
The anchorage in the cove provides tolerable shelter in offshore winds, but it is entirely exposed to anything with a northerly element. Access requires attentive navigation as there are outlying reefs on either side of the bay’s entrance, with a covered rock on the eastern side of the entrance that requires particular attention.
Keyfacts for Portballintrae
Facilities
Nature
Considerations
Protected sectors
Approaches
Shelter
Last modified
March 9th 2020 Summary* Restrictions apply
A tolerable location with attentive navigation required for access.Facilities
Nature
Considerations
Position and approaches
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Haven position
This is in the middle of the mouth of the cove in three to four metres.
What is the initial fix?
The following Portballintrae Initial Fix will set up a final approach:

What are the key points of the approach?
Offshore details are available in the northeast Ireland’s Coastal Overview for Malin Head to Strangford Lough
.
- General approaches to the area, from seaward or utilising the inshore passage through Skerries Roadstead, may be found in the Portrush
entry that is situated less than 4 miles to the west.
- Keep clear of Blind Rock that lies off the eastern entrance point between the cove and Bushfoot Strand.
- Track in on a line of bearing of due south of the prominent slipway at the head of the cove.
Not what you need?
Click the 'Next' and 'Previous' buttons to progress through neighbouring havens in a coastal 'clockwise' or 'anti-clockwise' sequence. Below are the ten nearest havens to Portballintrae for your convenience.
Ten nearest havens by straight line charted distance and bearing:
- Portrush Harbour - 2.4 miles W
- Coleraine - 3.9 miles SW
- Ballintoy Harbour - 4 miles ENE
- Seatons Marina - 4 miles SW
- The Lower River Bann - 4.7 miles WSW
- Ballycastle - 6.6 miles E
- Church Bay - 8 miles ENE
- Portnocker - 8 miles W
- White Bay - 8 miles W
- Portkill - 8.2 miles W
These havens are ordered by straight line charted distance and bearing, and can be reordered by compass direction or coastal sequence:
- Portrush Harbour - 2.4 miles W
- Coleraine - 3.9 miles SW
- Ballintoy Harbour - 4 miles ENE
- Seatons Marina - 4 miles SW
- The Lower River Bann - 4.7 miles WSW
- Ballycastle - 6.6 miles E
- Church Bay - 8 miles ENE
- Portnocker - 8 miles W
- White Bay - 8 miles W
- Portkill - 8.2 miles W
Chart
How to get in?

Blind Rock is the key danger to identify. It lies approximately 250 metres out from the shoreline and is steep-to with a least depth of 0.4 metres over it. The sea breaks on the rock in quite settled weather along with shoreline reefs that extend out here.
The River Bush can sometimes offer a good indication of tidal flow across the mouth of the cove. After rain, a brown tongue of water enters the sea and its path provides a good guide to the direction of the tide. Just outside the mouth of the bay, a good mark is a prominent slipway on the beach with an access road cutting through the banks at the head of the cove. Keeping this on a bearing of due south leads safely past the dangers on each side of the entrance.
Why visit here?
Portballintrae derives its name from the Irish Port Bhaile an Trá that means 'harbour or landing place of Ballintrae'. The village of Portballintrae is named from a little harbour in the townland of Ballintrae in which it is situated. Ballintrae is itself derived from the Irish Baile an Trá 'townland of the strand'.
The significant historical site consists of a pair of earthen concentric rings with an inner and outer enclosure that is believed to be an ancient Bronze Age water ritual site. The site is often referred to as "The Cups and Saucers" due to its shape. Although as yet unexcavated, theories suggest that the outer ring, with a central spring-fed pool, was designed to hold the water whilst the other served as a fortified settlement. The earthworks are located on a prominent headland, overlooking the sea, the River Bush, the Dooey dune system and Bushfoot Strand. It was carefully placed to be a focal point for prehistoric communities and to provide a look-out position on the surrounding landscape.

In a later period a small harbour village formed around a fishing settlement situated at the mouth where the River Bush flows out to the sea immediately east of the horseshoe-shaped Ballintrae Bay. The settlement extended to a cluster of whitewashed cottages in a line along the horseshoe-shaped shore. Many of the old whitewashed cottages that today still stand on the shoreline have been restored to their traditional charm. In addition to these there are other classic examples of Ulster's Architectural Heritage throughout the village, such as the Old Coastguard Station that served the village and Dunluce Castle, and the 18th-century bathing lodge ‘Seaport Lodge’.

Rapid growth occurred here in the 1970s that changed the character of the area. Almost all the recent dwellings are being used as second homes along with a considerable proportion of the older housing. The area today has a population of approximately 750 people and less than half of the dwellings in the village remain as permanent residences. Locals and visitors alike are drawn to the areas coastal walks, golden beach, rugged rocks and sand dunes.

From a nautical context, Portballintrae is world-famous for being the operating bay for the greatest recovery of Spanish Armada treasure. The story dates back to a wild October night in 1588 when more than two dozen fleeing ships from the Spanish Armada came too close to Irish shores. One of these was the Girona that had sailed on the 16th October from Killybegs for Scotland, and which was one of the most seaworthy of the Armada's ships - see the preceding events as detailed in the Blacksod Bay

Image: Public Domain
On the night of 28 October 1588, caught in the eye of a hurricane that was one of the most ferocious ever to hit the area, the Girona was running for Scotland when its rudder failed off of Inishowen. In the hands of the tidal currents and gale, she was driven helplessly towards the rugged coastland. The power of the 224 rowers could do not keep the ship offshore and as she drifted past the Chimney Tops headland one headland northeast from the coast's famous Giant's Causeway. The anchor then bit and the Girona swung through 180° and struck the extremity of Lacada Point. Lacada Point's name, though sounding Spanish, is derived from the Irish Leac Fhada which perfectly describes the outlying reef that it is, meaning 'Long Stone'. It would thereafter be locally known as Port-Na Spaniagh, Spanish port, soon after.

Image: Public Domain
With the bow facing westwards, the rest of the ship broke off and tumbled into deep water on the east side. Nearly 1,300 desperate and terrified Spaniards, including members of Spain’s noblest families, drowned in a cauldron of writhing surf beneath the dark towering cliffs of Antrim. There were only a handful of survivors and two reports conflict on the number, one report said there were five, another nine, but both agreed that all of them Italians who it is thought were up high working the topsails, and flung clear when the ship struck. Most died inside the broken hull and any men who were not trapped in the ship were drowned in the surf before they reached the shore. In human terms, it is one of the most costly shipwrecks in the history of seafaring.

Image: Public Domain
Sorley Boy MacDonnell, then master of magnificent Dunluce Castle situated a mile westward of Portballintrae Bay, sent these nine survivors on to Scotland. He recovered three brass cannons and two chests of treasure from the wreck. The cannons were installed in the gatehouses and the rest of the cargo was sold and the funds used to restore his castle. After this, the ship lay untouched for 380 years during which time its timbers were dissipated by the wild local seas.

Image: Ian Taylor via CC BY-SA 2.0
It was not until the summer of 1967 that the hunt for the lost treasure was taken up by the Belgian marine archaeologist Robert Sténuit, along with a team of Belgian divers. The historic account of Sorley Boy’s recoveries and the fact that Lacada Point had been locally known as Port na Spaniagh narrowed the area of search. The wreck site was quickly located and the team excavated what remained in the cracks and crevices off the point. They retrieved an unprecedented collection of gold and jewellery including 12,000 artefacts that were all brought ashore in Portballintrae. Items included gold and silver coins, jewellery, silver plate, a bronze cannon, and eleven of twelve 'lapis lazuli' cameos. The recovered gold jewellery is preserved for all to see and exhibited at Belfast's Ulster Museum.

Portballintrae may not be the best anchorage in the world but it is set on a very beautiful coastline location and central to several key attractions that are within a short walk. The Giant's Causeway, designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and UNESCO World Heritage Site, is situated two miles to the east and the spectacular Dunluce Castle a mile to the west. A mile upstream is Bushmills, Portballintrae's more famous inland neighbour, which is home to the world-renowned Bushmills and Black Bush Whiskies. All of these conspire to make Portballintrae, in settled or offshore winds, a highly attractive anchorage for the coastal cruiser intent on exploring Antrim’s wonderful historic legacy.

What facilities are available?
In Portballintrae Harbour there is a public slipway, a boat club and public toilets in the car park alongside. Water is available at the harbour. Fresh provisions from a village that serves a population of 750, and twice that during the summer, can be found here. In addition there are plenty of restaurants, a hotel and a post office.Nearby Portrush is a busy and friendly holiday town with all the pubs, good restaurants, wine bars and cafe resources you would expect in such a location. Portrush railway station is the last stop on the Coleraine-Portrush line, where travellers can connect with trains to Derry, Belfast and beyond. Translink run a regular bus and train service to and from Portrush. The nearest airport is at Aldergrove 77 km.
Any security concerns?
Never an issue known to have occurred to a boat on anchor in Portballintrae.With thanks to:
Terry Crawford, local boatman of many decades. Photography with thanks to Richard Webb, Kenneth Allen, sydh2010, Jim (codepoe), Ty, Corey Taratuta, IrishFireside, Tate, Grace Smith, Chris Hood and Tom Bennett.




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Aerial views of Dunluce castle and the coastline to Portballintrae from 10 minutes into the video.
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