National Trust - Murlough National Nature Reserve — Attraction in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council

We used to spend our summer holidays in this area when I was a kid. It's so familiar to me that is easy to forget how stunningly beautiful this place is. It's only a 45 minute drive from Belfast (towards Newcastle) and once you get out about 10 miles it's a lovely drive through the countryside. The carpark is run by the National Trust - there's a charge if you're not a member- but it does have proper toilets and a small cafe. A short walk through mature sand dunes, with the majestic Mourne Mountains as a backdrop, and you arrive at a fantastic wide silver beach. Even at the busiest times it is pretty empty. The view from the beach towards the mountains, which famously "sweep down to the sea", is just fabulous. From here you can walk along the beach all the way into Newcastle which is a resort town. The other direction takes you to the lovely Dundrum bay. If you're in the area Is also recommend a visit to Dundrum Castle , an old Norman fortress with fantastic views of the Mountains and over...

Nice wee spot. Not too big, not too small. We spent maybe an hour here after ice cream in Newcastle, after morning in castlewellen on mountain bikes. We are natiot trust members otherwise I think it was £5 to park (I think). Plenty of parking, see photos. Good boardwalk means it would be accessible to wheelchair albeit hard work due to some of the gradients. We went left from car park 750m to beach rather than 950m right to beach. Maybe that's flatter. 3 lifeguards on duty but only one or 2 people in water. Decent waves but it's more rocky beach like cushendall/cushendun than say benone or portstewart strand.

My family love bringing some rocks home. Lots of choice, sounds a bit silly but some beautiful rocks all shapes sizes and colours.

I don't think I'd ever heard of it before but thought we give it try. Would be good for a walk after day in Newcastle. You can get lovely pictures of family with mountains in background.

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Would have given this place 5 stars if it wasn’t for the life guards using the disabled parking spaces for their vehicles! The boardwalks are appreciated as a parent of a wheelchair user. Although for the kid of me I can’t figure out why it stops 50 or so metres short of the beach??? This made getting the chair and child actually into the sand very difficult. The girls at the entrance explained they stopped short but I just don’t understand the logic (or lack there of)? The dunes, beach and area as a whole are stunning. The combined weight of the wheelchair and child is around 11 stone and dragging it through the shingle to get my daughter to some sand was very, very difficult. To be fair this is the same across Britain and Ireland (and we’ve visited most parts of the UK/Ireland over the last 5 yrs or so). When will a local authority or the NT make beaches truly accessible for children in wheelchairs? No time soon I fear. If you are able bodied then this is a brilliant...