Jordanstown Loughshore Park (Newtownabbey)

A play park, a beach and a path along the lough

The park is a long green strip between the Shore Road and the water, five miles north of Belfast on the A2. That shape is the whole appeal: everything is a short walk from the car, and the lough is right there, wide and busy with ships.

The play park is the anchor. It is modern, well kept, and split into two areas — one for toddlers and one for children roughly up to twelve — with soft surfacing throughout. Beside it there is an outdoor gym for the adults who would rather not stand about, and a large open grass area that is made for football, kites and running off energy.

Then walk. The shore path is flat and surfaced and continues south along the lough towards Hazelbank Park and on into Belfast, which makes this a good starting point for a proper walk or a family cycle. Down on the shingle there is beachcombing, and on a clear day you can see straight across the lough to the County Down side.

The café is genuinely part of the draw. Locals come for the scones and the toffee ice cream as much as the view, and it is dog friendly. In summer, local bands have been known to set up on Wednesday evenings — worth checking if you are nearby. And on a wet day the lough turns steel grey, the rain comes across in sheets, and a hot drink at that window is one of the better places in Northern Ireland to sit.

Free park and parking Big play park, ages 3–12 Café on site, dog friendly Path to Hazelbank and Belfast Outdoor gym Shingle beach on Belfast Lough

Mind the gates:

The car park is gated and closes at 10pm from April to September and 8pm from October to March. The toilets keep shorter hours again — about 8am to 8pm in summer and 8am to 5pm in winter. Café hours vary, so a quick check saves disappointment if a scone is the plan.

What to wear & bring

🧥A proper coatNothing between you and Belfast Lough. Wrapped up, the wind off the water is the best part.

🪁A kiteA big open grass area and a reliable breeze — this is one of the better kite fields near Belfast.

🚲Bikes or scootersFlat, surfaced paths that run for miles along the shore.

🧺A picnicGrass, benches and a view of the shipping lane. There is a café too if you'd rather not carry it.

Events at the park

In summer, local bands have set up in the park on Wednesday evenings — an easy, free thing to land on with a takeaway coffee and a rug. Check the council's listings before you go, as it depends on the season and the weather.

There is a caravan park on the site that runs all year, taking bookings with 24 hours' notice, which makes this a practical overnight stop as well as a day out. The council programmes events along the shore through the season.

Everything before you go

Cost

Free, including parking

Opening

Car park 8am–10pm April to September, 8am–8pm October to March. Toilets roughly 8am–8pm summer and 8am–5pm winter. Café hours vary

Best for ages

All ages — the play park suits roughly 3 to 12, and the shore path suits everyone

What's there

Modern play park split for toddlers and older children, outdoor gym, large open grass area, shingle beach, shore path towards Hazelbank and Belfast, café, public toilets, all-year caravan park

Toilets

On site, roughly 8am–8pm in summer and 8am–5pm in winter

Parking

Free car park with gated access during opening hours

Dogs

A popular dog-walking park, and the café is dog friendly — keep them under control and out of the play area

Accessibility

Flat, surfaced paths throughout — good for buggies and wheelchairs

How long to allow

One to three hours; longer if you walk on to Hazelbank

Food

Café on site doing hot and cold food, coffee, scones and ice cream

Camping

Jordanstown Loughshore Caravan Park operates all year; bookings need 24 hours' notice

Address

Jordanstown Loughshore Park, A2 Shore Road, Newtownabbey BT37 0PY

Questions

Before you go

Is it free?

Yes — the park, the play park and the car park are all free.

What time does the car park close?

10pm from April to September and 8pm from October to March. It is gated, so keep an eye on the clock.

What ages is the play park for?

Roughly 3 to 12. It is split into two areas, one for toddlers and one for older children, with soft surfacing throughout.

Is there a café?

Yes — on site, doing hot and cold food and coffee. It has a strong local reputation for its scones and its toffee ice cream, and it is dog friendly.

Are there toilets?

Yes, public toilets on site — roughly 8am to 8pm in summer and 8am to 5pm in winter.

Is it good for a buggy or a wheelchair?

Yes. The paths are flat and surfaced right through the park and on along the shore.

Can we walk to Belfast from here?

You can. The walking and cycling path runs south along the lough through Hazelbank Park and on into Belfast — a good long flat walk or an easy family cycle.

Can we swim off the beach?

It is a shingle shore on a working shipping lough rather than a bathing beach — treat it as a place for beachcombing and paddling, not swimming.

Getting there

Jordanstown Loughshore Park is on the A2 Shore Road, Newtownabbey BT37 0PY, five miles north of Belfast and the first stop on the coast road towards Carrickfergus and the Antrim Coast. There is a free gated car park at the entrance, with the play park, café and shore path all a short walk from it.

Official website Directions on Google Maps See it on our map

Nearby

Make more of the day

The Whiteabbey greenwayThe shore path on towards Hazelbank and Belfast Carrickfergus CastleThe Norman castle on the lough, ten minutes up the coast Belfast ZooOn the side of Cave Hill, a short drive south Knockagh MonumentThe viewpoint high above the lough

The story

About the lough shore

Belfast Lough is a working sea. Everything that ever came into or went out of Belfast came up this water — the linen, the emigrants, the ships built at Harland & Wolff, and today the container traffic that still slides past the park several times a day. Standing on the shingle at Jordanstown you are looking at the front door of the city.

The shore itself was for a long time the domain of the railway and the road. The Belfast to Larne line runs behind the park, and the A2 alongside it, which is why the green strip here is long and thin: it is the ground left between the transport and the tide.

Newtownabbey turned that strip into one of the best-used free parks in the greater Belfast area. The play park has been rebuilt to a modern standard, the outdoor gym went in for the adults, the caravan park gives it a season-long population, and the shore path was joined up so that you can now walk or cycle from here all the way through Hazelbank and into Belfast without meeting traffic.

It is not a grand Victorian park with a story about a benefactor. It is something more useful: a place five miles from a city where a family can park for nothing, play for an hour, walk on a beach and eat a scone looking at a ship. Go on a bright evening and the light coming back off the lough is worth the trip on its own.