The beach
East Strand runs for about 2.5 km from the middle of Portrush out to Whiterocks, and the dune system behind it hides the links of Royal Portrush, the course that hosted the Open. It shades into Curran Strand and Whiterocks at its eastern end, so a walk in one direction just keeps going. The beach holds the Blue Flag most years, most recently in 2025, and has also taken the Seaside Award.
If you are here for one thing, it is the surf. The wide, firm sand and a consistent Atlantic swell make this a year-round break, and Troggs Surf School – the longest-running school in Portrush – runs lessons and hires out boards and wetsuits from the front. One honest caveat that the local reviews keep making: the wave here has real power and deserves respect. RNLI lifeguards patrol in July and August only (10am–6pm daily), so outside those weeks you are on your own judgement.
What to do
Beyond the surf, the promenade is the other draw – a flat, wheelchair-friendly path the length of the beach that suits a slow stroll or a run, with the Skerries offshore and the Causeway headlands beyond. Bodyboarders, kayakers and paddleboarders share the water with the surfers, and the firm sand brings out horse-riders too, though riding is limited to 1 May–30 September, before 11am and after 7pm.
For coffee, Chosen Coffee is the beachside spot people make a point of. On the grass bank above the sand, Holger Lonze’s sculpture To the People of the Sea honours James Kelly, one of Ireland’s best-known boat builders, and keeps Portrush’s boat-building past in view. The 1920s Arcadia building anchors the eastern end: once a Victorian café, refurbished as a ballroom in 1953, it now runs as a gallery, café and wellbeing centre.
The dunes and offshore islets carry fulmar, eider, gull, guillemot, gannet and tern, and the whole coastline sits within the Causeway Coast and Glens Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Some dune zones carry seasonal access restrictions during nesting.
Getting there and parking
The main car park is off Causeway Street, signposted from the town centre – roughly 537 spaces, charged at 50p per hour (8:30am–6:30pm, Monday to Sunday, all year). In high summer it fills, so come early. Portrush train station is about 400m away, with regular connections to Belfast and Derry, and a daily bus stops near the beach entrance.
Concrete ramps at both ends of the promenade give step-free access to the sand, and there are disabled toilets on Kerr Street. From July to August, the Mae Murray Foundation lends all-terrain beach wheelchairs and mobility aids free of charge; membership is free but you need to book ahead. Their scheme runs via the Mae Murray Foundation – Inclusive Beaches page.
Practical notes
- Facilities: standard and disabled toilets, outdoor cold showers and baby-changing in the main block.
- Dogs: allowed year-round, but restrictions apply from 1 June to 15 September – in some stretches, from the Arcadia eastwards, dogs are not permitted at all during that period. Check the signs at the promenade.
- Beach care: dune-stabilisation planting and regular post-storm cleans keep the strand in Blue Flag condition.
- Best light: late afternoon, when the wind tends to drop and the sun comes round onto the Skerries.
Nearby
- Royal Portrush Golf Club – the championship links directly behind the dunes, home of the Open.
- Whiterocks – keep walking east for more sand and the chalk cliffs and arches.
- The Arcadia – gallery, café and classes at the beach’s eastern end.
- Causeway Coast landmarks – the Giant’s Causeway, Dunluce Castle and the Skerries are a short drive or bus ride away.
- Antrim Coast and Glens – the wider coastal route for more walks and villages.
Check the tide before a long walk: at high water the sea can reach the promenade, and the sculpture and the patterned sand off the Arcadia show best on a falling tide.