County Down beach named the best in Northern Ireland

Tyrella Beach in County Down has been named the best beach in Northern Ireland in a new guide by the Times and Sunday Times.

Beaches were marked against a 12-point checklist, assessing factors such as cleanliness, parking, and accessibility.

In his description of Tyrella, Chris Haslam, chief travel writer at The Times and The Sunday Times, said, “The best family beach on Northern Ireland’s east coast looks much the same as Murlough, a 20-minute drive south, with marram grass dunes lining a flat, sandy beach with Slieve Donard to the south and the wasp-banded spire of the St John’s Point lighthouse to the north.”

“Unlike Murlough, where it’s a half-mile walk from car park to beach, Tyrella has parking right beside the sand. It’s now a fully-inclusive beach with state of the art equipment — including floating wheelchairs — to allow people of all abilities to enjoy their visit.”

Haslam spent five weeks on the road, driving 4,307 miles and inspecting 607 beaches to find the very best in the UK.

Also making the list this year of the UK’s top 50 beaches are Cranfield beach in County Down, Whitepark Bay in County Antrim, and Benone in County Londonderry