A crescent of sand tucked into a sheltered bay on the Antrim Coast Road, with a 17th-century castle standing behind it and safe, shallow paddling for the little ones. Free, family-friendly, and open all year.
What you'll do — build sandcastles and paddle in the calm bay, walk the sand under the green headland, spot Ballygally Castle over the seafront, and pop across to the play park. Carnfunnock Country Park is just up the road for a bigger day out.
How long & who for — an easy one to two hours on the beach, longer with buckets and spades. Great for all ages, and handy for toddlers with the play park right there.
Cost & parking — free to visit. There's a car park across the road with paid parking and limited spaces, plus more along the Coast Road to the east — arrive early on a sunny day.
Bring the lot — buckets, spades, a towel and swim gear in summer, plus a windproof coat for the sea breeze. There's a water refill station at the car park, so bring your bottles.
Food & toilets — the Spar is right across the road for ice cream and supplies, with picnic tables nearby, and toilets and baby-changing are at the car park all year. Ballygally Castle hotel does food too.
No lifeguard. It's an open beach with no lifeguard cover, so keep the kids close in the water and mind the tide.
Dogs on leads in summer. Dogs must be on a lead 11am–6pm from 1 June to 31 August (and on bank holidays). Outside those hours there are no restrictions — always bag and bin the mess.
Plan your visit
Can I just turn up? Yes — it's free.
Ballygally Beach is open and free to visit any day of the year in daylight — no booking, no ticket. The catch is parking: there's a car park across the road from the beach with paid parking and limited spaces, so it fills up on a sunny day — come early, or use the extra parking along the Coast Road to the east. Facilities are good for a beach this size: toilets and baby-changing at the car park (open all year), a water refill station, a newly refurbished play park with a toddler area, and the Spar shop across the road for supplies and ice cream. Confirm parking charges on the day.
Car park (paid, limited)Toilets & baby-changing (all year)Play park with toddler areaWater refill stationShop & ice cream across the road
Good to know before you go:
There's no lifeguard on the beach, so keep an eye on paddling and the tide. Parking spaces are limited and paid, so arrive early on a warm day. The beach is a mix of sand with some seaweed and stony patches, and the play park and shop are just across the Coast Road.
Before you set off
What to wear & bring
🪣Buckets, spades & a towelIt's a proper sandy beach with a gentle paddle — made for sandcastles on a warm day.
🧥A coat for the breezeIt's the open coast — a fresh, bracing walk, gorgeous when the sun's out. Layer up and enjoy it.
💧Water bottlesThere's a refill station at the car park — bring your bottles and top up.
👒A hat & shade on a sunny dayThe bay is open to the sky, so a sun hat and a spot in the shade keep the little ones happy.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Cost
Free to visit the beach. Parking is paid at the car park across the road, and spaces are limited — there's extra parking along the Coast Road to the east. Confirm the current charge on the day.
Opening
The beach is open all year in daylight hours — visit any time, no booking. Toilets run April–September 9am–9pm and October–March 9am–4.30/5pm, closed Christmas Day.
What you'll see
A sandy beach in a sheltered bay on the Antrim Coast Road, backed by a green headland and the seafront village, with the 17th-century Ballygally Castle standing over it and views across the sea toward Scotland on a clear day.
Toilets
Toilets and baby-changing at the car park, open all year and cleaned daily. Accessible toilets are at the far end of the car park.
Dogs
Dogs must be on a lead 11am–6pm from 1 June to 31 August, plus all public and bank holidays. Outside those hours and the rest of the year there are no restrictions, but use good judgement when the beach is busy. Always bag and bin the mess.
Swimming
A sheltered bay with a Seaside Award for its bathing water, classed as good quality. There's no lifeguard, so take care with paddling and swimming and mind the tide and the children.
Accessibility
There's a wheelchair-accessible viewpoint with seating and accessible toilets at the car park. The beach itself is soft sand with some stony patches, so it's hard going for wheels onto the sand.
Food
The Spar across the road sells supplies, refreshments and ice cream, with picnic tables nearby. Ballygally Castle hotel does food and drink too.
How long
Allow one to two hours on the beach — easily longer with buckets and spades, or make a full day by adding Carnfunnock Country Park up the road.
Questions
Before you go
Is it free?
Yes — the beach is free to visit any day of the year. The only cost is parking at the car park across the road, and spaces are limited, so arrive early on a sunny day and confirm the charge on the board.
Is there parking?
There's a car park across the road from the beach with paid parking and limited spaces, plus more parking along the Coast Road to the east. It fills up quickly on warm days, so come early.
Can I bring the dog?
Yes — dogs must be on a lead 11am–6pm from 1 June to 31 August and on bank holidays. Outside those hours and the rest of the year there are no restrictions, but use good judgement when it's busy, and always bag and bin the mess.
Is it good for young children?
Very — it's a sheltered bay with gentle paddling, and there's a newly refurbished play park with a toddler area right across the road, plus toilets and baby-changing at the car park.
Is there a lifeguard?
No — there's no lifeguard on the beach, so keep the children close in the water and mind the tide. The bay holds a Seaside Award and its bathing water is classed as good quality.
Are there toilets and food?
Toilets and baby-changing are at the car park, open all year. The Spar across the road has supplies and ice cream with picnic tables nearby, and Ballygally Castle hotel does food and drink too.
Getting there
Ballygally Beach, Coast Road, Ballygally, Larne BT40 2QZ — on the A2 Antrim Coast Road about 3 miles north of Larne, at the village of Ballygally, with the car park across the road from the beach.
The building standing over the seafront is Ballygally Castle, built around 1625 for James Shaw, a Scottish settler, in the Scottish baronial style — turrets, thick walls and all. It's one of the best-preserved plantation houses of its kind in the north, and today it's a hotel, so you can walk in for a bite with the same view the beach has enjoyed for four hundred years.
It's also said to be one of Northern Ireland's most haunted buildings, with tales of a "ghost room" in one of the turrets — take that with a pinch of sea salt, but it adds a bit of spark to the drive along the Coast Road. Add in Carnfunnock Country Park just up the road, the play park across from the sand and the sweep of the Antrim glens beyond, and Ballygally is an easy, happy stop on one of the best coastal roads in the country. Grab the buckets and go.