- Water quality Excellent sampled 4 Sep 2026
- Sea temp 14.9 °C surface, modelled
- Air 13 °C Partly cloudy
- Wind 13 mph from NW · gust 25
- Next tide Low 03:18 tomorrow · 0.5 m
Wooded country-park beach on the north Down coast.
Conditions now
Air
13°C
Partly cloudy
Sea temp
14.9°C
surface, modelled
Wind
13mph
from NW · gust 25 mph
Sea state1.0 mperiod 5 s · NW
Swell0.4 m6 s · NW
Rain, 48 h3 mm
Water quality
Latest sample 4 Sep 2026: Excellent — E. coli 10, intestinal enterococci 10 CFU/100 ml
Sample history (40 shown)
| Date | E. coli | Ent. | Rating | Algae |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Sep 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Sep 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 28 Aug 2026 | 73 | 18 | Excellent | — |
| 24 Aug 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 20 Aug 2026 | 40 | 14 | 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 | 35 | 21 | Excellent | — |
| 7 Jul 2026 | 10 | 56 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Jul 2026 | 48 | 15 | Excellent | — |
| 23 Jun 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 19 Jun 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 15 Jun 2026 | 10 | 11 | Excellent | — |
| 3 Jun 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 2 Jun 2026 | 64 | 19 | Excellent | — |
| 2 Jun 2026 | 0 | 0 | NoBathing | — |
| 27 May 2026 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 15 Sep 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 9 Sep 2025 | 17 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Sep 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 29 Aug 2025 | 17 | 16 | Excellent | — |
| 21 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 12 Aug 2025 | 25 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 6 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 1 Aug 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 28 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 25 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 17 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 9 Jul 2025 | 10 | 10 | 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 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 11 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 4 Jun 2025 | 10 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 27 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
9 NI Water storm overflows within 1.2 mi — 7 rated Unsatisfactory · 6 monitored. Modelled ~123 spills/year combined.
Nearest 9
| Overflow | Distance | Classification | Spills/yr | Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Road WwPS → Belfast Lough |
40 yd | Unsatisfactory | ~6 | yes |
| Chimera Wood WwPS → Belfast Lough |
440 yd | Satisfactory | — | yes |
| Helens Bay Grey Point WwPS → Belfast Lough Outer |
480 yd | Unsatisfactory | ~12 | yes |
| Blackwood Crescent CSO → Crawfordsburn River |
780 yd | Unsatisfactory | ~3 | yes |
| Crawfordsburn Helens Bay WwPS → Crawfordsburn River |
0.8 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~1 | yes |
| Ballyrobert Road CSO → Crawfordsburn River |
0.9 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~1 | yes |
| Main Street Old Mill Close CSO → Crawfordsburn River |
1.1 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~1 | — |
| Main Street Old Mill House CSO → Crawfordsburn River |
1.1 mi | Satisfactory | — | — |
| Seahill FFT CSO | 1.2 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~99 | — |
Nearest wastewater treatment works: Seahill WwTW (1.1 mi → Belfast Lough Inner) · Seahill WwTW (1.1 mi → Belfast Lough Inner).
Spill figures are modelled annual predictions, not measured events. Classification is NI Water's own.
Amenities nearby & features
Dogs, access & rules
Dogs on leads
- Dogs: Country-park beach: dogs welcome under close control; a seasonal exclusion applies to the roped bathing area. Council byelaw
Parking
13
Toilets
3
Picnic tables
8
Benches
7
Information
8
Bins
8
Boating — nearest harbours & marinas
- Bangor 2.6 mi
- Bangor 2.6 mi
- Carrickfergus 3.8 mi
- Carrickfergus 3.9 mi
- Unknown 4.8 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:
- ASSI Outer Ards
- ASSI Outer Belfast Lough
- SPA Belfast Lough
- SPA Belfast Lough Open Water
- SPA Outer Ards
- Ramsar Belfast Lough
- Ramsar Outer Ards
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.