Beach · County Donegal
Lady's Bay, Buncrana
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 14 September 2026, was excellent. Live status on beaches.ie, which the EPA updates hourly in season.
Lady's Bay beach consists of a sandy beach in Lough Swilly confined by Buncrana pier to the South and a small rocky outcrop 550m to the North. It is one of a series of beaches along the West of Inishowen. Lady's Bay beach supports a number of different plant and wildlife species. Important wildlife species include otters and Mallard, while important plant species include Lady's fern and wood sage. Lady's Bay beach is part of The Lough Swilly SAC which is of conservation importance and contains good examples of at least four habitats listed on Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive. Activities at Lady's Bay beach include swimming, boating, power boating, jet skiing and other land-based activities on the beach. The designated bathing area is approx. 0.02633 km2 and the extent along the water is approximately 550m. There is a medium gradient off Lady's Bay Beach continuing out at a medium slope before beginning to get gradually deeper until it reaches the channel.
Sufficient (2025): Meets the minimum standard over four years.
The record, year by year
| Year | EPA classification | Samples | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | — | 15 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 2025 | Sufficient | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | Poor | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Poor | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Poor | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 | — | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Facilities
| Lifeguards | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Toilets | Yes | |
| Parking | Yes | |
| Wheelchair access | Yes | |
| Beach wheelchair | No | |
| Public transport | Yes | |
| First aid | No | |
| Lifebuoy | No | |
| Information board | Yes | |
| Activity zones | No | |
| Litter bins | Yes | |
| Recycling | No |
Dogs and cars
- Dogs on a lead
- No cars on the beach
Latest sample (2026-09-14): E. coli 52, intestinal enterococci 8 (cfu/100 ml).
The EPA's bathing water profile
Outdoors in County Donegal this week
Best day outdoors: Sun, 11 Oct — dry by day, breezy, up to 13°C
Status Yellow - Rain warning for Donegal
From Thu, 8 Oct, 09:00 until Fri, 9 Oct, 04:00
Heavy spells of rain.
Be aware of potential impacts:
- Difficult travelling conditions
- Localised flooding possible
Issued by Met Éireann · met.ie/warnings
- Fri, 9 Oct12° / 10°Medium rain showers
- Sat, 10 Oct12° / 9°Medium rain showers
- Sun, 11 Oct13° / 11°Sun with grey cloud
Make a day of it
The nearest trails, beaches, woods and heritage within 25 km.
Trails & walks
Beaches & bathing waters
Forests & woodlands
Parks, gardens & islands
Nature spot · 12 km awayIOSAS CentreGardenThe IOSAS Centre and Celtic Prayer Garden, in Muff, County Donegal, depicts the lives of Ireland's Celtic saints. It is a place of incredible natural beauty and peace away from today's hectic pace of life.