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Please note

eOceanic has been made aware of this haven. We are looking for a sailor with first-hand experience to provide their direct personal insights so that we may complete our write up. In advance of this we have posted these preliminary research notes. Do you know this location? Please contact us or click the 'Report a Mistake or Omission' button below to help share this location with the sailing community.


Malin Beg Bay is a small inlet open to the south immediately east of Malin Beg Head, off the North Atlantic Ocean between Carrigan Head and Malin Beg Head on the west coast of Ireland. In good weather the bay affords a temporary anchorage in scenic surroundings with the opportunity of berthing alongside the small quay from which it is a 0.25 mile walk up to the village.

Malin Beg Bay is a small inlet open to the south immediately east of Malin Beg Head, off the North Atlantic Ocean between Carrigan Head and Malin Beg Head on the west coast of Ireland. In good weather the bay affords a temporary anchorage in scenic surroundings with the opportunity of berthing alongside the small quay from which it is a 0.25 mile walk up to the village.

The small cove is rocky with steep sides and affords only tolerable shelter alongside the quay in light offshore winds. Access is straightforward between Tharal Point and Rossarrell Point, though vessels should only enter in good weather and with favourable tide conditions.
Please note

Caution is necessary as the head of the bay is very narrow and is encumbered by three substantial rocks.




2 comments
Keyfacts for Malin Beg Bay
Facilities
Mini-supermarket or supermarket availableSlipway availableMarked or notable walks in the vicinity of this location


Nature
No fees for anchoring or berthing in this locationRemote or quiet secluded locationAnchoring locationBerth alongside a deep water pier or raft up to other vesselsScenic location or scenic location in the immediate vicinitySet near a village or with a village in the immediate vicinity

Considerations
None listed

Protected sectors

Current wind over the protected quadrants
Minimum depth
1 metres (3.28 feet).

Approaches
4 stars: Straightforward; when unaffected by weather from difficult quadrants or tidal consideration, no overly complex dangers.
Shelter
3 stars: Tolerable; in suitable conditions a vessel may be left unwatched and an overnight stay.



Last modified
May 30th 2017

Summary

A tolerable location with straightforward access.

Facilities
Mini-supermarket or supermarket availableSlipway availableMarked or notable walks in the vicinity of this location


Nature
No fees for anchoring or berthing in this locationRemote or quiet secluded locationAnchoring locationBerth alongside a deep water pier or raft up to other vesselsScenic location or scenic location in the immediate vicinitySet near a village or with a village in the immediate vicinity

Considerations
None listed



Position and approaches
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Haven position

54° 39.870' N, 008° 47.153' W

this is the position at the quay in Malin Beg Bay.

What is the initial fix?

The following Malin Beg Bay initial fix. will set up a final approach:
54° 37.885' N, 008° 45.611' W
this is the position in the North Atlantic Ocean midway between Carrigan Head and Rathlin O'Birne Island.



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 Malin Beg Bay for your convenience.
Ten nearest havens by straight line charted distance and bearing:
  1. White Strand Bay - 0.4 nautical miles ESE
  2. Rathlin O'Birne Island - 1.3 nautical miles W
  3. Glen Bay - 3 nautical miles NNE
  4. Teelin - 5.9 nautical miles ESE
  5. Killybegs - 12.1 nautical miles E
  6. Dawros Bay - 12.9 nautical miles NE
  7. Inishmurray - 14.7 nautical miles SSE
  8. Church Pool & Portnoo - 16 nautical miles NE
  9. Mullaghmore - 16.8 nautical miles SE
  10. Donegal Town Harbour - 20.3 nautical miles E
These havens are ordered by straight line charted distance and bearing, and can be reordered by compass direction or coastal sequence:
  1. White Strand Bay - 0.4 miles ESE
  2. Rathlin O'Birne Island - 1.3 miles W
  3. Glen Bay - 3 miles NNE
  4. Teelin - 5.9 miles ESE
  5. Killybegs - 12.1 miles E
  6. Dawros Bay - 12.9 miles NE
  7. Inishmurray - 14.7 miles SSE
  8. Church Pool & Portnoo - 16 miles NE
  9. Mullaghmore - 16.8 miles SE
  10. Donegal Town Harbour - 20.3 miles E
To find locations with the specific attributes you need try:

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Chart
Please use our integrated Navionics chart to appraise the haven and its approaches. Navionics charts feature in premier plotters from B&G, Raymarine, Magellan and are also available on tablets. Open the chart in a larger viewing area by clicking the expand to 'new tab' or the 'full screen' option.

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How to get in?
Route location The 'Erris Head to Malin Head' coastal description provides approach information to the suggested initial fix. Vessels approaching from the south should select the northeast bound Route location sequenced description; vessels approaching from the north should select the southwest bound Route location sequence; western approaches may use either description.

From Malin Beg Head to Carrigan Head, a distance of 4.5 miles southeast, the northern shore on the approach to Donegal Bay is bordered by cliffs with Slieve League mountains rising above them.

The tiny cove that is Malin Beg Bay is rocky and steep sided with extraordinary rock stacks, and yachts should only enter in really fine weather at about half tide as the head of the bay is very narrow and encumbered with three substantial rocks.

Malin Beg Bay has a steep slipway on which the local fishermen's boats are hauled up in bad weather as at such times a heavy sea runs. Alongside the slip is a small quay on the west shore at the head of the bay which has a depth of about 1 metre alongside at low water springs.


Why visit here?
Malin Beg Bay is useful as a temporary anchorage for a lunch stop in picturesque surroundings on a coastal passage before entering the inner part of Donegal Bay or before rounding Malin Beg Head making for Gweebarra Bay and Aranmore Island, but it is advisable to only use it in really fine weather.

The small village of Malin Beg, Irish : Malainn Beag is 0.25 mile up from the quay and has a mini supermarket food store, and under the same ownership a de-luxe Hostel used by many hill walkers and particularly by rock climbers who come to scale nearby Slieve League. The marine cliffs here are some of the highest in Europe rising 600 metres above the ocean. Killybegs, 12 miles along the coast to the east would be a better location if major restocking of provisions is required.

White Strand Bay, also known locally as The Silver Strand, Irish : An Tra Ban, is the next inlet to the east of Malin Beg Bay and is easily reached by hundreds of stone steps down the verdant cliffs from Malin Beg village. The Silver Strand is a crescent shaped stretch of sandy beach which is considered to be one of the finest beaches in Ireland.


What facilities are available?
There are no facilities at this location except for a mini supermarket, and a de-luxe Hostel. A local community bus service runs return trips to Killybegs and Donegal Town three times a week, for details tel no. 074 9738913


With thanks to:
inyourfootsteps.com site research. Photography with thanks to Nigel Callaghan and Adie Jackson.









The following videos may be useful to help first time visitors familiarise themselves with Malin Beg.



The following video presents a diving trip the first thirty seconds of which show the bay with it's surrounding cliffs.




A photograph is worth a thousand words. We are always looking for bright sunny photographs that show this haven and its identifiable features at its best. If you have some images that we could use please upload them here. All we need to know is how you would like to be credited for your work and a brief description of the image if it is not readily apparent. If you would like us to add a hyperlink from the image that goes back to your site please include the desired link and we will be delighted to that for you.


Add your review or comment:


Iain Miller wrote this review on Oct 19th 2017:

One of the oldest rock climbing venues in Donegal, http://uniqueascent.ie/malinbeg_guide.

Average Rating: Unrated


Iain Miller wrote this review on Dec 24th 2017:

The free guide book to the rock climbing at Malin Beg, http://uniqueascent.ie/malinbeg_guide

Average Rating: Unrated

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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.