Overview
Portacloy is a horseshoe bay at the northern edge of the Erris peninsula, and there is almost nothing here – a handful of cottages, an old harbour, a beach, and blanket bog running back to the road. That emptiness is the appeal. The bay turns its back on the worst of the Atlantic, so the water stays calm enough for a swim on days when every other beach in north Mayo is written off by the swell. It’s a Gaeltacht townland, Port an Chlóidh, and it took a Green Coast Award in 2017 for its water quality and undeveloped surrounds.
If you only have twenty minutes, walk down to the old pier and get in. The sheltered basin is the whole reason to come.
History
The harbour is older and more deliberate than it looks. The Congested Districts Board – the body set up in 1891 to relieve poverty along the western seaboard – built the boat slip, breakwater, landing place and approach road. The bridge and pier came later, in the 1960s.
On the headland above the bay stands Éire 63, one of the numbered stone signs laid around the coast during the Second World War to tell pilots they were over neutral territory. This one served the wartime lookout post LOP63; a storm flattened it in October 2014, and it was rebuilt afterwards.
Getting there and parking
Portacloy is off the tourist circuit and there is no bus – you come by car, bike or on foot. From Ballina, follow the R314 west and then the local signs for Portacloy. There is a small parking area beside the beach, free of charge, but it fills on warm summer weekends, so arrive before midday.
Temporary toilets go in near the car park for the summer, and that is the extent of the facilities: no shop, no café, no lifeguard. Bring water and food. The nearest coffee is up the road in Carrowteige.
Swimming
The bay is the draw. Because it faces away from the open ocean, the water stays comparatively sheltered, and on a settled day it’s well suited to swimming and snorkelling, with enough clarity to make out the weed and limpets along the rocks. Kayakers use the cove as a launch point before heading out to the headlands. There’s no lifeguard, so keep to the sheltered basin and check the tide before you go near the exposed shoreline.
The Portacloy loop walk
The marked Portacloy loop starts and finishes at the beach: 18 km, roughly four hours forty, over cliff path and bog. It climbs to Benwee Head, a great quartzite headland, then tracks the coast past the Stags of Broadhaven – a cluster of sea stacks standing offshore – and along the Rinroe peninsula before passing the Éire 63 sign on the way back. The ground is uneven and wet in places, so you want proper boots, a waterproof and settled weather. After a few days of rain the bog sections turn to sludge.
Fishing and wildlife
The old harbour still sees line fishing – turbot, pollack and mackerel come off the pier and the shallows nearby. The beach and bay form part of the Glenamoy Bog Complex Special Area of Conservation, and the cliffs and offshore stacks hold nesting seabirds; bring binoculars if that’s your reason for coming.
Nearby
- Belmullet – the main town for the region, with shops, cafés and the Broadhaven Bay viewpoints.
- Bangor Erris – an inland Gaeltacht village on the road in, with a couple of pubs and the annual Erris festival.
Practical information
- Access: open year-round, no gate fees.
- Facilities: temporary summer toilets by the car park; no lifeguard, no shop, no refreshments on site.
- Getting on the sand: the beach is soft sand with steps down to the harbour, so it’s not suitable for wheelchairs; the car park itself is level.
- Safety: swim inside the sheltered basin, and check tide times before walking exposed rock.
Locate the beach at 54.33152, -9.7838 or follow this Google Maps link.
Check the forecast rather than the calendar. The swim is only worth the drive on a settled day, and the loop is only worth the boots once the bog has had a chance to dry out.