- Water quality Excellent sampled 15 Sep 2026
- Sea temp 12.6 °C surface, modelled
- Waves 0.6 m period 3 s · NE
- Wind 7 mph from N · gust 13
- Next tide High 04:48 today · 3.8 m
Ballyhornan is a small village and townland in eastern County Down, Northern Ireland. It is located along the Irish Sea coast, less than 10 miles from Downpatrick. The village had a population of 455 at the 2021 census. It lies near the site of the former RAF Bishopscourt installation, which closed in 1990, and much of the housing outside the boundaries of the traditional settlement was used by RAF airmen.
Adapted from Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Conditions now
Air
9°C
Partly cloudy
Swell
0.2m
period 4 s · NE
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: Excellent — E. coli 79, intestinal enterococci 34 CFU/100 ml
Sample history (40 shown)
| Date | E. coli | Ent. | Rating | Algae |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Sep 2026 | 79 | 34 | Excellent | — |
| 10 Sep 2026 | 260 | 90 | Good | — |
| 2 Sep 2026 | 170 | 63 | Excellent | — |
| 26 Aug 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 21 Aug 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 13 Aug 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 10 Aug 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 5 Aug 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 28 Jul 2026 | 18 | 11 | Excellent | — |
| 24 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 20 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 17 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 8 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 2 Jul 2026 | 11 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 25 Jun 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 16 Jun 2026 | 510 | 12 | Satisfactory | — |
| 9 Jun 2026 | 25 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 4 Jun 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Jun 2026 | 150 | 18 | Excellent | — |
| 28 May 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 8 Sep 2025 | 62 | 19 | Excellent | — |
| 2 Sep 2025 | 27 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 28 Aug 2025 | 54 | 12 | Excellent | — |
| 20 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 15 Aug 2025 | 100 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 11 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 8 Aug 2025 | 90 | 50 | Excellent | — |
| 29 Jul 2025 | 10 | 17 | Excellent | — |
| 24 Jul 2025 | 29 | 24 | Excellent | — |
| 16 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 8 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 3 Jul 2025 | 39 | 39 | Excellent | — |
| 30 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 24 Jun 2025 | 23 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 20 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 18 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 12 Jun 2025 | 39 | 11 | Excellent | — |
| 6 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 2 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 28 May 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
3 NI Water storm overflows within 1.2 mi.
Measured in 20253 spills<1 h · 2 in the bathing season · 2 of 3 monitored
| Overflow | Distance | Classification | Modelled spills/yr | Measured 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballyhornan North WwPS → Ards Penninsula |
280 yd | To be Determined | — | — |
| Ballyhornan South TPS → Ards Penninsula |
660 yd | To be Determined | — | 2 spills 1 in season · <1 h |
| Bishopscourt WwPS → Ballyarnet Burn |
0.9 mi | To be Determined | — | 1 spill 1 in season · <1 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: Ballyhornan Outfall WwTW (690 yd → Ards Penninsula) · Ardglass WwTW (2.6 mi → Dundrum Bay Outer).
Amenities & features
Parking
2
Toilets
1
Cafes & food
1
Pubs & bars
e.g. The Cable Bar
1
Shops
1
Picnic tables
e.g. Ballyhornan Picnic Site
10
Benches
8
Information
4
Bins
2
Boating — nearest harbours & marinas
- Ardglass 3.5 mi
- Killough 4.8 mi
- Strangford 4.9 mi
2 more further away
- Portaferry 5.1 mi
- Portavogie 11.7 mi
Wildlife & designations
This beach lies in or within 0.6 mi of:
- ASSI Killard
- ASSI Sheepland Coast
- SAC Strangford Lough
5 protected features · 2 Unfavourable
- Reefs Unfavourable, 2018
- Mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide Favourable, 2021
- Large shallow inlets and bays Favourable, 2019
- Coastal lagoons Favourable, 2021
- Harbour seal Phoca vitulina Unfavourable, 2019
- SPA Strangford Lough
5 protected features · 3 Unfavourable
- Bar-tailed godwit Favourable, 2018
- Arctic tern Favourable, 2017
- Common tern Unfavourable, 2017
- Golden plover Unfavourable, 2018
- Knot Unfavourable, 2018
- 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
- Ramsar Strangford Lough
6 protected features
- Sandwich tern not yet assessed
- Light-bellied Brent goose not yet assessed
- Knot not yet assessed
- Common Redshank not yet assessed
- Common tern not yet assessed
- Overwintering waterfowl not yet assessed
- MCZ Strangford Lough
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
No advisories active for this beach today.