- Water quality Good sampled 15 Sep 2026
- Sea temp 13.4 °C surface, modelled
- Waves 0.5 m period 4 s · N
- Wind 11 mph from N · gust 20
- Next tide High 04:23 today · 2.6 m
Ballygally or Ballygalley is a village and holiday resort in County Antrim, Northern Ireland which lies on the Antrim coast, approximately 3 miles north of Larne. It is also a townland of 769 acres and is situated in the civil parish of Carncastle and the historic barony of Glenarm Upper. It had a population of 821 in the 2011 census. It is located within the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area.
Adapted from Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Conditions now
Air
10°C
Partly cloudy
Swell
0.3m
period 3 s · N
Rain
0mm
last 48 hours
Water quality
A designated bathing water: DAERA samples it weekly through the bathing season (1 June–15 September).
Latest sample 15 Sep 2026: Good — E. coli 260, intestinal enterococci 130 CFU/100 ml
Sample history (40 shown)
| Date | E. coli | Ent. | Rating | Algae |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Sep 2026 | 260 | 130 | Good | — |
| 10 Sep 2026 | 12 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 2 Sep 2026 | 73 | 130 | Excellent | — |
| 26 Aug 2026 | 10 | 13 | Excellent | — |
| 21 Aug 2026 | 16 | 13 | Excellent | — |
| 13 Aug 2026 | 11 | 16 | Excellent | — |
| 10 Aug 2026 | 21 | 31 | Excellent | — |
| 5 Aug 2026 | 37 | 23 | Excellent | — |
| 28 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 24 Jul 2026 | 26 | 17 | Excellent | — |
| 20 Jul 2026 | 55 | 28 | Excellent | — |
| 17 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 8 Jul 2026 | 11 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 2 Jul 2026 | 170 | 60 | Excellent | — |
| 22 Jun 2026 | 47 | 14 | Excellent | — |
| 16 Jun 2026 | 11 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 9 Jun 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 5 Jun 2026 | 280 | 23 | Good | — |
| 4 Jun 2026 | 1300 | 190 | Advice against bathing | — |
| 1 Jun 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 26 May 2026 | 33 | 15 | Excellent | — |
| 8 Sep 2025 | 70 | 40 | Excellent | — |
| 2 Sep 2025 | 17 | 29 | Excellent | — |
| 28 Aug 2025 | 18 | 70 | Excellent | — |
| 20 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 15 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 11 Aug 2025 | 11 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 8 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 29 Jul 2025 | 16 | 11 | Excellent | — |
| 24 Jul 2025 | 47 | 15 | Excellent | — |
| 16 Jul 2025 | 130 | 50 | Excellent | — |
| 8 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 3 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 30 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 24 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 20 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 18 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 12 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 6 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 2 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
Weekly lab samples, not real-time. Avoid bathing for 48 h after heavy rain. Bathing Water Profile (PDF).
Sewage & storm overflows
4 NI Water storm overflows within 1.2 mi — 4 rated Unsatisfactory.
Modelled~23 spills/yrNI Water's prediction, all 4 combined
Measured in 202583 spills443 h · 18 in the bathing season · 4 of 4 monitored
| Overflow | Distance | Classification | Modelled spills/yr | Measured 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brustin Lee WwPS → Ballygalley Burn |
250 yd | Unsatisfactory | ~1 | 15 spills 12 in season · 1 h |
| Croft Manor WwPS → Ballygalley Burn |
470 yd | Unsatisfactory | ~1 | 1 spill 0 in season · 1 h |
| Ballygalley Coast Road CSO → Glens and Rathlin |
540 yd | Unsatisfactory | ~16 | 30 spills 4 in season · 133 h |
| Ballygalley Slipway WwPS → Glens and Rathlin |
580 yd | Unsatisfactory | ~5 | 37 spills 2 in season · 308 h |
How these are counted
“Modelled” is NI Water's hydraulic-model prediction of spills per year. “Measured” is from NI Water's event duration monitors, counted with the industry 12/24 method (discharges within the same 12- or 24-hour block count as one spill); the bathing-season figure (1 Jun–15 Sep) is our count from NI Water's published discharge log. An overflow with no monitor isn't known to be dry. Classification is NI Water's own.
Nearest wastewater treatment works: Larne WwTW (4.2 mi → Larne Lough North) · Belfast Road 56-58 ST (4.5 mi).
Amenities & features
Parking
4
Toilets
1
Shops
e.g. Spar
1
Picnic tables
2
Benches
10
Information
e.g. Millennium Milepost
1
Bins
4
Dogs, access & rules
Seasonal dog restrictions
- Dogs: Mid & East Antrim Dog Control Orders exclude dogs from Ballygally beach 1 May–30 September. Council byelaw
Rules and dates vary by council and season — check the signage at the entrance.
Boating — nearest harbours & marinas
- Ballylumford 4.4 mi
- Larne 4.5 mi
- Glenarm 6.1 mi
2 more further away
- Islandmagee 6.3 mi
- Carnlough 8.3 mi
Wildlife & designations
This beach lies in or within 0.6 mi of:
- ASSI Ballygalley Head
- pSPA East Coast Marine proposed Special Protection Area, not yet classified
7 proposed features
- Great crested grebe
- Red throated diver
- Sandwich tern
- Common tern
- Arctic tern
- Manx shearwater
- Eider duck
Protected features and their latest condition assessment, from DAERA's 2023 marine protected area review. Only sites with a marine part are assessed there.
Alerts & advisories
Rip currents on surf beaches
The open Atlantic strands generate strong rip currents, particularly around low tide and after big swell. Swim between the red-and-yellow flags at lifeguarded beaches in season, never alone, and if caught in a rip do not swim against it: raise a hand, float, and let it carry you out until it releases.