Green Coast

Guillamene Cove

Co. Waterford, Ireland

Water qualityNot monitored

Blue Flag 2026No

Green CoastYes

DogsYear-round

Always verify the car-park location on arrival. Road and access conditions may change.

⚠ Safety first: The Guillamene is a deep-water swimming cove reached by steps and a diving platform, not a beach with a shallow, sandy entry — it suits confident swimmers, and there is no lifeguard. Take care on the steps and platform, know the conditions before you get in, and if you want a gentler entry use neighbouring Newtown Cove instead.

About Guillamene Cove

The Guillamene is a historic Green Coast swimming cove near Tramore in Waterford, a rocky inlet of deep, clear water famous among Ireland's sea swimmers, with its old diving platform and ladders. There is no lifeguard and no sandy beach — access is by steps and platforms into deep water — so it is a swimmers' and divers' spot rather than a family beach, but a beautiful and storied one.

The Men Only sign, the Metalman and the Sea Horse

The Guillamene still carries its old 'Men Only' sign — women once swam around the headland at Newtown until the 1980s. The rule is long gone; the sign survives as a relic. Above the cove stands the Metalman, a cast-iron navigation figure erected in 1824 to warn ships off the bay after the wreck of the troopship Sea Horse in 1816, in which 363 people were lost. Together they make this one of the most storied stretches of the Waterford coast.

Nearby swimming spots

Newtown Cove, just around the headland, has a gentler entry; Tramore's main strand is five minutes away.

Get directions to the car park

This opens the verified car-park pin — never the beach itself or a mid-route point.

📍 Get directions to the car park

Pin confirmed at 52.1418, -7.1542. Always verify the car park on arrival — access can change.

Map

Verified car-park pin.

Activity suitability

Surfing — No surf
Walking — Short walk (under 1km)
Lifeguard (summer) — No
Not yet confirmed: Swimming

Facilities

Toilets — Yes
Car park — Free
Disabled access — No
Lifeguard — No
Not yet confirmed: Shower, Café nearby

Facilities confirmed from Waterford County Council and Fáilte Ireland Source.

Water quality

This is not an EPA-monitored bathing water, so no official water-quality rating is available. Take local conditions and signage into account and swim with care.

Where to stay nearby

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