October 2010

Three connected beaches and swimming spots run alongside the road into Buncrana and beside the town itself.

The first is Lisfannon Beach which is located a few kilometres before the town. This is a wide open expanse of sand, quite open and exposed. The big thing to watch for here is the tides, because when the tide is out you will need a taxi to get to the sea.

Apart from that this is a nice location, with plenty of room for walking and playing after your swim. You will also get some shelter from the wind in the dunes at the back of the beach.

Lisfannan has a large tarmacadam car park. Near the entrance there are a couple of narrow access points onto the beach, but they look too narrow for wheelchairs.

Check with Donegal County Council about lifeguards.

Not far past Lisfannan is The White Strand, another long stretch of beach, this one crescent shaped. We were on it at full tide and the beach gets almost fully covered, so there is no problem with a long wade in for your swim if you time it right. The water here is soft and fresh and you get into your depth gradually.

There is a reasonable sized car park which has a ramped access to the beach. It looks fine for buggies, but wheelchair users would need to be careful. This beach has the road into the town running alongside it, so that can be a distraction.

Then there is what we call, for want of a better name, The Town Beach, located just beyond the Lough Swilly ferry terminal. This is a nice beach, smaller than the other two but more sheltered. The water here is of the brown, sandy variety, but good to swim in. Even when the tide is low, as it was for us, you don’t have to go out too far to get into your depth.

The Town Beach has a tarmacadam path with a slipway access onto the beach. It appears suitable for wheelchairs and buggies. There is a good sized car park and a couple of seats overlooking the beach.

Directions

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Coming from Derry or Letterkenny , follow the signposts for Buncrana and pick up the R238. Lisfannan and The White Strand are signposted with left turns as you approach the town. The Town Beach is best located by following signs for the ferry. When you drive past the ferry entrance you will come to a large tarmacadam car park on your left hand side. The beach is just at the car park.

Ordnance Survey Map No. 3