NI Beaches

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Cloghy Beach

North Down · Coastal

Cloghy, also spelt Cloughy or Cloughey, is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the east coast of the Ards Peninsula, in the Ards and North Down Borough. It had a population of 1,360 people in the 2021 Census.

Adapted from Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Conditions now

Air 13°C Partly cloudy
Sea temp 15.1°C surface, modelled
Wind 11mph from NW · gust 21 mph
Sea state0.9 mperiod 4 s · NW
Swell0.6 m5 s · N
Rain, 48 h5 mm

Water quality

Not a designated bathing water — not routinely sampled.

No published samples for this site yet.

Weekly lab samples, not real-time. Avoid bathing for 48 h after heavy rain.

Sewage & storm overflows

5 NI Water storm overflows within 1.2 mi. Modelled ~9 spills/year combined.

Nearest 5
OverflowDistanceClassificationSpills/yrMonitored
Cloughey South WwPS 340 yd To be Determined
Cloughey FFT CSO 680 yd To be Determined
Cloughey North WwPS
→ Strangford
0.5 mi Satisfactory ~9
Ringbouy Cove WwPS
→ Ards Penninsula
1.0 mi To be Determined
Castle Meadow Drive WwPS
→ Ards Penninsula
1.0 mi To be Determined

Nearest wastewater treatment works: Cloughey WwTW (800 yd → Ards Penninsula) · Main Road Cloughey 103-111 ST (1.5 mi → Strangford).

Spill figures are modelled annual predictions, not measured events. Classification is NI Water's own.

Amenities nearby & features

Parking 1
Cafes & food e.g. Chip Buddy 2
Shops e.g. Centra 1
Picnic tables 1
Benches 7
Bins 6

Boating — nearest harbours & marinas

  • Portavogie Harbour · Unknown · Ards and North Down 2.7 mi
  • Portaferry Harbour · Unknown · Ards and North Down 4.5 mi
  • Ballyhalbert Harbour · Unknown · Ards and North Down 4.6 mi
  • Strangford Harbour · Unknown · Newry Mourne and Down 4.9 mi
  • Kircubbin Harbour · Unknown · Ards and North Down 4.9 mi

Kind and ownership are DAERA's own classification. The feed carries no per-site facility data — call ahead for berthing, fuel, water or shore power.

Wildlife & designations

This beach lies in or within 0.6 mi of:

Alerts & advisories

Weever fish

Lesser weever fish bury themselves in wet sand around the low-tide line in summer and have venomous dorsal spines. Wear beach shoes and shuffle your feet in the shallows. A sting is intensely painful but rarely serious: immerse the foot in water as hot as you can tolerate (about 40 C) for 30-90 minutes and seek help if a spine remains or swelling spreads.

Midges and clegs

Biting midges and clegs (horseflies) are worst on warm, still, overcast days and around dawn and dusk from late spring to early autumn, especially near dunes, marram grass and standing water. A breeze off the sea keeps them down. Cover up or use repellent at the back of the beach.

Jellyfish

Lion's mane and compass jellyfish are common off the Northern Ireland coast in summer and are often blown inshore and stranded after onshore winds. Lion's mane stings can be severe. Do not rub a sting; rinse with seawater, remove tentacles with a gloved hand or card, and use hot water or a cold pack for pain.

Seasonal dog restrictions

Many Northern Ireland councils restrict dogs from the main bathing area, or require dogs on leads, between 1 May and 30 September (Blue Flag beaches usually exclude dogs from the bathing zone entirely in season). Rules and dates vary by beach and council: check the signage at the entrance and your council's bathing-beach byelaws.