Beach · County Wicklow
Brittas Bay North
Can I swim here? Outside the bathing season
The bathing season runs from 1 June to 15 September. Outside it the water is not tested weekly and lifeguards are not on duty. The last sample, on 7 September 2026, was excellent. Live status on beaches.ie, which the EPA updates hourly in season.
Brittas Bay North Beach is a long, gently sloping, sandy beach. It has hilly sand dunes which support two protected plant species. The beach gradually falls away with sand bars common. Water sport activities available include surfing, windsurfing canoeing and snorkelling.
Excellent (2025): The highest standard: results over four years were consistently very clean.
The record, year by year
| Year | EPA classification | Samples | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | — | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Excellent | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Excellent | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Excellent | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Excellent | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 10 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 | — | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Facilities
| Lifeguards | Yes | |
|---|---|---|
| Toilets | Yes | |
| Parking | Yes | |
| Wheelchair access | No | |
| Beach wheelchair | Yes | The Beach Wheelchair is available at Brittas Bay North Beach 7 days a week from 11am – 7pm during the bathing season in June, July & August and over the first 2 weekends of September. Special requests can be made outside of this period.The use of the wheelchair is FREE but it must be reserved in advance using the booking system at https://www.wicklow.ie/Living/Beachwheelchair. |
| Public transport | No | |
| First aid | Yes | Available at Lifeguard station |
| Lifebuoy | Yes | |
| Information board | Yes | |
| Activity zones | Yes | Separate Area for Water Sport Activities |
| Litter bins | Yes | |
| Recycling | Yes |
Dogs and cars
- Dogs are not allowedNot allowed within lifeguard patrol zone/bathing area below high tide mark.
- No cars on the beach
Latest sample (2026-09-07): E. coli <10, intestinal enterococci 5 (cfu/100 ml).
The EPA's bathing water profile
Outdoors in County Wicklow this week
Best day outdoors: Sat, 10 Oct — dry by day, breezy, up to 13°C
- Fri, 9 Oct14° / 9°Light rain
- Sat, 10 Oct13° / 8°Sun with light cloud
- Sun, 11 Oct14° / 13°Sun with light cloud
Make a day of it
The nearest trails, beaches, woods and heritage within 25 km.
Trails & walks
Beaches & bathing waters
Parks, gardens & islands
Nature spot · 1.8 km awayBrittas Bay North BeachBeachBrittas Bay North is a beautiful long sandy beach in County Wicklow, approximately 16km from Wicklow Town.
Nature spot · 8.0 km awayNational Botanic Gardens - KilmacurraghGardenKnown for its towering rhododendrons, the National Botanic Gardens Kilmacurragh in County Wicklow is one of Ireland’s foremost heritage gardens, with a collection of old and unusual trees, wildflower meadows and double herbaceous borders.