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Ireland
County Donegal
Ardara
Things to do in Ardara
Maghera Beach and Caves
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Maghera Beach and Caves

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Maghera Beach and Caves
4.5
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  • Magali M
    7 contributions
    Man charging for parking before walking to the beach
    Nice beach with white sand and very close to the waterfall. We could not see the cave as the water was a bit high. There is a person charging for parking when you arrive at the beach. There is no sign for the charge but the man is quite intimidating and follow you to the car to pay for 3 euros car park. Not sure if it is legal. Be aware!
    Visited January 2023
    Written 2 January 2023
  • CyndeSears
    Herndon, Virginia17 contributions
    Gorgeous place to walk and feel the sand between your toes
    What a gorgeous spot on a sunny, breezy spring day! We went at low tide so we could walk around as many caves as possible. The dunes range from sea level to up and over the nearby hills - some of the most spectacular in Europe, mariners tell me. During late summer, this spot must be highly desirable, as the beach is long and very wide at low tide (perhaps not as accessible at high tide).
    Visited April 2023
    Written 8 May 2023
  • janep1
    Sheffield, United Kingdom606 contributions
    beautiful beach
    The beach has a charged for car park ( 3 euros) collected by someone staffing it. There is a relatively short walk with good walking conditions to reach the dunes, however the main part of the beach is a trickier walk across very soft sand and dunes making walking difficult for anyone with mobility issues. Once on to the main beach it gets easier as the sand is a little firmer and easier to walk on. The caves are accessible in low tide although one was water filled with a pool when we went. The rock formations are pretty stunning and there are some sheltered areas which are great for windy days - just keep a close eye on the tide coming back in.
    Visited May 2023
    Written 12 June 2023
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4.5
247 reviews
Excellent
194
Very good
38
Average
9
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2
Terrible
4
GRZ
Chicago, IL10,065 contributions
Arrive from EAST/Assaranca Waterfall!
Jul 2023
If you are exploring Donegal you probably will stop here and also at the Assaranca Waterfall pretty much "next door" on the same route - what I would suggest however is that you return EAST to the "main road" as arriving from the south/west was mostly narrow and now well preserved roads and probably the only time in our > 2,000 km road trip around Ireland where I for a moment hesitated whether I have chosen the right place/road to go :)

Once you get here I would say the 5 EURO, that a lot of people complain about, is nothing outrageous... it's just someone's property that allows access to the beach area - we didn't have EURO currency on us and gave the gentlemen 10 USD and he gave us 5 EURO back, perfectly fine for both :)

The beach itself; is really nice but of course you will get the stunning colors on a nice weather day... which we didn't so the experience was somewhat a hit or miss - no regrets though in a retrospective as the waterfall right next door that was on our way made the combo quite a fun part of the day

The caves are probably only accessible during the low tide, which at our time didn't appear to be an option - however it wasn't the aspect of this place that made us come here so all good - but if caves are a must for you.... well then you may get lucky or not on your visit so account for that.

TIP:
Written 7 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
debs
Shaldon, UK3 contributions
€5 parking now.
Jun 2023 • Couples
Didn't stop as carpark now 5 Euros. Will park free at the Waterfall and walk about 1 or 2km to get there if we do it.
Sorry cant say anything about the caves but the area around the waterfall is beautiful.
Written 15 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
janep1
Sheffield, UK606 contributions
beautiful beach
May 2023
The beach has a charged for car park ( 3 euros) collected by someone staffing it. There is a relatively short walk with good walking conditions to reach the dunes, however the main part of the beach is a trickier walk across very soft sand and dunes making walking difficult for anyone with mobility issues. Once on to the main beach it gets easier as the sand is a little firmer and easier to walk on. The caves are accessible in low tide although one was water filled with a pool when we went. The rock formations are pretty stunning and there are some sheltered areas which are great for windy days - just keep a close eye on the tide coming back in.
Written 12 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gra
Dublin, Ireland9 contributions
Beautiful beach
May 2023
I'm from nearby originally but only visited this place last weekend, and what a gem it is! It's absolutely beautiful. I saw some posts saying it's a precarious trek to get to, but I didn't have any probs once I used google maps and the road is fine, it's just a normal narrow country road. It's also only about a 5 min walk from the car park, there must be some slow walkers on here.😉 There was a fee for the car park which was unexpected but fine, the only thing I'd say is the guy who comes over asking could be a bit more friendly!

It was about 19 degrees the day we went and warm enough to dip our feet in for a walk along the shore.

The Assaranca waterfall is stunning too.

Some pics to show you just how beautiful it is :)
Written 31 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LondonFamily88
London, UK989 contributions
Watch out- you need €3 cash to park!
May 2023 • Friends
This is a beautiful beach with caves.. so scenic and vast. We enjoyed walking up and down the beach with the wind and no one nearby .

However, this was spoilt by the need to pay €3 to park.. in cash! Who carries cash these days, and why do you need to pay for parking?
Written 21 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CyndeSears
Herndon, VA17 contributions
Gorgeous place to walk and feel the sand between your toes
Apr 2023
What a gorgeous spot on a sunny, breezy spring day! We went at low tide so we could walk around as many caves as possible. The dunes range from sea level to up and over the nearby hills - some of the most spectacular in Europe, mariners tell me. During late summer, this spot must be highly desirable, as the beach is long and very wide at low tide (perhaps not as accessible at high tide).
Written 8 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Plk_2014
Ireland2 contributions
Really disappointing parking experience
Apr 2023 • Family
The carpark was private and charged a cash only fee of 3 euro. With no cash in the car (we're used to tapping everywhere these days) we had to leave. The road before the carpark is too narrow to park, and with small kids in the car, parking miles away was not an option. Really surprised a spot high on the tourist rankings in Donegal is operated in this way.
Written 29 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Magali M
7 contributions
Man charging for parking before walking to the beach
Jan 2023
Nice beach with white sand and very close to the waterfall. We could not see the cave as the water was a bit high.
There is a person charging for parking when you arrive at the beach. There is no sign for the charge but the man is quite intimidating and follow you to the car to pay for 3 euros car park. Not sure if it is legal. Be aware!
Written 3 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
xKAKx
West Chicago, IL301 contributions
Magical Beach with Amazing Landscape
Sep 2022 • Friends
Walk across the boardwalk and dunes to a magical endless beach. At low tide one can visit ~15 caves and have a sandy walk hundreds of meters out to the ocean. Beware of the incoming tide and plan accordingly.
Written 25 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Boston0212202122
Boston, MA130 contributions
Beautiful Beach
Sep 2022
This was a bit off the beaten track to drive to, but so worth it. We arrived during a weekday, about 10am in late September. The tide was going out, so I was able to access a small cave. The sand was white, and the water was so clear, it looked beautiful. I'm not typically a beach person, but I could've easily spent the day here if it was more of a beach day because there were rocks to climb on and caves to explore. We went to several of the top beaches in Donegal and I think this was my favorite, although it was the hardest to get to.

There was a little hike to get from the car park to the beach, across a wooden foot path and a walk between a few sand dunes, but even my wife who needs a partial knee replacement was able to do it and was glad she did.

I've read about someone charging people a couple of dollars to park here, but we didn't see anyone. Even if they did, I would've gladly paid them because this was so worth it.
Written 12 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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MAGHERA BEACH AND CAVES: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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