Cloughey Bay (Cloughy)

Cloughey Bay beach is a somewhat undiscovered gem with its expanse of fine golden sand. The long crescent of beach stretches for around 1.5 miles along the east coast of the Ard Peninsula on Northern Ireland’s east coast. The bay faces south eastwards, out into the relative shelter of the Irish Sea. There is also a long spit of sand and stone to the north of the beach which gives added protection from the swells.

Running along much of the back of the beach are sand dunes. These are designated as an Area of Special Scientific Interest and a boardwalk has recently been installed to protect them. Known as the Warren this area is popular with dog walkers.

The southern end of the beach is a good place for birdwatching. During the winter it is a great place to spot migrating waders that stop here en-route to warmer climes.

The beach here is gently sloping which combined with the usually calm seas makes Cloughey Bay ideal for a paddle. I also means when the tide goes out, it goes out a long way revealing a large expanse of sand which is ideal for dogs and even horses.

Given the calm waters of Cloughey Bay it is popular for a range of water sports. When the wind is up you’ll see windsurfers and kite-surfers, while on the still days water skiers and jet-skiers are more common.