Best Beaches Near Belfast
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best beaches near Belfast are Newtownabbey Bay Beach, High Tide Covers Rock Beach, Helens Bay, Crawfordsburn Beach, Carnalea Bay Beach, Smelt Mill Bay, Brompton Bay and Ballyholme Bay.
Belfast wraps around the head of Belfast Lough, and its best beaches line the sheltered shores on either side. On the northern edge of the city, Newtownabbey Bay, or Hazelbank, gives an easy waterside walk with wide views over the lough.
Cross to the southern shore in County Down and the coast leads east through a string of quiet strands. Holywood's foreshore, covered by the high tide, draws waders to its flats, while further on Helen's Bay and Crawfordsburn tuck their sands into the woods of Crawfordsburn Country Park.
Nearer Bangor, the coastal path passes the low-key shore of Carnalea Bay, the pebbly nook of Smelt Mill Bay and the swimmers' cove at Brompton Bay. Round on the town's eastern edge, Ballyholme spreads a broad curve of sand below its promenade.
From gentle lough-side rambles to bracing sea swims, there is variety within a short drive. Here are eight beaches to seek out near Belfast.
Newtownabbey Bay Beach
Photo: Albert Bridge via Geograph.org.uk
Newtownabbey Bay Beach The draw here is the outlook: a broad view over Belfast Lough to the city and the distant County Down shore. Locals call it Hazelbank, and the sand and shingle strand sits on the water's edge at the northern rim of Belfast, backed by Hazelbank Park.
Running behind it is a walking and cycling path, a section of the wider Loughshore Trail, with the park's parking and toilets close at hand. Swimming is not really the point.
This is somewhere for an unhurried walk or an easy ride along the lough, the city skyline filling the far side of the water.
High Tide Covers Rock Beach
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
Holywood shore runs along the south side of Belfast Lough in County Down, between the town and Cultra, a low foreshore of sand, shingle and mudflats not far from Belfast. The tide covers it almost completely at high water, then draws back to reveal wide flats, bringing in wading birds and gulls.
The North Down Coastal Path runs along the back, with views across the lough to the hills of Antrim. The calm, muddy water makes it a place for walking and birdwatching rather than bathing.
Helens Bay
Photo: Albert Bridge via Geograph.org.uk
Helen's Bay is a sandy beach on the south shore of Belfast Lough in County Down, within Crawfordsburn Country Park near Bangor. The sand shelves gently into clean water, backed by the wooded ground of the park, with a quiet, sheltered feel.
Grey Point Fort, an old coastal gun battery, stands on the headland nearby, and paths run through the park's woods to a small waterfall. The village behind the beach grew up as a railway resort in Victorian times.
Crawfordsburn Beach
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
Crawfordsburn Beach lies within Crawfordsburn Country Park on the southern shore of Belfast Lough, near Helen's Bay in County Down. Sandy beaches run along a couple of miles of coast, backed by a wooded glen where a stream drops over a small waterfall, and an old railway viaduct still carrying the Belfast to Bangor line spans the glen.
The park has a visitor centre, cafe and walks through wood and meadow, with a former coastal gun battery nearby at Grey Point.
Carnalea Bay Beach
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
Carnalea Bay Beach West of Bangor in County Down, this small and unshowy stretch of shore sits on Belfast Lough, edged by a series of rocky inlets and rock pools. The North Down Coastal Path threads right along the front, busy with walkers, runners and cyclists, while a golf course backs it on the landward side.
Kerr's Wood offers a wooded inland route nearby, and the little Carnalea railway halt sits just back from the water, so it is easy to reach by train. It is a quiet lough-side spot for a stroll rather than a bathing beach.
Smelt Mill Bay
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
Smelt Mill Bay is a small pebble cove on the North Down coast at Bangor in County Down, where the stream from the wooded Stricklands Glen runs down to the sea. It sits on the coastal path between Bangor and Crawfordsburn, a scenic stop backed by the trees of the glen.
The bay takes its name from a lead smelt mill once driven by the glen's stream, though little of it now survives. It is a quiet spot for a pause on the walk.
Brompton Bay
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
Brompton Bay is a small rocky swimming cove on the North Down coast, a short way east of Bangor in County Down. Rather than a broad sandy beach, it is a sheltered notch in the rocky shore, a favourite of local sea swimmers who get into the water down steps and a fixed ladder set into the rocks.
The coastal path runs right past it, with views across the mouth of Belfast Lough. Recently recognised as an official bathing spot with water quality tested through the summer, it draws groups who swim here in all weathers.
There are no real facilities, just the rocks, the ladder and the sea, and on a fine morning it is busy with swimmers.
Ballyholme Bay
Photo: Rossographer via Geograph.org.uk
Ballyholme Bay is a broad, curving sandy bay on the eastern edge of Bangor in County Down, a little over a kilometre of sand backed by a promenade and a line of houses. Wooden groynes run down the beach at intervals, and the shore looks out across the mouth of Belfast Lough toward the Antrim hills.
It is a busy local beach, good for walking, paddling and sailing, with a yacht club at the western end and boats out in fine weather. Back in 1903 a Viking-age grave was dug up here, a woman buried with bronze brooches and other goods, a sign of how long people have used this sheltered coast.
FAQs
Where can you swim near Belfast?
Brompton Bay, a rocky cove just east of Bangor on Belfast Lough, is a recognised bathing spot with water tested through the summer, and Helen's Bay in Crawfordsburn Country Park offers gentler, sheltered sand.
Are there beaches good for birdwatching around Belfast?
Yes. The Holywood foreshore and the flats along Belfast Lough draw wading birds and gulls at low tide, making the County Down shore near Belfast a rewarding spot for birdwatchers.
Which beach near Belfast is easiest for a family walk?
Newtownabbey Bay, or Hazelbank, on the northern edge of Belfast has a level lough-side path, parking and toilets in Hazelbank Park, ideal for an easy stroll or cycle.
Conclusion
Belfast may be a city, but a short run along either shore of its lough opens up a whole coast of beaches. To the north, Newtownabbey's Hazelbank offers an easy waterside stroll, while the County Down side leads east past the tidal flats at Holywood and the wooded sands of Helen's Bay and Crawfordsburn.
Closer to Bangor come the quieter corners: Carnalea Bay, Smelt Mill Bay, the swimmers' cove at Brompton Bay and, at last, the broad curve of Ballyholme. Some are made for birdwatching and gentle walks, others for a bracing dip off the rocks.
Wrap up for the lough breeze, check the tide before you set out, and these are the beaches to seek out near Belfast.
