Ballygalley Beach

Beach/ComboCo. Antrim🐾 Dogs allowed — with rules

A short (~300m) sand-and-boulder beach beside Ballygalley Castle on the Antrim Coast Road, DAERA 'Excellent' rated, with a small car park and shop right across the road.

📍 View on the map

Beach & safety

Water quality: Excellent

Hazards: No RNLI lifeguard cover found; no specific hazard advisories located — treat as an unlifeguarded beach.

Amenities: toilets · car-park

Dogs

Under the Dogs on Leads (Carnlough, Ballygally and Brown's Bay) Order 2013, dogs must be on a lead 11am–6pm, 1 June–31 August plus all public/bank holidays. Off-lead permitted outside those windows.

Official source: View the rule at source →

Family

Small and sheltered but boulder patches at each end mean closer supervision than a fully open sand beach; toilets and an ice cream shop nearby are a plus.

Fishing

Mixed sand, shingle and rock can support bass, pollack, wrasse and mackerel, with flatfish and dogfish over cleaner ground.

Species reported: Bass, Pollack, Ballan wrasse, Mackerel, Flounder, Lesser-spotted dogfish

Access & parking

Roadside car park directly opposite the beach on the A2 Coast Road.

Researched 2026-07-24 — sources & disclaimer

https://www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk/things-to-do/parks/the-coastline-and-beaches/dogs-on-beaches-legislation

https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/2025-bathing-water-profiles

https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/about-bathing-water-quality

Rules and conditions change, so always check current signage and tides before you go. We do our best to keep this accurate but can't promise it's error-free.