Overview

Benone Beach (Magilligan Strand) is one of the longest beaches in Northern Ireland, stretching 11 km along the north coast. Facing north towards the Atlantic, this golden sandy beach offers excellent kitesurfing conditions with consistent wind and immense space. It is one of the major spots in Northern Ireland, with the Donegal mountains visible beyond Lough Foyle.

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Spot forecast for benone beach

Sunrise 08:07 · Sunset 18:16

Open-Meteo

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< 7 kn7–12 kn13–20 kn21–30 kn31–40 kn41+ kn Gusts Your minimum: 7 kn

Forecasts provided by Open-Meteo

Swell and waves

Swell and tides over 8 days. Premium members see the swell and tides over 8 days. Without a subscription: 5 days.

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Wave height: < 0.5 m 0.5–1 m 1–2 m 2–3 m ≥ 3 m

Swell data by Open-Meteo Marine

Tides

Heights above lowest astronomical tide, in the spot's local time. Computed 2.8 km from the spot.

Tuesday 20 October High tide 05:07 · 1.3 m Low tide 09:57 · 0.8 m High tide 17:06 · 1.6 m Low tide 22:59 · 0.7 m
Wednesday 21 October High tide 05:39 · 1.4 m Low tide 10:37 · 0.7 m High tide 17:27 · 1.7 m Low tide 23:29 · 0.6 m
Thursday 22 October High tide 05:56 · 1.4 m Low tide 11:05 · 0.6 m High tide 17:33 · 1.8 m Low tide 23:50 · 0.5 m
Friday 23 October High tide 06:00 · 1.6 m Low tide 11:29 · 0.5 m High tide 17:50 · 1.9 m
Saturday 24 October Low tide 00:07 · 0.4 m High tide 06:17 · 1.7 m Low tide 11:55 · 0.4 m High tide 18:19 · 2 m

benone beach: when to go?

Rideable days and hours computed for a minimum wind of 7 knots · log in to set your own (foil, twin-tip…)

Season · peak

277h

in May · 26.5 rideable days

The season runs from May to September, peaking in May: 25 rideable days a month and 277 hours of usable wind, at 16 °C. The low point is December, at 14.5 days.

Rideable days per month

Wind strength when it is rideable

7-12 knots · 60%13-20 knots · 36%21-30 knots · 4%31+ knots · under 1%

When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 7 and 12 knots — 60% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is January, at 7 °C. The wettest month is December, with 129 mm.

Monthly averages: benone beach

Monthly averages — benone beach — averaged over 2 years of records — Weather data by Open-Meteo.com — How it is calculated
Month	Rideable days	Usable wind	Temperature	Rain
January	20.5	160 h	7 °C	105 mm
February	18.5	158 h	9 °C	114 mm
March	18.5	176 h	10 °C	88 mm
April	19.5	188 h	13 °C	115 mm
May	26.5	277 h	15 °C	70 mm
June	26.0	390 h	16 °C	96 mm
July	26.0	354 h	18 °C	81 mm
August	24.5	267 h	18 °C	123 mm
September	22.0	229 h	15 °C	94 mm
October	16.5	163 h	13 °C	113 mm
November	19.0	155 h	10 °C	123 mm
December	14.5	116 h	9 °C	129 mm

Photo gallery of benone beach

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Ridden here? One photo or video, and the spot comes alive for everyone discovering it.

Technical details of benone beach spot

The spot works with winds from N, NNE, NE, WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW.

Depending on conditions: ENE, SW.

RideableDepending on conditions Not rideable

Spot opening date · Required level

Spot opening date: Open all year round
Required level: Intermediate

Parking

Parking at the Benone Tourist Complex (paid in season). Also accessible from Magilligan. The beach is accessible from the A2 coastal road between Limavady and Downhill.

Hazards

Rip currents possible. Fast rising tide on this very flat beach. Wind can be very strong on this exposed coast. Military zone (Magilligan Field) to the east — respect boundaries.

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Live

Currently, there is no weather station at this spot. If you want to change this, help us fund one: Weather Station Project

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Webcams near benone beach

Webcams provided by Windy.com

Nearby spots

All spots: Northern Ireland

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benone beach kitesurf, wingfoil and windsurf spot