800, 740A, 800a and BR01
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Ferrybank 2.2 km
buses 2 and 740A
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day

Getting to Arklow covers the journeys into the town itself.

Other places to swim in County Wicklow

Questions people ask

Is the water clean at The Cove Arklow?

The Cove Arklow 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 The Cove Arklow?

The register leaves this blank for The Cove Arklow, which it does for the 89 waters it does not monitor. A blank is not a no. Check with Wicklow County Council.

Does The Cove Arklow have a Blue Flag?

No. A beach without one can still have excellent water: the Blue Flag also asks for facilities, lifeguards and information boards, which a quiet strand may not have.

Is there a lifeguard at The Cove Arklow?

No. The register records no lifeguard here, so nobody is watching the water.

How do you get to The Cove Arklow without a car?

The nearest stop in the national timetable is Knockmore, 1.7 km from the beach in a straight line, and buses 2 and 740A call there, run by Bus Éireann and Wexford Bus. 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 2021-06-24. 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 Wicklow