Portarthur, Derrybeg
- Water temp(satellite):
- 9.0°C
- 2025-01-16
Portarthur, Derrybeg is a beach in Donegal. Parking close to the beach. Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times. Improved accessibility for people with disabilities.
Portarthur Beach is a north-facing sandy beach, bounded by a rocky outcrop east of Inishmeane Island and a small estuary to the south. The area features fixed dunes that support a variety of plant life, including some rare species. Birdwatchers can enjoy observing a diverse range of birds. Visitors can engage in several water and beach activities, such as swimming, kayaking, boating, and jet skiing, with a designated bathing area covering approximately 0.225km2 of the beach. The beach has a deep gradient, with the water depth reaching 1m just 10m from the water line and continuing at a steep slope. The beach is located in a Gaeltacht area with numerous islands off the coast.
Facilities: Limited parking is available at the pier, for all other facilities Derrybeg and Bunbeg (5km & 6km) have shops, pubs, hotels, toilets, banks, restaurants, etc. Other facilities are also present at Carrickfinn Blue Flag Beach (beside Donegal Airport, 16km drive) such as a larger car park, toilets (seasonal), information boards, though Carrickfinn Beach operates a system of Pack It In, Pack It Out (PIIPIO) which does not provide refuse or recycling facilitiesrecycling facilities can be found at Molloy’s Supermarket in Derrybeg. 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 300 people with a large proportion if users using the beach for walking and other for boating activities. Throughout the season approximately 5,000 people have been estimated to visit the beach. Visitor numbers are representative of the visitors observed by the water quality samplers and from local information. Activities: Activities at Port Arthur beach include swimming, kayaking, boating, sailing, power boating, jet skiing, diving and other land based activities on the beach. The area is prominent locally for walkers.
Portarthur Beach is located to the West of Gweedore, approximately 7km South of Bloody Foreland, on the West coast of County Donegal. The beach is situated in a rural area and not directly beside any towns or villageswith the nearest villages being Derrybeg (5km) or Bunbeg (6km). It is located in the Northwestern Atlantic Seaboard Coastal waterbody (NW_100_0000) within the North Western River Basin District. The designated bathing area is approx. 0.225km2 and the extent along the water is approximately is 1070m
: Portarthur beach consists of a long sandy beachconfined by a rocky outcrop east of Inishmeane Island to the North and a small estuary to the south. The beach faces west onto the Atlantic Ocean and get a relatively strong wash of water onto the beach but is protected to an extent by the network of small islands in the area.