- 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
Wooded country-park beach on the north Down coast.
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 | 27 | 10 | Excellent | — |
| 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 | Advice against bathing | — |
| 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 | — |
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.
Modelled~123 spills/yrNI Water's prediction, all 9 combined
Measured in 202550 spills178 h · 4 in the bathing season · 6 of 9 monitored
Nearest 9 overflows
| Overflow | Distance | Classification | Modelled spills/yr | Measured 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Road WwPS → Belfast Lough |
40 yd | Unsatisfactory | ~6 | 15 spills 1 in season · 61 h |
| Chimera Wood WwPS → Belfast Lough |
440 yd | Satisfactory | — | 8 spills 1 in season · 17 h |
| Helens Bay Grey Point WwPS → Belfast Lough Outer |
480 yd | Unsatisfactory | ~12 | 25 spills 2 in season · 100 h |
| Blackwood Crescent CSO → Crawfordsburn River |
780 yd | Unsatisfactory | ~3 | 0 spills 0 in season · 0 h |
| Crawfordsburn Helens Bay WwPS → Crawfordsburn River |
0.8 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~1 | 2 spills 0 in season · <1 h |
| Ballyrobert Road CSO → Crawfordsburn River |
0.9 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~1 | monitored |
| Main Street Old Mill Close CSO → Crawfordsburn River |
1.1 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~1 | 0 spills 0 in season · 0 h |
| Main Street Old Mill House CSO → Crawfordsburn River |
1.1 mi | Satisfactory | — | — |
| Seahill FFT CSO | 1.2 mi | Unsatisfactory | ~99 | — |
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 (1.1 mi → Belfast Lough Inner) · Seahill WwTW (1.1 mi → Belfast Lough Inner).
Amenities & features
Parking
13
Toilets
3
Picnic tables
8
Benches
7
Information
8
Bins
8
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
Rules and dates vary by council and season — check the signage at the entrance.
Boating — nearest harbours & marinas
- Bangor 2.6 mi
- Bangor 2.6 mi
- Carrickfergus 3.8 mi
2 more further away
- Carrickfergus 3.9 mi
- Unknown 4.8 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.