What's the story here?

Portbraddan is nestled in a small gorge at the western end of White Park Bay which provides the small picturesque hamlet with sheltered from the prevailing westerlies. It was once a Salmon fishery and retains a small slip which makes for a convenient landing place as the bay is subject to a swell and there usually is surf on the beach.

Vessels can anchor over good holding in White Park Bay in settled or offshore conditions.

How to get in?

Offshore details are available in northeast Ireland’s coastal overview for Malin Head to Strangford Lough . The details provided for Church Bay on Rathlin Island and its tidal data provide approach details for this corner of Ireland. The direction and velocity of the tide should be the central feature of any navigation planning in this area. White Park Bay is situated 1½ miles to the west of Sheep Island and 2 miles from Bengore Head. It forms a white arc between the headlands of Gin Point and Ballintoy.




The eastern end of the bay is foul out to ¾ of a mile from Ballintoy Point. This end of the bay has several covered and awash rocks that reach out a ⅓ of a mile from the shoreline, further out than the visible straggler Long Gilbert. Keeping outside the 10 metres contour on the east side of the bay clears all dangers.

Vessels approaching from the west should stand well off the western Gid Point as the rocky tongue of rock terminating with Otter Rock extends a ½ mile north from the headland.




The western half of the bay is clean with 20 metres a ½ a mile out and soundings, over a sandy bottom, decreasing gradually to the shore.




From the Initial Fix proceed towards the southwest corner. Depths decrease gradually towards the shore.



Anchor over sand with excellent holding according to draught and conditions.

Why visit here?

Portbraddan, or Portbraddon, takes its name from the Irish 'Port Bradán', which means 'port of the salmon'. This dates back to its ancient origins as a salmon station along with Carrickarede and Larry Bane all of which have extensively fished Atlantic Salmon here since 1620.




The salmon fishery was a key industry for this coast and a way of life for its inhabitants for many centuries. These waters are home to Atlantic Salmon, the largest breed of salmon in the world. They lay their eggs in freshwater rivers and, when old enough, traveled hundreds of miles to reach cool saltwater. These stations caught the migrating salmon as they made their way back to their spawning grounds in the River Bann. But by the 20th century, the pressure of fishing and river pollution caused the salmon population to precipitously decline. In bygone days the fisherman would regularly catch up to 300 fish in one trip, but in the final seasons that persisted into the 1960s, fishermen would be lucky to catch 250 fish in the entire period from Spring to Autumn. So the ancient salmon fishing station of Portbraddon came to an end although it still has an operational slipway.




Inshore of the hamlet is the spectacular sandy beach of White Park Bay that forms a white arc between the headlands of Gin Point and Ballintoy. It was anciently called 'Murbholg', meaning 'sea-bag', from 'muir', 'sea', and 'bolg' 'a bag'. It is dominated by chalk and is noted for its archaeological sites, including a Stone Age settlement where excavations revealed food remains such as the bones of the now-extinct great auk. Exposed beds of soft lias clay contain fossils, such as the gryphaea 'Devil’s toenails', an ancient bivalve shell. Major geological faulting created the tilted rock stacks on the approach to Ballintoy Harbour.




The 2km long sandy sweep of White Park Bay was also a site of much industry from the 18th century to the 1930s. Then it was lined with kelp burners and thick white smoke filled the air. These small kilns burned seaweed that had been collected and dried on its wide sandy beach. The large proportion of iodine that kelp contains could then be extracted from the ash. The ash was used initially in the production of glass, and it was also mixed with animal fats, was then widely used as an antiseptic and ointment for cuts and sores.




In the latter half of the 20th century, Portbraddan was noted for having the smallest Church in Ireland, St Gobban's. This was a slate-roofed little church, just 3.5 metres by a little under 2 metres tucked in at the south end of the Millhouse. In the early 1960s, a retired Reverand bought the house and land nestled into the small nook and taught classics and divinity from the building. In 1965 he discovered the property was one of the Christian sites established in the area by St Gobban, who lived from 560-639. This is very much the case as St Gobban's ancient church of Templastragh was built a kilometre from Portbraddon on the cliff top towards Dunseverick Harbour the ruins of a tiny chapel, St Lasseragh’s, stands on the cliff above. He and his students then came up with the novel idea of converting a small outbuilding that served as a calf byre into a chapel. So the calf shed originally built in the 1950s became St Gobban's chapel.




Afterwards, the building was mistakenly listed by the government without proper research being carried out and only when the facts emerged, much later it had to be de-listed. But in the intervening time, thousands of visitors had flocked to the smallest church in Ireland every year. Many were local women who came back home to Northern Ireland to be married there. Sadly the diminutive St Gobban's Church was demolished by a new owner in 2017. This caused horror and an outcry from its frequent visitors, but quite relief from the residents of Portbradden who were weary of the large crowds it attracted.



Today the small hamlet is a quiet place of exceptional beauty where a visitor can enjoy stunning views out across White Park Bay to Ballintoy Church and the basalt islands known as the Parks which shelter the harbour of Ballintoy. The anchorage provides access to the Causeway Coast Way is one of the finest coastal walks in Ireland. Following the pathway, it is possible to walk from Portbraddon to Dunseverick Harbour which passes through Gid Point, a naturally formed hole in the headland. On a low Spring tide, it is also possible to walk along White Park Bay to Ballintoy Harbour.




From a boating perspective, it can be subject to a swell. But in an auspicious weather window, this is a glorious location to swing to an anchor.

What facilities are available?

THereareno facilities here save for the landing area

Any security concerns?

Never an issue known to have occurred to a boat on anchor off Portbradden.

With thanks to:

Terry Crawford, local boatman of many decades.