- Water quality Excellent sampled 15 Sep 2026
- Sea temp 13.2 °C surface, modelled
- Waves 0.5 m period 4 s · N
- Wind 11 mph from N · gust 19
- Next tide High 04:35 today · 1.6 m
Carnlough is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is situated in Mid and East Antrim district, as well the historic barony of Glenarm Lower, and the civil parishes of Ardclinis and Tickmacrevan. The village is on the Antrim coast, 14 miles (23 km) north-east of Ballymena. It had a population of 1,512 people at the 2011 census.
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: Excellent — E. coli 16, intestinal enterococci 10 CFU/100 ml
Sample history (40 shown)
| Date | E. coli | Ent. | Rating | Algae |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Sep 2026 | 16 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 10 Sep 2026 | 11 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 2 Sep 2026 | 150 | 90 | Excellent | — |
| 26 Aug 2026 | 26 | 12 | Excellent | — |
| 21 Aug 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 13 Aug 2026 | 72 | 39 | Excellent | — |
| 10 Aug 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 5 Aug 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 28 Jul 2026 | 75 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 24 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 20 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 17 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 8 Jul 2026 | 16 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 2 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 22 Jun 2026 | 37 | 12 | Excellent | — |
| 16 Jun 2026 | 15 | 14 | Excellent | — |
| 9 Jun 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 4 Jun 2026 | 50 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Jun 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 26 May 2026 | 12 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 8 Sep 2025 | 22 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 2 Sep 2025 | 150 | 50 | Excellent | — |
| 28 Aug 2025 | 60 | 50 | Excellent | — |
| 20 Aug 2025 | 40 | 13 | Excellent | — |
| 15 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 11 Aug 2025 | 90 | 60 | Excellent | — |
| 8 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 29 Jul 2025 | 200 | 70 | Excellent | — |
| 24 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 16 Jul 2025 | 14 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 8 Jul 2025 | 10 | 15 | Excellent | — |
| 3 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 30 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 24 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 20 Jun 2025 | 14 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 18 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 12 Jun 2025 | 17 | 24 | 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
5 NI Water storm overflows within 1.2 mi.
Measured in 202536 spills34 h · 8 in the bathing season · 4 of 5 monitored
Nearest 5 overflows
| Overflow | Distance | Classification | Modelled spills/yr | Measured 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnlough Bridge CSO → Carnlough River |
360 yd | To be Determined | — | 8 spills 6 in season · 17 h |
| Harphall Manor WwPS → Carnlough River |
480 yd | To be Determined | — | — |
| Carnlough Harbour WwPS → Glens and Rathlin |
740 yd | To be Determined | — | 23 spills 2 in season · 17 h |
| Bay Road Carnlough WwPS → Glencloy River |
0.5 mi | To be Determined | — | 1 spill 0 in season · <1 h |
| Straidkilly Bay Road WwPS → Glens and Rathlin |
0.8 mi | To be Determined | — | 4 spills 0 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: Tully Road Headworks WwTW (1.7 mi → North Channel) · Munie WwTW (4.0 mi → Glenarm River).
Amenities & features
Parking
6
Toilets
1
Cafes & food
e.g. Harbour Lights
1
Shops
2
Picnic tables
1
Information
e.g. Millennium Milepost
1
Dogs, access & rules
Seasonal dog restrictions
- Dogs: Mid & East Antrim Dog Control Orders exclude dogs from Carnlough beach 1 May–30 September; on a lead on the promenade. Council byelaw
Rules and dates vary by council and season — check the signage at the entrance.
Boating — nearest harbours & marinas
- Carnlough 660 yd
- Glenarm 2.1 mi
- Waterfoot 5.8 mi
2 more further away
- Waterfoot 6.4 mi
- Red Bay 6.4 mi
Wildlife & designations
This beach lies in or within 0.6 mi of:
- 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.