Kinnagoe Bay

Kinnagoe is a curved sandy bay on the north-eastern coast of the Inishowen peninsula, hidden below steep wooded slopes and reached by a lane that drops sharply with hairpins to a small car park at the top of the sand. In September 1588 La Trinidad Valencera, one of the largest ships of the Spanish Armada and originally a Venetian merchantman, was driven into this bay and wrecked; most of the men got ashore, and what happened to them afterwards is a grim story. The wreck was located in 1971 by City of Derry Sub-Aqua Club, and the excavation recovered guns, pottery and equipment now in the Tower Museum in Derry. The bay itself is quiet, often empty even in summer, with no facilities of any kind. There are no lifeguards, the access lane is difficult, and mobile coverage down in the bay is poor.

Highlights

• The hidden cove - curved sand below steep wooded slopes.
• The Armada wreck site - La Trinidad Valencera, lost here in 1588.
• The descent - a steep hairpin lane down to the small car park.
• The emptiness - often quiet even in August.

When to go

May to September. The lane is difficult in ice or heavy rain. Even in summer this is one of the less busy beaches on the peninsula.

Good to know

The access lane is steep and narrow with hairpins - unsuitable for large vehicles. No lifeguards and no facilities at all. Poor phone coverage in the bay. The finds are in Derry, not on site.

Nearby

Moville and the Foyle shore are south; Malin Head is west across the peninsula.

Key facts