Protected sectors

What's the story here?

This is an anchorage off the eastern side of the sandy peninsula called the Castlegregory Penninsula separating Brandon Bay from Tralee Bay. It is also known as The Gold Coast of the Peninsula as it is home to one of Ireland’s longest beaches that stretches 19 kilometres from the Maharees westwards through Castlegregory to just short of Cloghane village. Sometimes a commercial ship awaiting a berth in Fenit may be seen in the area in deeper waters.




For leisure craft, it offers an anchorage off this extensive blue flag beach backed by sandhills or off the village of Castlegregory itself located at the foot of a sandy peninsula on the southwest side of Tralee Bay. This is a beautiful anchorage with easy access but it offers little in the way of air protection and can be subject to occasional gusts coming down from the mountains.

How to get in?

Use Ireland’s coastal overview for Mizen Head to Loop Head for seaward approaches. Castlegregory lies in the southwest corner of Tralee Bay the entrance to which is a little over 5 miles wide between Magharee Islands and Kerry Head. Northward approaches to the bay are covered in the Fenit Harbour entry. There is also a cut from the west between the Magharee Islands and the head of the peninsula through Magharee Sound detailed in Navigating through Magharee Sound south of the Islands .




The Castlegregory Initial Fix is on the east end of the charted Magharee Sound 106° T of the rock islet The Rose with Fenit Castle and 1½ miles to the east of the low lying Rough Point. The low lying Rough Point, situated on the northeast extremity of the sandy peninsula, has an old tower. It should be given a wide bearing as it is foul with Illaundonnell reef to the east, and with other reefs continuing southward out to nearly a ½ mile offshore of Kishannig Point, close southeast of Rough Point.

Pass southward from the initial fix to the east of the peninsula. This passes charted fish farms, located off the peninsula to the south by southeast of Rough Point, 1½ mile southward, although they do not appear to be present currently.




Anchor anywhere off the beach according to draught and conditions over an excellent sand and mud ground holding. The beach to the east of the peninsula shelves gradually out from the shore so vessels will be a long way out.



Vessels anchoring off the village should note there are a few small shoals ¾ of a mile off the beach to the northwest of Castlegregory. The shallowest of which has 1.5 metres LAT. It is also possible to anchor beyond Castlegregory off the head of the bay. This is composed of a low rocky shore, lying at the foot of high mountains, that bends to the southeast and then east to the swampy flat of Derrymore Point.

Why visit here?

Castlegregory in Irish 'Caisleán Ghriaire' derives its name from a 17th-century castle built by the local chieftain Gregory Hoare. The castle was entirely destroyed by Cromwell’s forces in 1650 save for a remnant arch, which can be seen standing by the village supermarket.




The settlement has a deep connection with the sea as a post-medieval midden was discovered, which included shellfish deposits, to make up the infill of a ditch of a site found in the village. But the additional seafood was not enough to save it from the ravages of the famine and the population is now a quarter of what it was before the Famine. Nevertheless, it remains the principal village and the only place in the area which resembles a real village.




Today it is its miles of blue flag beach, The Gold Coast, that draws in its summer harvest. The whole peninsula is a thriving mix of varied holiday making. There are endless campsites, houses, schools for diving, surfing, windsurfing and all forms of water sports. The clean beaches that lie on both sides of the long, exposed sandbar are perfect for surfers and windsurfers.




The Brandon Bay beaches have the Atlantic's long rolling swells that provide a good break for surfers. This contrasts with the protected eastern Tralee Bay which is said to be some of the best windsurfing in the world being good in all wind directions and suitable for all levels of ability.




Of course, if all that sounds too energetic, it is more than acceptable to draw up the tender and flop out on the beach east-facing Sandy Bay. Despite being a tourist attraction, the beach is so large that even on its busiest of days it only has a scattering of people. The tourist trade adds to the village by supporting local shops, cafes and a great food scene. Tourism has driven a culinary renaissance on the Dingle Peninsula with various areas having unique delicacies. In the case of Castlegregory, it is an award-winning Dingle Peninsula seaweed-flavoured cheese.




Traditional Irish music can also be heard in the village's pubs, particularly in the summer months. Most notably at Ned Natterjack's pub in the west end of the village. This is a great place to enjoy live music. It acquired its unusual name because nearby Lough Gill is a breeding place for the rare, and noisy, natterjack toad.

Castlegregory offers the boaters another anchoring opportunity in an area once described by National Geographic as 'the most beautiful place on earth'. In fine settled weather, this is a truly lovely place to swing on anchor or make a stop before proceeding to Fenit.

What facilities are available?

Castlegregory is a village which has a permanent population of about 200 that is vastly swelled by an influx of holidaymakers attracted to its extensive blue flag beaches. To cater for this there are two small supermarkets, a post office, a doctor and a pharmacist. All resources are available in either Tralee or Dingle from which Castlegregory is about midway.

Any security concerns?

Never an incident known to have occurred off Castlegregory.

With thanks to:

Batty McCarthy, Fenit Harbour Master