Murlough Nature Reserve

Murlough Nature Reserve lies on the County Down coast in Northern Ireland, where a 6,000-year-old sand dune system separates Dundrum Bay from Murlough Bay. The National Trust has managed the 697-acre site since 1967, making it Ireland’s first nature reserve. From the dunes, visitors look across to Slieve Donard, the Mourne Mountains’ highest peak. A shingle beach stretches four miles along Dundrum Bay and holds Blue Flag status. The reserve also includes Murlough Beach, a popular spot for seals and seabirds. The dune heathland shelters breeding birds such as meadow pipit, Eurasian skylark and common cuckoo. Grey and common seals haul out on the shore between moulting and feeding, with numbers ranging from fifty to a hundred and thirty animals. Rare plants like pyramidal orchid and carline thistle grow among the dunes. The site is home to 23 butterfly species, including the marsh fritillary of European importance. Moth records reach 787 species, among them the small elephant hawkmoth and sand dart. Paths and boardwalks wind through the dunes, leading to Keel Point where a granite bridge marks the old wooden crossing. Murlough House, built in 1857 as a summer residence, once hosted the US Army during the Second World War. Military units including the 1st Battalion, 13th Armored and the 818th Tank Destroyer Battalion used the peninsula for training. Today the reserve remains a haven for wildlife and a quiet place to watch seals and birds.