All beaches / Wales / Beaches
Watch House Bay
the Vale of Glamorgan
We do not read the water company's overflow data here yet, so storm overflows within 3 km of Watch House Bay are not shown.
Samples failed the minimum standard, and the advice is against bathing. Heavy rain can lower water quality here.
- Latest E. coli
- <10
- per 100 ml, 14 Sep 2026
- Latest enterococci
- 36
- per 100 ml
- Overflows within 3 km
- -
- Spills nearby, 30 days
- -
- Excellent or Good
- Sufficient
- Poor
- Overflow discharging
- Overflow
- Offline
About this beach
Watch House Bay is a small easterly facing cove at the entrance to Barry Old Harbour. Around 100m long, the beach is backed by a concrete wall and large steps to a shingle bank with sand/mud at lower tides. The beach is next to Cold Knapp point and faces Friars Point to the west towards Barry Island. The Watchtower at the northern end of the beach was built around 1860 as a coastguard station, behind the beach a Victoria promenade leads to Knapp gardens and Cold Knapp Bay.
From the Natural Resources Wales profile.
Storm overflows within 3 km
Nearest first, straight-line distance.We do not read the water company's overflow data here yet, so overflows within 3 km are not shown.