Ireland day 1510. Sunday 16 November 2025- Donabate Portrane DWC

Today’s summary	We got a lift with a friend to Donabate to join a Club walk up the coast from the Shoreline hotel. The group walked as far as Portrane beach and had lunch towards the northern end the sands, where the Seabee erosion defences end. Retraced our steps back afterwards. Getting much colder than recently but the rain has stopped. Curry and TV in the evening.
Today’s weather	Dry and mostly overcast, with a few brief shafts of sunlight. Moderate northerly wind. Appx 9c

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of our route)		Close-up location (The blue line shows where we walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Donabate Portrane DWC

Commentary

The rain and wind of the last few weeks seem to have retreated for the time being, and been replaced with what looks like being period of drier but much colder weather. So today was a day for wrapping up warm and getting out in the fresh air.

Fortunately there was a nearby Club walk scheduled for today and, even better, a friend from Portmarnock had offered to give us a lift to the start.

So we had our obligatory tea in bed, then got up, had breakfast, and made the packed lunches for our day out. We were away by 11 and picked up from the entrance to the castle at ten past. It was only a short drive round to the Shoreline hotel on Donabate beach where we got a cup of coffee and met up with the rest of the group.

Eventually we were ready to go, so set off along the coast path and headed north. We were walking straight into the wind, and instantly regretted my forgetting my hat. Well in my defence it’s been very mild for a long time, so I’m just out of the habit of picking my headgear up.

We walked up the coast path- passing the numerous seaside saunas that have sprung up along the way, seemingly in a nod to Ireland’s Nordic heritage. They certainly appeared to be very popular today. We kept going round the sweep of Portrane bay, keeping the Seabees (the somewhat ineffective hexagonal concrete coastal erosion protective seabreaks) on our left until we reached almost the end of the peninsula. At that point we veered off into the dunes and found a reasonably sheltered spot to have lunch.

Afterwards, we retraced our steps back to the hotel, noticing on the way just how fast the coast is retreating. The desperate beach-side homeowners were fighting a losing battle against the sea, using sandbags and building rubble to try and stave off the erosion. Maybe they will buy themselves a few more months, but it must only a be a matter of time before their sandy foundations are swept away and dumped on Bull Island.

Once back at the hotel, we said our goodbyes, thanked Sheila for leading today, and our lift dropped us back at the Casino a few minutes later. We had very much enjoyed our day out, and came back thoroughly refreshed.

The rest of the evening was spent enjoying some of the beef curry left from yesterday, and watching a little TV. Now we need to start planning the next week’s activities!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


Looking over towards Lambay Island, with suitably brooding skies overhead	One of the little coves just south of Tower Bay Beach. As far as I can tell, it’s innominate

Perfectly cross-sectioned fossil brachiopod in a Kilkenny Marble paving stone under the seats near Portrane beach	With the group, at our lunch stop

The hexagonal “Seabee” sea defences. They are about a meter high and 2 meters across but seem only to be having a marginal effect on slowing the erosion, at best	Here we both are! Near the Portrane Martello tower, and just behind the Sea Sauna

Val raring to go and looking full of the joys of spring!