Duncannon Beach in Wexford – Perfect for Young Families
Visit the beach with your littles and you’re guaranteed to find tiny crystal reminders of your sandy excursion around your home for weeks later. It’s the law.
But our little sand engineers love our beach days – digging trenches, building and smashing castles, constructing dams, and seaweed battles – ’tis almost war-like! But then they’re softened by splashes of the sea, and the squeals of delight playing catch with the ebbing tide, shine sunbeams on our nature lovers not fighters.
Beach days for parents with little ones in tow provide plenty of opportunities for wonderful memory making, not to mention great photo ops. But the loveliness of sand and sea aside, beach days with small children can also hit like a tidal wave and burst your beach day bubble, with bags and buggies, bottles and burp clothes.
That’s why, even though we’ve sailed past the nappy and buggy stages in life, only a couple of years mind you, I feel it’s my duty to recommend the drive-on beach of Duncannon Beach in Wexford to all those with little beach lovers.
Unlike one of our favourite beaches Curracloe Beach, which is 50 minutes away, and you can read about here: Captivated by Beautiful Curracloe Beach in Co. Wexford, Duncannon Beach does not have the beautiful white sandy dunes.
But that’s not a bad thing, because Duncannon Beach has a flat expansive mile-long golden sandy strand that it perfect for little explorers and sand engineers, and for babies and toddlers in prams and buggies.
And to top it off you can drive-on to it. Yes, you can park up, set up your picnic area beside your car, dine in the sun, pack your picnic table and basket away, along with your rubbish (leave no trace, always) – and then head out along the strand, take a dip in the sea or go for a walk!
Our two munchkins love it. There’s no need for bag carrying and buggy struggling. And when they’re tired out it’s a simple stroll back to your car and away you go.
Where to Park on Duncannon Beach
Where you park on Duncannon Beach is completely up to you. But the time of day you are visiting and how long you are planning on staying will determine the best area to park in. Because the tide will come in!
Parking to the right under Duncannon Fort is a great spot for short, early morning and early afternoon visits before the tide comes in.
On very busy days, we have found this area of the drive-on beach quieter, which suits us just fine, and along with some shallow beach inlets the boys can safely play in, it’s also closer to the sea, when we feel like a dip.
Parking to the left of the entrance onto the beach is perfect for when you plan on staying for a full beach day, because there is more beach, giving you more time before the tide comes in.
On very busy days, usually the further you drive the length of beach the quieter it becomes. But do take into consideration that the further along the beach you park, the further you are from amenities such as the public toilets and shower.
This area of the beach offers you a beautiful horizon where water meets sky, and the pop of green from fields above the cliff face adds to the beauty and depth of this wonderful beach. There’s buckets of golden sand for your little beach lovers to build castles. And because the stand is so wide, it means that the waters are quite shallow before the tide comes in making it perfect for dipping toes in, or safely walking and then wading out that little bit further.
And on that note, we were advised that there is a strong current in the sea alongside the coastline of Duncannon Beach so this is something to be very mindful of, whether you’re a swimming junior or seasoned senior.
If you haven’t packed a picnic or have worked up a sea breeze hunger, Duncannon Village, a short stroll from the beach has a number of amenities to tickle your tastebuds, grab a drink or light bite or some fish and chips from the local shop, café, takeaway or pub.
We’re far from seasoned visitors to Duncannon Beach and Village, but we plan on getting to know it better … because apart from it’s family-friendly drive on beach, we’ve the playground to test out, and Duncannon Fort to view from, the Norman Way to explore, and the Hook Peninsula to discover!
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Further Reading: For Travel Inspiration – Travel the Island of Ireland
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