The Beach

Groomsport has two beaches.  The first, smaller, one, beside the harbour, is James Bay beach. This is an inclusive beach with facilities for people with disabilities to use the beach and access the sea. Through the gap in the wall that Robert Perceval-Maxwell had controversially built in 1856 for privacy, is the much larger Cove Bay beach which backs onto Groomsport House and the recent Cove Bay development.  The beaches have been popular with residents, holiday makers and day trippers since Victorian times.  As well as being popular with families in the summer, the beaches are used for a range of water sports including wild water swimming, kayaking and stand up paddle boarding. Groomsport beaches have been given the Seaside Award in recognition of the water quality and because they have been judged to be clean, attractive and well-managed.