Crawfordsburn to Groomsport
Crawfordsburn Country Park stretches for just over a mile of the North Down coast line with its two sandy beaches and rocky out crops it makes a good location for beginners and paddlers of more experience alike. This is a popular location for swimmers so care should be taken near to the beaches. Watch out for the HSS Ferry as it can create a large wash which can take you by surprise.
From Swineey Point to Bangor Marina is a rocky coastline with only a couple of landing points. It is a pleasant paddle. Bangor Marina has a car park with a slip way for easy launching
(Call the marina office to seek permission to launch from the slipway on 02891 453297) and you can explore the new and old harbours. From the Marina at Bangor you pass the Royal Ulster Yacht Club and the Bangor Yacht Club before reaching the large sandy beach at Ballyholme. A good car park exists at the east end of the beach.
Cockle Island, rumoured to be either privately owned or National Trust property. Cockle is quite extensive at low water but tiny at high water. It shelters the harbour at Groomsport, enabling a couple of dozen moorings in its lee. A remarkable reef, it is submerged by the highest tides, and there is no grass or greenery of any kind. It is always separated from the shore by deep water. Black Headed Gulls and Herring Gulls occupy different sections of it for roosting. There are reports of Terns nesting. Its claim to fame includes a Sooty Tern (called locally Wideawake Tern in Ascension Island where they spend the rest of the year).