Any cool swimming holes in North Dublin?

Peck3277

Hi,

I'm new to Dublin, living around the Clontarf area. I'm looking for some cool area's to go swimming in the sea, are there any cool swimming holes or area's that you would recommend checking out?

mad m

Bullwall....

Wouldnt class it as the cleanest place but nice for a dip.

Doeshedare

Apart from Bull Wall the following are all relatively close:

Portmarnock - High and Low Rock.
Howth - Balscadden, Jameson's & a spot called Lions Head (search for 'the swimming points in howth')
Sutton - Red Rock

There are beaches in Sutton, Howth, Portmarnock, Malahide and more in North County Dublin.

hidinginthebush

Doeshedare wrote: »

Apart from Bull Wall the following are all relatively close:

Portmarnock - High and Low Rock.
Howth - Balscadden, Jameson's & a spot called Lions Head (search for 'the swimming points in howth')
Sutton - Red Rock

There are beaches in Sutton, Howth, Portmarnock, Malahide and more in North County Dublin.

I always knew that as "the bailey", but it's a great spot. The thread mentioned is well worth a read, some good old time pics of the place in it's heyday.

Sleepy

Hope you don't mind me jumping onboard your thread Peck3277 but looking to get back into swimming myself at the moment and live in the same area.

The Bull Wall is perfect for me at high tide as I prefer to be able to just dive out into the water and avoid the dragged out walk down the sand (and the sand itself - I was spoiled as a teenager with Blackrock in Galway).

Just wondering if any of the spots Doeshedare mentioned are swimming platforms that can be used during low tide as Bull Wall is only really suitable for the kind of swimming I like at high tide.

Doeshedare

High Rock is a natural rock jetty with added concrete and a ladder at the end. In terms of diving off I'd say 3 hours either side of high tide is ok (so a bit like Bull Wall) but you can climb down the ladder into the water (or jump off its rungs) and it is deep enough up to about 1 hour from low tide and even then you can get out to deeper water fairly easily though it may mean meeting some underwater sand! I know from the regulars there that it has a longer useable tide than Bull Wall.

If you do the cliff walk from Sutton to Howth on the bay side you'll find many spots (Red Rock, Jamesons and more) and they dont have much,if any sand.

Balscadden is a rocky beach with a tide but doesnt involve much of a walk to get deep enough quickly. My nephew has been using a spot below the tea shop at the start of the cliff walk at Balscadden (Howth) which is probably tricky to get to but would involve jumping from rocks.

The rest I listed are your typical sandy beaches.

Everywhere I can think of is better with more water.

Sleepy

Thanks for that Doeshedare, sounds like High Rock is a good alternative for me when it's low tide at the Bull Wall.

I don't mind underwater sand at all, just hate being covered in it when trying to change back into civvies and a long walk out to deep water.

Doeshedare

"good alternative for me when it's low tide at the Bull Wall."

I am sure you know this but Low tide at Bull Wall is also more or less low tide at High Rock.

Another point, High Rock at high tide with a frothy sea (Easterly wind) can be dodgy, if you get there and it is like that go towards Malahide to Low Rock.

Sleepy

Yeah, I suppose I meant "lower" tide if you get me. I've about a 4 hour window in the evenings to have a swim and if low tide is in that time-frame, it'd be best to have somewhere else to go than Bull Wall.

Thanks for the tip on High Rock when frothy, it's been almost 20 years since I swam regularly in the ocean so I won't be going anywhere near rough conditions for a good while but it's good to know for when I get stronger!