Overview
There is a long flight of steps down to Silver Strand, and the haul back up is the price of reaching it: a horseshoe of pale sand boxed in by cliffs. Malin Beg (Málainn Bhig) is a Gaeltacht village at the western end of the Slieve League Peninsula, past Glencolmcille, and it is quiet outside high summer. Discover Ireland lists visitor parking above the beach and the steps down to the sand. Allow time for the climb back up, take water with you, and if you would rather not do the steps, see the strand from the viewpoint at Malin Beg.
The landscape
The bay is cut into quartzite and schist headland, and thousands of years of Atlantic swell have worn it into that sheltered horseshoe. The Slieve League cliffs lie to the south-east and Rathlin O’Birne Island offshore. The shoreline changes with the tide, so check conditions before you go down.
What to see and do
- The strand – a crescent of sand and blue water between high green headlands, best seen from above and then from the sand.
- The clifftop view – the viewpoint above the beach gives the best overview of the horseshoe, the headlands either side and the open Atlantic beyond.
- Wildlife – kittiwakes and guillemots nest on the cliffs, with peregrines about on migration; dolphins and the odd minke whale pass offshore on clear days.
Safety
Stay on the signed approach and keep back from the cliff edge. The steps can be slippery when wet. Keep away from waves and the base of the cliffs, especially when the sea is rough or the tide is coming in. Atlantic conditions turn quickly. If you plan to swim, choose a lifeguarded beach and check current bathing notices. The long flight of steps is not suitable for pushchairs, wheelchairs or anyone unsteady on their feet.
Getting there
Malin Beg is a short drive beyond Glencolmcille, at the tip of the peninsula, on narrow local roads signposted for Silver Strand / Málainn Bhig. It is on the Wild Atlantic Way. The nearest reliable shops and toilets are back in Glencolmcille, so bring water and food, and check transport options before you travel without a car.
Nearby
- Malin More dolmens – Neolithic portal tombs a short way back toward Glencolmcille, part of a landscape with 5,000 years of history and Stone Age court cairns at Cloghanmore and Farranmacbride.
- Slieve League – high sea cliffs with viewing points and walking trails, a drive away.
- Assaranca Waterfall and Glengesh Pass – a roadside waterfall near Ardara and a hairpin mountain pass.