
Ballyhalbert Bay provides a tolerable anchorage in southwest and westerly winds. However, a heavy sea runs into the bay when winds trend eastward of south, and onward through east and around to north. Vessels that can take-to-the-hard can find good protection inside the harbour at these times. The bay is open and clear of dangers making access straightforward in daylight at any stage of the tide.
Keyfacts for Ballyhalbert Bay
Facilities
Nature
Considerations
Protected sectors
Approaches
Shelter
Last modified
July 18th 2018 Summary* Restrictions apply
A tolerable location with straightforward access.Facilities
Nature
Considerations
Position and approaches
Expand to new tab or fullscreen
Haven position
This is the position of the Ballyhalbert Harbour pierhead.
What is the initial fix?
The following Ballyhalbert Bay 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
.
From the north keep outside of Skullmartin.
From the south pass offshore of South Rocks, North Rocks Plough Rock, McCammon Rocks and Plough Rock and keep off Burial Island.
Ballyhalbert Bay is then a clear and open bay.
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 Ballyhalbert Bay for your convenience.
Ten nearest havens by straight line charted distance and bearing:
- Portavogie Harbour - 2.1 nautical miles S
- Kircubbin - 3.4 nautical miles W
- Ballywalter - 3.6 nautical miles NNW
- Ringhaddy Sound - 7.1 nautical miles WSW
- Pawle Island - 7.2 nautical miles WSW
- White Rock Bay - 7.2 nautical miles W
- Ballydorn and Down Cruising Club - 7.3 nautical miles W
- Ballyhenry Bay - 7.5 nautical miles SW
- Portaferry - 7.7 nautical miles SSW
- Simmy Island - 7.8 nautical miles WSW
These havens are ordered by straight line charted distance and bearing, and can be reordered by compass direction or coastal sequence:
- Portavogie Harbour - 2.1 miles S
- Kircubbin - 3.4 miles W
- Ballywalter - 3.6 miles NNW
- Ringhaddy Sound - 7.1 miles WSW
- Pawle Island - 7.2 miles WSW
- White Rock Bay - 7.2 miles W
- Ballydorn and Down Cruising Club - 7.3 miles W
- Ballyhenry Bay - 7.5 miles SW
- Portaferry - 7.7 miles SSW
- Simmy Island - 7.8 miles WSW
Chart
How to get in?

Ballyhalbert Bay, is a clear open bay situated immediately north of Burr Point. It provides a sheltered anchorage in offshore winds. Burr Point is the easternmost point of mainland Ireland.
Skulmartin Beacon – Unlit position: 54° 32.327’N, 005° 27.154’W
A further red and white Skulmartin Safe Water spherical buoy is moored 1.4 miles east by southeast.
Skulmartin Safe Water Buoy - LFl 10s buoy position: 54° 31.848’N, 005° 24.910’W
With Skulmartin astern, Ballyhalbert Bay presents a clean open bay that may be addressed via the Initial Fix or directly at angles.
Plough Rock – Port hand buoy Fl R 3s position: 54° 27.389’N, 005° 25.104’W
In all cases, depths of 12 metres will be found just 300 metres eastward of these dangers. Vessels passing within a quarter of a mile to the east of the North Rock Beacon will see the Plough Rock buoy appear in front of Burial Island. Likewise keeping North Rock’s pillar beacon in line astern, or open to the west, of the South Rock tower, will clear Plough Rock and lead to the Plough Rock buoy. If the half tide Plough Rock is showing it is safe to cut in between the rock and the buoy.
Burial Island, is the easternmost point of Ireland and is situated 400 metres east of Burr Point. The visible island is the highest part of a reef of rocks that extends nearly half a mile in a north/south direction and is about 400 metres wide. The northern portion of the reef is just awash at high water. The small spot to which the name of Burial Island refers is on the inner edge of the reef, near to its southern end. It has an elevation of 8 metres above high water springs when it appears very small. On its north and east sides, the reef is steep-to and clear of danger. A rocky shoal extends a mile to the southward of it, with patches of 2.2 and 3.4 metres of water on it.
A channel exists between Burial Island and Ballyhalbert Point, narrowed by a spit of gravel extending from the latter to about 100 metres in width, and it carries a depth of 2 metres at low water. Passing outside, keeping at least 600 metres east of the island, would be the preferred path to proceed into Ballyhalbert Bay which has no obstructions after Burial Island.
The harbour dries out entirely beyond the pier head. Smaller boats that can take to the hard will find the area behind the pier small but well sheltered.
Why visit here?
Ballyhalbert derives its name for from the Irish Baile Thalbóid meaning ‘Talbot’s townland’. It is also called Talsbotstoun in Ulster Scots, as the locals here speak with an accent as broad as any Scot.
The Talbot family came from Herefordshire and settled in this country in the reign of Henry II. The locality then took their name Talbotyston. By 1605 this had been gaelicised to Ballitalbot, with baile meaning townland, town, homestead, and it finally became Ballihalbert by 1617. The Talbot family did not reside long in the area as their stay was during a tempestuous time. ‘Spenser's View of the State of Ireland’, written in 1596, noted ‘Bruce rooted out the noble families of the Audlies, Talbotts ... ’. Prior settlements here date back to Ireland’s original inhabitants, as an ancient standing stone near the village graveyard indicates. The Anglo-Normans conquered this area in the 12th century. The Norman family Savage built a number of local castles and priories. The remains of an 800-year-old castle mound can still be seen near the harbour and the ruins of the medieval parish church.


During World War II the village played a major role in the defence of Belfast and the eastern half of Northern Ireland. This was via the RAF airfield that opened in Ballyhalbert in June 1941. It consisted of three tarmac runways and two hangers plus a control tower. In its time RAF Ballyhalbert was home to the RAF, Army, Navy and United States Air Force (USAF). It hosted servicemen from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, America and Poland and evidence of this can be found today in the two local churchyards that are located a short distance away from the airfield. Here the Canadian, Australian and Polish men who lost their lives whilst serving at Ballyhalbert found their final resting places. One particularly notable visitor inspected the station in May 1944. This was General Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces who became the President of the United States in 1953. The airfield was decommissioned in 1946 but the control tower and a lot of the runways are still visible today. In the 1960s it was sold to developers to create several popular caravan parks.

Today Ballyhalbert is largely a residential area, with a large holiday park on the former air base, with some shops to cater for the needs of the holidaymakers. From a boating point of view, Ballyhalbert is a highly convenient tide wait location. At high water the northbound stream commences, making Belfast Lough a distance of about fifteen miles very easy, and even as far north as Antrim's Glenarm would be obtainable. The southbound stream commences about low water for an entrance approach to Strangford Lough, which is about the same distance to the south.
What facilities are available?
The remote anchorage area has reasonably good facilities. Water can be obtained adjacent to the pier. The village which serves a domestic population of just less than 500 people, has a good shop that is open seven days a week. Half a mile to the northwest of the pier in Ballyhalbert Village there is a Pub.By road from Belfast take the A20 to Newtownards and continue onto the Ards Peninsula. At Greyabbey take the B5 to Ballywalter then the A2 south to Ballyhalbert. Ulsterbus (ULB) Service 9 runs between Portaferry. From Belfast use the Laganside Buscentre that stops in Ballyhalbert.
Any security concerns?
Never an incident known to have happened to a vessel anchored in Ballyhalbert Bay.With thanks to:
Michael Fitzsimons, Groomsport Harbour Master. Photography with thanks to Michael Parry, Oliver Dixon, Eric Jones and Albert Bridge.




Aerial view of Ballyhalbert
A kayaking trip which shows the Skulmartin markers and they dock in Ballyhalbert at the end
Add your review or comment:
Please log in to leave a review of this haven.
Please note eOceanic makes no guarantee of the validity of this information, we have not visited this haven and do not have first-hand experience to qualify the data. Although the contributors are vetted by peer review as practised authorities, they are in no way, whatsoever, responsible for the accuracy of their contributions. It is essential that you thoroughly check the accuracy and suitability for your vessel of any waypoints offered in any context plus the precision of your GPS. Any data provided on this page is entirely used at your own risk and you must read our legal page if you view data on this site. Free to use sea charts courtesy of Navionics.