Days Out NI
Coastal walk Donaghadee

Donaghadee Coastal Walk

An easy, flat seafront stroll past a working harbour, a lighthouse and the Copeland Islands.

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Open accessWalk it any time — best in daylight
FreeNo ticket needed
DonaghadeeCoastal walk
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5 hoursHow long
3.2 milesDistance
FreeCost
Buggy okBest for
On leadsDogs

Donaghadee Coastal Walk — An easy, flat seafront stroll past a working harbour, a lighthouse and the Copeland Islands.

  • Distance: Roughly 3.2 miles / 5km for the full circuit; shorter there-and-back options easily done.
  • How long: About 1 to 1.5 hours at a family pace, longer with stops.
  • Terrain: Mostly tarmac and paving along the seafront; one optional short stony, uneven coastal path; harbour wall is rougher.
  • Dogs: Welcome on a lead, especially near harbour edges and the road; clean up after them.
  • With kids: No cliffs or steep drops, but unfenced harbour and pier edges with deep water below, plus the road in places, so keep children close.
  • Parking: Free public car park off Moat Avenue (near BT21 0ED), plus parking near the harbour.
Plan your visit

The route: harbour, lighthouse and open coast

From the Moat Avenue car park, cross to the seafront and walk to the harbour, where you can stroll out along the wall to the lighthouse at the pier's end. Completed in 1836, it later became the first lighthouse in Ireland to be converted to electricity (in 1934), and the harbour walls were designed by the engineer John Rennie in the 1820s using limestone shipped from Wales. Keep the sea on your left and head south past The Commons park, with its open grass, tennis courts and bowling green. The full circuit is about 3.2 miles. From the end of The Commons you can loop back through town on the Millisle road, or follow a short stony, uneven coastal path a little further before it rejoins the road.

Free Free car park Flat seafront path Lighthouse & harbour Copeland Islands views Roughly 5km loop
Good to know before you go:

This stretch of the Ards and North Down coast hosts seasonal guided walks, ranger events, summer openings of the Moat camera obscura and harbour festivals through the year. Check what's on before you visit to time it with a local event.

Before you set off

What to bring

  • 👟Good shoes or bootsShore paths can be rocky, uneven and a little muddy after rain.
  • 🧥A coat or windproofThe coast is breezy — a fresh sea wind is half the fun of it.
  • 💧Water and a snackThere is rarely a shop right on the path, so pack a little something.
  • 🔭Binoculars or a cameraFor the seabirds, the seals and the big views across the water.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Cost
Free
Parking
Free public car park off Moat Avenue (near BT21 0ED), plus parking near the harbour
Distance
Roughly 3.2 miles / 5km for the full circuit; shorter there-and-back options easily done
How long to allow
About 1 to 1.5 hours at a family pace, longer with stops
Difficulty
Easy, flat to gently rolling
Terrain
Mostly tarmac and paving along the seafront; one optional short stony, uneven coastal path; harbour wall is rougher
Safety with kids
No cliffs or steep drops, but unfenced harbour and pier edges with deep water below, plus the road in places, so keep children close
Dogs
Welcome on a lead, especially near harbour edges and the road; clean up after them
Buggy-friendly
Mostly yes on the flat paved seafront; the optional coastal stretch and harbour wall are not buggy-friendly
Toilets / food nearby
Cafes, ice-cream shops and pubs along the seafront in Donaghadee; check for public toilets near the harbour before you go
Address
Start at the public car park, Moat Avenue, Donaghadee, Co Down (around BT21 0ED)
Questions

Before you go

Is it free?
Free
How far is the walk?
Roughly 3.2 miles / 5km for the full circuit; shorter there-and-back options easily done
How long should I allow?
About 1 to 1.5 hours at a family pace, longer with stops
Can I bring the dog?
Welcome on a lead, especially near harbour edges and the road; clean up after them
Is it buggy-friendly?
Mostly yes on the flat paved seafront; the optional coastal stretch and harbour wall are not buggy-friendly
Getting there

Donaghadee Coastal Walk is at Start at the public car park, Moat Avenue, Donaghadee, Co Down (around BT21 0ED). Free public car park off Moat Avenue (near BT21 0ED), plus parking near the harbour. Tap below for directions.

Directions on Google Maps See it on our map
Nearby

Make more of the day

More days out around DonaghadeeSee what else is close by More coastal walks across NIBeaches, cliffs, harbours and headlands
The story

About this stretch of coast

Donaghadee sits on the northeast tip of the Ards Peninsula, about 18 miles east of Belfast. Its harbour was once the main crossing point to Scotland, just 21 miles away, and the present harbour was built in the 1820s and 1830s to a design begun by the engineer John Rennie, using limestone known as Anglesey marble shipped in from Wales. The lighthouse at the pier's end was completed in 1836 and, in 1934, became the first in Ireland to be converted to electric operation.

The grassy mound behind the town, The Moat, began as a Norman motte built in the late 12th century. The little castellated tower on top was added by Daniel Delacherois in the early 1800s as a store for the gunpowder used to blast out the new harbour. It now houses a camera obscura, the only public one on the island of Ireland, which projects a live moving image of the harbour onto a table inside.

Look out to sea and you will spot the Copeland Islands about a mile offshore. They take their name from the de Coupland family linked to the Moat, and Lighthouse Island is home to the Copeland Bird Observatory, an internationally important breeding site for Manx shearwater and Arctic tern.