Cultra is located on the northeast coast of Ireland, on the southern shores of Belfast Lough, approximately halfway between Grey Point and Belfast. This is home to one of the province's largest clubs and it offers an anchorage outside the well-established mooring area off the club.

Deep within Belfast Lough, the anchorage provides good protection from almost all southerly component winds except west-by-southwest. The anchorage is entirely exposed however from west by southwest through west to north to east. Although unmarked there are no off-lying dangers in the area making access in daylight straightforward at any stage of the tide.

Cultra is located within the area controlled by the Port of Belfast in which all vessels must report and operate under power, with sails down, taking care not to impede commercial traffic.

Keyfacts for Cultra

Position and approaches

Haven position

54° 39.712' N, 005° 49.055' W

This is just outside the mooring area located a ½ mile north of The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club jetty.

What is the initial fix?

This is the position of Fairway Light buoy, L Fl 10s, situated between Carrickfergus and Grey Point, that leads into the Victoria Channel.

What are the key points of the approach?

Not what you need?

To find locations with the specific attributes you need try:

What's the story here?

Cultra is situated well inside and on the southern shores of Belfast Lough. It is situated about eight miles from the sea and off the entrance channel to Belfast City. The shore area here is an affluent residential neighbourhood near Holywood that is part of Greater Belfast. Cultra is home to The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club one of the largest Sailing Clubs in Northern Ireland.




Cultra offers a good anchorage outside the club moorings in depths of 3.5 to 4 metres. The welcoming club affords amenities for visiting yachts and may be contacted on +44 (0)28 9042 8041, manager@rniyc.org, and via their website for further details. Moorings maintained by the club may be made available to visitors by prior arrangement with the club.

How to get in?

Set on the Lough's southern shores the directions for nearby Bangor Harbour may be used for approaches to the area.


Cultra is located within the Port of Belfast where all boat movements are controlled and managed. This area covers the entire head of the lough within a charted line drawn from Carrickfergus to Grey Point. Boats operating in the Port of Belfast area must do so under power with sails down taking care not to impede commercial traffic.

All vessels are required to report to, Ch. 12 / 16 [Belfast Harbour Radio] or by telephone at +44 (0)2890 553504, well in advance of arrival and advise them of intentions.

The following Belfast Harbour Radio contacts are prerequisites for all craft lough proceeding west of a charted line drawn from Carrickfergus to Grey Point:

• 1. Two hours prior to arrival at the Fairway Buoy or entry point.


• 2. Fifteen minutes prior to arrival at the Fairway Buoy or entry point.


• 3. When arriving at the berth.

Vessels must maintain a listening watch on VHF Ch. 12 whilst within the harbour limits. The maximum speed in the harbour area, south of the Number 12 beacon, is 6 knots.

The Belfast Harbour Initial Fix is the position of Belfast Fairway Light Buoy, L Fl 10s, situated in the middle of the lough between Carrickfergus and Grey Point on the opposite shore. The initial fix sets up an approach via the dredged channel. This is the preferred route and the one that the harbour authorities encourage visiting vessels to use.





From the initial fix, at the Fairway Light buoy, proceed to pass between the No. 3 Green buoy, Fl(3) G 7.5s plus the No. 4 Red buoy port hand marker Fl(2) R 5s that will be seen less than 1½ miles to the southwest.

After passing the No. 4 Red buoy, port hand marker, it is safe to turn to port and exit the fairway on a bearing of 200° T. The mooring area is just over a mile from here and is clearly marked on Admiralty Chart 1753.




Anchor in 3.5 to 4 metres outside the yacht mooring area or pick up a prearranged mooring.




Land by dinghy at the club jetty a ½ mile to the south of the mooring area. It is possible to temporarily come alongside the jetty at high water, to make it convenient to take on fuel supplies and water etc, when 3.3 metres is available. Likewise, vessels that can take to the bottom may dry out in the mooring area off nearby Holywood to facilitate provisioning.

Why visit here?

Cultra, in Gaelic 'Cúl Trá', is a shortened form of Ballycultra, 'Baile Chúl Trá', meaning 'townland of the back of the back strand'. The coastal area lies within the townland of Ballycultra the area which stretches inland to the Craigantlet Hills. In the late 17th century Ballycultra was occasionally abbreviated to Cultra and, although better known by the shortened name, the full name of Ballycultra remains the official name of the townland.




Situated 11km east of Belfast city Cultra today can be considered a residential city suburb. With its attractive sea views combined with tree-lined avenues and relatively easy road and rail transport links to central Belfast, it is considered to be one of Northern Ireland's most affluent districts and is often referred to as the 'Gold Coast'. From a visitor's perspective, Cultra is perhaps most famous for the Ulster Folk and Transport Museums that it hosts.




Set up following an act of parliament in 1958, the two museums, the Ulster Folk Museum and the Ulster Transport Museum, were established to show the life and traditions of people in Northern Ireland. The larger Ulster Folk Museum enables visitors to step back one hundred years and experience the way of life in early 20th-century Ulster. This outdoor museum village has a collection of early 20th-century buildings acquired throughout the province during the past four decades and reconstructed here. These structures, some dating from the 17th with the latest from the early 20th century, have each been meticulously deconstructed and then reassembled here, brick-by-brick, to their original glory.



This process reconstructs the past in the very realistic open-air 'Ballycultra town' with authentic original cottages, mills, farms, a police station, schools and even an 1880’s terraced street relocated from east Belfast, all set in 70-hectares (173-acre) of rolling countryside. The structures are enhanced by costumed guides and animals demonstrating traditional crafts. All combine to give a powerful impression of Irish life over the past few centuries.




The smaller Transport Gallery exhibits, on the opposite side of the A2 main road and rail line, contain an extraordinary collection of lovingly restored machinery of which much was made in Ulster. These include a saloon carriage from the tram service that ran from Portrush to Giant’s Causeway. Around this are all forms of transport including horse-drawn carriages, electric trams, steam engines, buses, motorbikes, fire engines and vintage cars.



The range on display here is awe-inspiring; from penny farthing bicycles to the trading schooner 'Result', to Belfast’s ill-fated De Lorean sports car, made in Northern Ireland in the early 1980s with a huge government subsidy and complete with gull-wing doors. Most popular is the Titanica exhibit, which includes the original design drawings for the Titanic and its sister ship Olympic.




The museums are open from 10 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday, 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday, and 11 am to 6 pm on Sunday this is a paid admission museum. It is well worth the admission and investing a day here. Refreshments are available within the museum's café, and across the road in a teashop in Ballycultra that is set in a converted old temperance hall. More substantial dishes are served in Cultra Manor, a five-minute walk from Ballycultra town. Alternatively, the Yacht Club’s attractive seafront premises bar and dining room a suitable quiet retreat.




The club was formed out of an amalgamation of the Ulster Sailing Club with the Cultra Yacht Club and was initially called The North of Ireland Yacht Club. Then on September 2nd, 1902 King Edward VII visited and commanded that the Club be henceforth known as The Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club. The Club features an attractive seafront premise that has been extended and adapted over the years to cater for the club's activities.



Those looking to stretch their legs after a meal might find the North Down Coastal Path attractive. Commencing at Holywood train station, it traces the Lough’s entire southern shoreline past Bangor and out to Orlock Point for a total distance of 15km.




From a boating perspective, Cultra presents another anchorage close to the City of Belfast with a convenient landing and plenty of interest ashore that includes a very welcoming sailing club. It also may be a great point to explore the city as Cultra station, on the Belfast-to-Bangor train line, is a short walk and the bus stop is nearby.




The area also has the cost efficiency of being within the transport system's Zone 1 iLink smartcard [2023] £5.00. This provides individuals with one day of unlimited train (Cultra - 2 each hour / 15 minutes) and bus (Cultra - 2 each hour / 30 minutes) travel to Belfast City with the freedom to relax in a quiet location at day's end.

What facilities are available?

Drinking water may be obtained from the Yacht Club that has a newly refurbished bar and dining room where visitor’s custom is appreciated. The club also has a small boatyard where there is a slip for craft up to 20 tons. There are several other local pubs also in the vicinity.

Fuel is available at the Shell and BP Filling Stations on the main road into Holywood. Both have ATM's as do the branches of the major banks in Holywood High Street, which with a population of 10 – 18,000 has very good shopping. There is a chandlery within 5 minutes drive from the club and also one in Belfast city.

Cultra is situated 11km east of Belfast on the Belfast to Bangor train line with trains stopping every half hour or so, and also buses from Belfast's Laganside bus centre. The iLink smartcards provide individuals with one day of unlimited train and bus travel with Cultra a Zone 1 card (£5) it covers the city centre, Cultra out to George Best Belfast City Airport. Zone 2 card (£10) includes Bangor and Carrickfergus Castle. Belfast has excellent transport connections via trains and bus services to any location in Ireland. Zone 4 allows travel to anywhere in Northern Ireland, including Portrush and Derry - one-week cards are also available that offer even better deals. Flights to domestic and international destinations operate from Belfast International Airport, the main regional airport, and George Best Belfast City Airport. There are more than 80 weekly ferry sailings from Belfast to UK ports.

Any security concerns?

Never an incident known to have happened to a vessel anchored off Cultra.

With thanks to:

Michael Evans, Deputy Harbour Master, Belfast Harbour. Photography Albert Bridge, Raymond Mc Sherry, Rossographer, Robert Ashby, Jonny Baillie and Eric Jones.