Porthaw Beach is a small cove of fine white sand on the eastern shore of Lough Swilly, about 1.5 km along the Buncrana Shore Path. Because it faces into the lough rather than the open Atlantic, the water stays calm and shallow – which is why Buncrana families bring small children here to paddle rather than to the bigger, more exposed strands further along the coast. At low tide the beach expands a good deal, opening out into wide flats of firm sand.
Getting there
The best way to arrive is on foot. From the centre of Buncrana it is a level, 20-minute walk of about 1.5 km along the shore path, easy underfoot and fine for pushchairs. The path itself gets busy on a good day, but the beach usually stays quiet.
If you drive, be aware there is no parking at the beach. The only option is the car park at the RNLI lifeboat station at Ned’s Point, a short walk from the sand; it is free, with litter bins at the edge. There are no toilets and nowhere to buy so much as a coffee at the cove, so sort that out in Buncrana or at the station before you head down. For turn-by-turn navigation, use Get directions.
Ned’s Point and the fort
A short stroll from the sand stands Ned’s Point Fort, a Napoleonic-era gun battery – one of a chain built along Lough Swilly to guard the north-west approaches to Ireland when an invasion by sea was a real fear. It is a modest ruin rather than a grand one, but it gives the walk a bit of history, and the RNLI lifeboat station beside it keeps the point busy.
Wildlife
During the spring and autumn migrations the shallows and shoreline draw brent geese, waders and terns, and seals are sometimes seen offshore. Bring binoculars if that is your thing. Further along the shore path, Stragill is a bigger, more open strand if you want surf rather than a sheltered paddle.
Time your visit for low water. The cove is at its best then – most sand, easiest paddling, and the wide flats that make the walk worth it in the first place.