• The UK is the third dirtiest country for swimming in Europe, with beaches 7% dirtier than they were in 2022 as the country faces an E.Coli crisis.
• In England, only five swimming spots improved to the highest standard from 2022 to 2023, making them less obvious choices for a clean traditional Christmas dip.
• If traveling to Europe for the holidays, the cleanest bathing waters are in Croatia, Denmark and Findland, while the dirtiest ones are in Belgium, Romania and the UK.

Brits love a cheeky swim on Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, but the country is facing an E.coli infestation crisis in its rivers and seas. The UK has Europe’s third dirtiest bathing waters. 7% of its beaches have lost their “excellent” status last year. In England, only five swimming spots improved their status to the highest standards between 2022 and 2023, with every third place now being in less-than-ideal condition.

This is according to a new study from European travel experts at Plitvice Lakes Tours. They analysed the latest bathing water quality data from the European Environment Agency via Eurostat and the UK Environment Agency, looking into the number of coastal and inland bathing waters across Europe, their quality ratings and how this improved in 2023 compared to 2022. “Excellent” water quality means swimmers can enjoy enhanced health protection, aquatic life benefits more than usual, and, importantly, the authorities appropriately addressed any polluting factors like animal manure and human waste.

Top Five Underrated Swimming Spots in England for a Festive Dip

Porthleven Sands in Cornwall is the most underrated swimming spot for a festive dip this year. It is the only beach where water temperatures stayed above 10°C on Christmas day out of the five places across England that improved their quality recently. It reached a maximum of 12.3°C. The air temperature was also above 10°C, up to 12°C.

Norman’s Bay in East Sussex is the second best hidden gem for a clean Christmas swim. Though the water was one degree colder than Porthleven Sands, at best, the air temperture is one degree warmer, at a bearable 13°C on a crisp Christmas day. Norman’s Bay water quality went from “good” to “excellent” last year.

Beadnell in Northumberland is the third best underrated places for a festive dip. Last Christmas, the water temperature reached 9.1°C, while the air was one degree warmer. As of 2023, Beadnell’s water bear the “excellent” mark.

South Shields in Tyne and Wear is the fourth rising star for clean Christmas swims this year. Though one degree colder than Beadnell, to a maximum f 9°C, the water also reached 9.1°C last Christmas. South Shields achieved its “excellent” status last year for their clean bathing water quality.

East Runton in Northfolk is the fifth most underrated swimming spot worth visiting this Christmas. Though colder than the other four aforementioned underrated beaches, last year, the air was a little warmer than the water. The maximum air temperature here was 12°C on Christmas Day, whereas the sea reached 8°C. East Runton’s water quality is now classed as “excellent”.

Overall in England, there are 424 swimming spots. In 2023, 18 of them were in poor condition, 25 – sufficient, 99 – good, and 281 – excellent. Compared to the year before, only five out of 122 less-than-ideal spots improved the quality of their water to the highest “excellent” level.

Christmas in Europe? Cleanest and Dirtiest Countries for a Festive Dip 

For those wishing to spend the winter holidays in Europe, the study has found that Croatia, Denmark and Finland have the cleanest bathing waters on the continent. Belgium, Romania and the UK ranked last, with the dirtiest swimming waters per capita in Europe.

Top 10 Cleanest Bathing Waters in Europe

Croatia has the highest number of excellent beaches and inland bathing waters in Europe. Its beaches drive its cleanliness score to the top spot, since almost all of them (99.1%) are rated as excellent. With 23 excellent beaches for every 100,000 residents, Croatia leads in offering a variety of pristine beaches. Its inland bathing spots also improved in quality by 73% in 2023 compared to 2022. This is the second-highest improvement rate on the continent, after Albania.

Denmark follows Croatia closely as the second best for clean bathing spots. While much colder this time of the year compared to the south of the continent, 94% of its coastal bathing spots are in outstanding condition. Denmark boasts 15.5 beaches per 100,000 residents and most of them (14.6) are excellent.

Finland offers the third-best swimming options in Europe. It excels in inland bathing, in particular. Finland shows a higher number of inland bathing spots per 100,000 inhabitants (4.04), of which 94.7% are excellent. However, the coastal options are more limited compared to other nations, with just 1.4 beaches per 100,000 residents, of which around a third are sub-optimal.

Two of Britain’s favourite destinations, Greece and Cyprus, ranked eighth and ninth for bathing cleanliness. Both Greece and Cyprus have high beach densities (16.6 and 13.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively), with the majority of these also being rated as excellent.

Estonia surprises with more excellent inland bathing spots than most European countries. It ranks sixth best for the highest rate of pristine inland swims on the continent (2.12 for every 100,000 residents), after Finland (3.83), Lithuania (3.29), Austria (2.77), Netherlands (2.60), and Luxembourg (2.28).

On the other hand, Belgium has the absolute worst bathing waters in Europe. It has 0.35 beaches per 100,000 residents, but only 0.23 ranked excellent. These used to be 23% better a year earlier.

Romania is the second-worst European country for swimming spots. It has 0.26 coastal spots per 100,000 residents, of which only 69.4% are classed as excellent. They have declined in cleanliness by 24.4% within a year.

The United Kingdom has the third dirtiest beaches, lakes and other types of bathing waters in Europe. Though it does not lack coastal diversity as much as other non-island countries, only two-thirds of British beaches are deemed excellent. Their quality declined by 7.26% last year compared to 2022.

“E.Coli is a waterborne disease that more and more British climate campaigners have warned swimmers about this year,” said a spokesperson for Plitvice Lakes Tours. “Do not risk ruining the joy that the tradition to go for a festive dip can bring by underestimating the risks of E.Coli this year.

“We are pleased to have found these five hidden gems that reached excellent status for their cleanliness last year for the few brave-hearted adventurers to check out this Christmas. Importantly, they should never be visited unaccompanied and there are other health risks such as hypothermia, asthma or heart issues to bear in mind. 

“If you are heading to Europe for the holidays, the Baltics and Scandinavians might not have the warmest temperatures, but their cleanliness standards are superior to almost all European countries, apart from Croatia which reigns supreme. If not this winter, be sure to put these countries on your bucket list for your next summer holiday.”

Across Europe, there are 42 beaches for every million residents, of which 90% are rated as excellent. However, there is an average 3.25% decline in quality registered last year compared to 2022. As for inland bathing spots, there are almost 15 of them for every million Europeans, of which 79% are excellent. There is an overall 6.83% improvement in their quality in 2023 compared to the year before.