Curracloe Beach has been named Ireland’s best beach by readers of the Sunday Independent.
On my holiday in July, I traveled to scenic County Wexford, on the southeast coast which is Ireland`s sunniest region.
The first place I visited was the delightful village of Curracloe (Irish: Currach Cló, meaning “marsh of the impression”).
Moreover, the village is linked to the long and sandy Curracloe Beach which is one of the most beautiful and popular beaches in Ireland.
In August of last year, Curracloe was named one of Ireland’s cleanest beaches following a survey carried out by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL).
Curracloe Beach is a 7-mile-long beach (over 11km), famous for its beautiful white and soft sand, which puts it in contrast with many of the stony beaches that you will find around Ireland. The beach is guarded by a number of large and sprawling dunes, all of which are held together and stabilized by a seemingly-endless blanket of green marram grass.
What`s more, this beautiful beach has an easterly aspect overlooking Wexford Bay and the Irish Sea. Bordered on the west by a line of sand hills of dunes, where during the warm season various plants bloom in the most dazzling colors.
And is regularly awarded Blue Flag status.
Blue Flag certification is awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and serves as a notice to beach-goers that the area and its surrounding waters have lived up to a number of strict regulatory standards.
Besides, Curracloe Strand has three separate access points along its length and the sections of the beach are named after these. From north to south, there is Ballinesker, White Gap, and Culletons Gap. White Gap is the largest and Culletons Gap is bordered by the Raven Nature Reserve and forestry. These all have wooden boardwalks running from car parks down to the beach with Ballinesker accessible in a wheelchair.
Furthermore, the beach has been featured in Hollywood movies.
Ballinesker Beach and Curracloe Strand, Ballinesker, were used for the filming of the D-Day sequence in Saving Private Ryan, due to their similarity to Omaha Beach in Normandy. Filming began on 27 June 1997 and lasted for two months. Curracloe Strand was also used for the Irish beach scene in the movie Brooklyn starring Saoirse Ronan.
However, during the summer months, the beach is very busy. The car park is full so the best is to come in the morning, with parking facilities at no charge. But the beach is so large it was in no way overcrowded, it goes on for miles.
Also, there was Coffee Shop serving ice-creams, home-baked treats, and stone-baked pizza.
Furthermore, the weather was gorgeous on the day I went there. Amazing views. I enjoyed very much the long walk through the beach.
The beach in itself was unreal. Lots of beautiful rocks and shells washed up. The sand was super soft and clean and very clear water. Also, a lot of crabs I’ve seen.
Moreover, the south of Curracloe Beach frames the Raven Wood Nature Reserve and this is something amazing. You can be in the wood and see and hear the sea at the same time.
Finally, at the entrance to the beach in Curracloe village, there is “the cutest” cottage I`ve ever seen.
Location of Curracloe Beach:
Below are photos I took in July 2021.
