Beach · County Cork
Inchydoney West Beach
Can I swim here? Outside the bathing season
The bathing season runs from 1 June to 15 September. Outside it the water is not tested weekly and lifeguards are not on duty. The last sample, on 1 September 2026, was excellent. Live status on beaches.ie, which the EPA updates hourly in season.
Inchydoney West Beach is a relatively gently sloping, sandy, south facing beach located at the north east of Clonakilty Bay. The beach is backed by sand dunes and is quite open to rough weather conditions. This beach is subject to occasional large accumulations of sea lettuce. To the west there is a channel which drains a tidal lagoon and sand flats known as Muckruss Strand. Inchydoney beach is included in the Clonakilty Bay Special Area of Conservation which is also a proposed NHA (site code 000091).
Excellent (2025): The highest standard: results over four years were consistently very clean.
The record, year by year
| Year | EPA classification | Samples | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | — | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Excellent | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Excellent | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Excellent | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Excellent | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Facilities
| Lifeguards | Yes | |
|---|---|---|
| Toilets | Yes | |
| Parking | Yes | |
| Wheelchair access | No | |
| Beach wheelchair | No | |
| Public transport | Yes | Road train from Clonakilty town to beach operates during tourist season |
| First aid | Yes | With Lifeguards |
| Lifebuoy | Yes | |
| Information board | Yes | |
| Activity zones | No | |
| Litter bins | No | |
| Recycling | No |
Dogs and cars
- Dogs are not allowedDogs are not allowed on this beach between 10.30 a.m. & 7.00 p.m. during the bathing season which runs from 1st June to 15th September.
- No cars on the beach
Latest sample (2026-09-01): E. coli <10, intestinal enterococci <1 (cfu/100 ml).
The EPA's bathing water profile
Outdoors in County Cork this week
Best day outdoors: Sat, 10 Oct — dry by day, breezy, up to 13°C
- Fri, 9 Oct14° / 8°Sun with light cloud
- Sat, 10 Oct13° / 7°Sun with light cloud
- Sun, 11 Oct15° / 14°Light rain
Make a day of it
The nearest trails, beaches, woods and heritage within 25 km.
Trails & walks
Beaches & bathing waters
Forests & woodlands
Parks, gardens & islands
Nature spot · 9.0 km awayGalley Head ViewBeachReach the vantage point of Galley Head View in County Cork and treat yourself to exceptional views of the local beaches and expansive coastline.
Nature spot · 15 km awayGlenview GardensGardenGlenview Gardens is a 3 acre, multi themed open garden situated 2.5km from Enniskeane, County Cork. The garden includes a sunken white garden, a Mediterranean garden, a Chinese garden as well as a host of other interesting features.