Pollan Bay is a long crescent of sand on the north-west corner of the Inishowen Peninsula, near Ballyliffin in County Donegal – but the first thing to know is that only the southern end, to the right of the car park, is safe to swim. There are no lifeguards, and the currents further along the strand are not to be trusted. Get that straight and the rest is easy: free parking, a playground right on the sand, a coffee van most days, and a couple of kilometres of beach with Glashedy Island and Malin Head out in front of you.
The beach runs on north as Pollan Strand toward the Isle of Doagh, five kilometres and more of sand and dune all told, with Ballyliffin Golf Club along the southern side. It’s a proper working Atlantic beach: sandy at the car-park end, stonier as you go north, with round sea-worn rocks scattered along the tide line. That, plus a steady west-to-north-west swell, is why the windsurfers and surfers come here rather than somewhere more sheltered.
The walk to Carrickabraghy Castle
The best of Pollan Bay is the walk to its northern tip, where the ruined Carrickabraghy Castle sits on a rocky outcrop above the sea. It’s a 16th-century O’Doherty stronghold, and the walk to it along the beach and dunes is about 5km from the car park, roughly two hours there and back. Pick a falling tide so you’ve firm sand to walk on. The same car park is the jumping-off point for Binion Hill, if you’d rather gain some height and a view back over the whole bay.
Practical notes
- Parking: free, at the southern end beside the playground and picnic area. It fills on summer weekends, so come early.
- Swimming: south end only, to the right of the car park. No lifeguards on duty, so mind the currents and keep an eye on children.
- Facilities: a coffee van is usually in the car park, and there’s a playground and picnic area on the sand. Toilets are not reliable here, so use Ballyliffin village.
- Getting there: the beach is signposted off the road between Ballyliffin and the Isle of Doagh; from Dublin it’s about four hours by the N13 and N14. Pollan Bay also sits on the Inishowen 100, the hundred-mile scenic loop of the peninsula, so it’s an easy stop on a bigger day out.
For heritage rather than sand, the Doagh Famine Village is a short drive inland; but on a clear evening the better call is simply to stay put and walk the dunes north as the light drops behind Glashedy.