Cloughey Beach

Cloughey sits on the exposed eastern seaboard of the Ards Peninsula, and its wide sweep of firm sand and low dunes is one of the quieter, more flyable beaches in County Down. Looking out you have the open Irish Sea with the low profile of the Copeland Islands to the north and, on a clear day, the smudge of the Isle of Man to the east; behind, the links of Kirkistown golf course and the flat farmland of the peninsula. It is an Ards and North Down Borough Council beach, publicly accessible, and outside the summer weekends it is usually close to empty, which makes a legal launch well away from people straightforward. Firm sand near the low-tide line gives a clean take-off surface, and the flat terrain means few obstructions. Watch the wind, this coast is fully exposed and the sea breeze builds quickly, so a calm morning is your friend. The nearest FRZ is Newtownards Airfield about 18km to the north-west, so no airspace concern here. There is no National Trust land on this stretch, unlike Kearney and Knockinelder a little further south which are NT owned, so keep TOAL to the Cloughey side. Respect dune vegetation and any ground-nesting birds in spring.