Downings

Water temp(satellite):
8.7°C
2025-01-16

Downings is located in the county of Donegal. During the bathing season, a life guard is on duty. There are toilets and a parking lot near the beach. Dogs must be on a leash at all times. People with disabilities can access the beach. Beach wheelchair is available. Beach Wheelchair is available via the Downings Tidy Towns by arrangement (087 6152351)
Downings beach is a sandy beach located in Sheephaven Bay, bounded by Downings pier to the west and Maslack headland to the south. At low tide, a sea cave in the Maslack headland is exposed. The surrounding Peninsula boasts diverse coastal habitats, including high rock cliffs, offshore islands, sand dunes, salt marshes, a large intertidal bay, and rocky shingle and sandy beaches, which support various wildlife and vegetation. The beach offers a range of activities such as swimming, kayaking, windsurfing, sailing, surfing, power boating, jet skiing (outside the designated area), diving, and other land-based activities. The designated bathing area covers an area of approximately 0.273km2, with a water line of approximately 687m. The beach slopes very gently, with the water depth reaching 1m about 50m away from the water line.
Facilities: Facilities available at the beach include car parking, toilets (seasonal), information boards, recycling, refuse bins and lifeguards (seasonal). During the lifeguarded periods, extra facilities provided by the lifeguards include: emergency information, telephone access, first aid equipment and rescue equipment. There are shops, restaurants, cafes etc available in Downings village approximately 300m from the beach. Cars are permitted to drive on the Eastern side of Downings Beach with the car free zone delineated with yellow markers to the West which is also the zone patrolled by the Lifeguards. Visitor Numbers: Visitor numbers to the beach vary throughout the season. The maximum number of visitors to the beach during a high season day has been estimated at approximately 1,200 people with a large proportion if users using the water for swimming and a variety of recreational water sports. Throughout the season approximately 35,000 people have been estimated to visit the beach. Visitor numbers are representative of the visitors recorded by the lifeguards that are on duty during the bathing season. Activities: Activities at Downings beach include swimming, kayaking, boating, windsurfing, sailing, surfing, power boating, jet skiing (outside the designated area which is defined in Schedule C of the Maritime Craft Bye Laws), diving and other land based activities on the beach. Gartan Outdoor Education Centre run a training school and provide rentals during the summer period for sailing, windsurfing and canoeing. Jaws Watersports at the main entrance to the beach, also does rentals of stand up paddle boards, surf boards and kayaks. The United Beach Missions run activities on the beach for a week during the summer.
Downings Beach is located close to the village of Downings (Na Dúnaibh), which is located in a Gaeltacht area on the Rosguill Peninsula in County Donegal. It is located in the Sheephaven Coastal waterbody (NW_190_0000) running into the Northwestern Atlantic Seaboard Coastal waterbody (NW_100_0000) within the North Western River Basin District. The designated bathing area is approx. 0.273km2 and the extent along the water is approximately is 687m. There are 3 main entrances onto the beachfrom the middle of the village, there is the access route for vehicles and a large car parkthere are two sets of steps to the west of the entrance, one beside the lifeguard hut and the other from the pier.
: Downings beach consists of a sandy beach in Sheephaven Bay that is confined by Downings pier to the west and a small headland called Maslack to the South. There is a sea cave in the Maslack headland that is exposed at low tide. There is a small stream that comes onto the beach between a caravan park and the GAA pitches. Downings Beach is located in a scenic sheltered bay that hosts a vast quantity of other beaches.

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Beaches close to Downings

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Killahoey ⟼ 7 km away

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Ballyhiernan, Fanad ⟼ 10.8 km away

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Portsalon ⟼ 14.9 km away

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Drumnatinny ⟼ 15.9 km away

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Magheraroarty ⟼ 21.6 km away

Magheraroarty is a rural area situated on the North Coast of Donegal, around 9 km away from Falcarragh town. The beach in Magheraroarty is a long sandy one, located on a strip of land with the Atlantic Ocean and Ballyness Bay on either side and Inishbofin island to the North. As it is west facing, the beach receives a strong wash of water from the rough sea, and the coastline is lined with shifting dunes, vegetated by Marram Grass. Additionally, the fixed dunes in the Magheraroarty dune ecosystem contain humid dune slacks.

Rathmullan ⟼ 22.5 km away

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Lady's Bay, Buncrana ⟼ 24.9 km away

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Lisfannon ⟼ 25.2 km away

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