- Water quality Excellent sampled 14 Sep 2026
- Sea temp 13.2 °C surface, modelled
- Waves 0.5 m period 3 s · N
- Wind 9 mph from N · gust 17
- Next tide High 04:31 today · 3.0 m
Crawfordsburn, in an area historically Ballymullan, is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. The village, which is now effectively a commuter town, lies between Holywood and Bangor to the north of the A2 road, about 4 km west of Bangor city centre. Bounded to the north and north east by Crawfordsburn Country Park, the village attracts many visitors. It had a population of 632 people in the 2021 census.
Adapted from Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Conditions now
Air
10°C
Clear
Swell
0.4m
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 14 Sep 2026: Excellent — E. coli 10, intestinal enterococci 10 CFU/100 ml
Sample history (40 shown)
| Date | E. coli | Ent. | Rating | Algae |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Sep 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 9 Sep 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 4 Sep 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Sep 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 28 Aug 2026 | 37 | 27 | Excellent | — |
| 24 Aug 2026 | 28 | 24 | Excellent | — |
| 20 Aug 2026 | 35 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 12 Aug 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 6 Aug 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 30 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 27 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 21 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 16 Jul 2026 | 410 | 39 | Good | — |
| 7 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Jul 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 23 Jun 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 19 Jun 2026 | 13 | 15 | Excellent | — |
| 15 Jun 2026 | 40 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 3 Jun 2026 | 13 | 11 | Excellent | — |
| 2 Jun 2026 | 350 | 60 | Good | — |
| 27 May 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 15 Sep 2025 | 100 | 28 | Excellent | — |
| 9 Sep 2025 | 35 | 30 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Sep 2025 | 70 | 70 | Excellent | — |
| 29 Aug 2025 | 150 | 100 | Excellent | — |
| 21 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 12 Aug 2025 | 12 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 6 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 28 Jul 2025 | 19 | 13 | Excellent | — |
| 25 Jul 2025 | 22 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 17 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 9 Jul 2025 | 29 | 20 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 26 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 23 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 19 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 13 Jun 2025 | 90 | 21 | Excellent | — |
| 11 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 4 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
10 NI Water storm overflows within 1.2 mi — 7 rated Unsatisfactory.
Modelled~113 spills/yrNI Water's prediction, all 10 combined
Measured in 202552 spills178 h · 6 in the bathing season · 7 of 10 monitored
Nearest 10 overflows
| Overflow | Distance | Classification | Modelled spills/yr | Measured 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chimera Wood WwPS → Belfast Lough |
390 yd | Satisfactory | — | 8 spills 1 in season · 17 h |
| Blackwood Crescent CSO → Crawfordsburn River |
420 yd | Unsatisfactory | ~3 | 0 spills 0 in season · 0 h |
| Fort Road WwPS → Belfast Lough |
810 yd | Unsatisfactory | ~6 | 15 spills 1 in season · 61 h |
| Crawfordsburn Helens Bay WwPS → Crawfordsburn River |
0.6 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~1 | 2 spills 0 in season · <1 h |
| Ballyrobert Road CSO → Crawfordsburn River |
0.7 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~1 | monitored |
| Helens Bay Grey Point WwPS → Belfast Lough Outer |
0.7 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~12 | 25 spills 2 in season · 100 h |
| Main Street Old Mill Close CSO → Crawfordsburn River |
0.8 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~1 | 0 spills 0 in season · 0 h |
| Main Street Old Mill House CSO → Crawfordsburn River |
0.8 mi | Satisfactory | — | — |
| Killaire WwPS → Belfast Lough Outer |
0.8 mi | To be Determined | — | 2 spills 2 in season · <1 h |
| Carnalea Golf Club CSO → Belfast Lough |
0.9 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~89 | — |
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: Seahill WwTW (1.5 mi → Belfast Lough Inner) · Seahill WwTW (1.5 mi → Belfast Lough Inner).
Amenities & features
Parking
16
Toilets
4
Picnic tables
8
Benches
10
Information
7
Bins
10
Boating — nearest harbours & marinas
- Bangor 2.2 mi
- Bangor 2.2 mi
- Carrickfergus 4.2 mi
2 more further away
- Carrickfergus 4.4 mi
- Groomsport 4.4 mi
Wildlife & designations
This beach lies in or within 0.6 mi of:
- ASSI Outer Ards
2 protected features
- Intertidal rock Favourable, 2020
- Intertidal mudflats and sandflats Favourable, 2021
- ASSI Outer Belfast Lough
- SPA Belfast Lough
5 protected features · 1 Unfavourable
- Common redshank Unfavourable, 2019
- Common tern Favourable, 2019
- Arctic tern Favourable, 2019
- Bar-tailed Godwit Favourable, 2019
- Black-tailed Godwit Favourable, 2019
- SPA Belfast Lough Open Water
1 protected feature · 1 Unfavourable
- Great-crested grebe Unfavourable, 2019
- SPA Outer Ards
5 protected features · 3 Unfavourable
- Arctic tern Favourable, 2017
- Golden plover Unfavourable, 2018
- Light-bellied Brent goose Favourable, 2018
- Turnstone Unfavourable, 2018
- Ringed plover 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 Belfast Lough
1 protected feature · 1 Unfavourable
- Common redshank Unfavourable, 2019
- Ramsar Outer Ards
6 protected features · 2 Unfavourable
- Arctic tern Favourable, 2017
- Golden plover Unfavourable, 2018
- Light-bellied Brent goose Favourable, 2018
- Turnstone not yet assessed
- Ringed plover Unfavourable, 2018
- Manx Shearwater not yet assessed
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.