Overview
Whiterocks is the surf end of Portrush: a broad Blue Flag beach at the eastern end of the town’s long strand, backed by a wall of pale limestone that the Atlantic has spent a long time carving up. It last took its Blue Flag in 2025, one of a long run of them, which tells you the water quality and safety are watched closely here. If you have to pick a moment to come, come at low tide, when the sea pulls back off the arches and caves at the base of the cliffs.
The cliffs and coastal walks
The cliffs are the reason for the name and the main event. Weather and waves have worked the soft pale rock into a line of headlands, arches and sea caves, and locals have names for the best of them: the Wishing Arch, Elephant Rock, Shelagh’s Head, the Lion’s Paw, and Cathedral Cave with its three arches. Which ones stand out depends on the light and the tide.
The shore sits inside Whiterocks Coastal Park, an Area of Special Scientific Interest running from East Strand Beach round to Dunluce Castle. A timber boardwalk drops from the main car park to the sand, and the clifftop path above is a stretch of both the Ulster Way and the Causeway Coast Way, largely level and open with views east and west. For a sunset without the wind, cut inland the short way to the Magheracross viewpoint, which frames the coast from a sheltered grassy ridge.
Water sports and beach life
The waves that make Portrush a surf town break here too, and Whiterocks pulls surfers, bodyboarders and paddleboarders through much of the year; a seasonal hut near the car park hires boards and wetsuits and runs beginner lessons. Sea anglers use it as well. Conditions change fast on this coast, so check locally before you go in.
The sand is wide and shelves gently, which makes it good for families and paddling, and the open layout gives the lifeguards clear sightlines. RNLI lifeguards patrol in high summer, typically July and August from 10am to 6pm, though the exact dates and hours shift from year to year, so check the signage before you rely on them.
Practical information
Getting there and parking
The beach is reached down a narrow access road off the A2, which drops from the coastal promenade to a large free car park at the sand, with overflow bays alongside and marked disabled parking near the entrance. From Portrush you can walk or cycle the coast path, or take a local bus that stops near the top of the access road.
Facilities and access
There is an amenity block with toilets, including accessible ones, and covered cold showers for rinsing off. A wheelchair-friendly boardwalk runs from the car park to the shore, and the firm upper beach is manageable for most mobility aids; the soft dry sand less so. Picnic tables are dotted across the grass above the beach.
Dogs and horses
Dogs are allowed year-round, but restrictions apply between 1 June and 15 September. Check the signage, as some notices describe a full summer ban rather than a lead rule, and it is not worth a fine to guess wrong. Horse riding is allowed from 1 May to 30 September, but only before 11am and after 7pm, using the bridle path from the upper car park. Racehorses are trained on this beach, so expect to share it.
The beach is open around the clock all year, and entry and parking are free. For tide times and any council notices, the Causeway Coast & Glens office is on 028 7034 7234. Time your visit to low water: it opens up the caves and arches to explore and photograph safely, while a rising tide pushes bigger, cleaner waves against the base of the cliffs for the surfers.