Helen's Bay

BeachCo. Down🐾 Dogs allowed — with rules

A sheltered, wooded-backdrop sand beach on Belfast Lough inside Crawfordsburn Country Park, popular with families and one of the more picturesque North Down beaches.

📍 View on the map

Beach & safety

Water quality: Excellent

Hazards: No specific RNLI hazard advisory found; sheltered Belfast Lough bay, not an RNLI-lifeguarded beach.

Amenities: toilets · car-park · cafe

Dogs

Managed by NIEA/DAERA as part of Crawfordsburn Country Park (not covered by Ards & North Down Council's dog control orders, which only apply to Ballyholme and Groomsport). Dogs are welcome year-round but sources describe leads required during the summer bathing season (roughly June-September); confirm exact dates with NIEA (nieainfo@daera-ni.gov.uk / 028 9185 3621) as no single published byelaw date range was found.

Unofficial source: View the supporting source →Not an authority; check current signage.

Family

Sheltered cove, wooded park behind it, calm water, playground and country-park facilities nearby - a strong small-kids beach.

Fishing

Sheltered lough and estuary margins can support flounder, bass and mullet, with whiting or codling in colder periods.

Species reported: Flounder, Bass, Grey mullet, Whiting, Codling

Access & parking

Park in Crawfordsburn Country Park car park (NIEA) or Helen's Bay train station car park, short walk down to the beach. Sat-nav: BT19 1LE. Get directions →

Researched 2026-07-24 — sources & disclaimer

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

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/crawfordsburn-country-park-helens-bay

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.