County Dublin

North Bull Wall

North Bull Wall is on the EPA's list of places people swim, though not one of the waters it tests in County Dublin, 5.5 km south-west of Sutton. The State does not test the water here, so there is no grade. The register records a lifeguard, toilets, parking, a lifebuoy, first aid and an information board. It leaves 2 of the questions on this page unanswered, and those are shown as not recorded rather than as a no.

Blue Flag

Yes

lifeguard

5.5 km

from Sutton

Water quality: Not monitored for a classification
Water testing: Not tested by the EPA on its list, but not sampled for a grade
Season restriction: Not recorded
Pollution after rain: Not recorded
Awards: None
County: County Dublin
Managed by: Dublin City Council
Nearest town: Sutton, 5.5 km south-west of it, in a straight line
From that town: 7.5 km by road, about 16 min driving
Lifeguard: Yes: Lifeguarded area from changing shelters to end of wall. Lifeguards on duty at Dollymount bathing zone also monitor North Bull Wall.
Toilets: Yes
Parking: Yes
Access: No
Dogs: Allowed on a lead
Cars on the beach: No
Public transport: Dublin Bus Service, DART
Protected area: Recorded as a natural sensitive area
Position: 53.3519° N, 6.1645° W
Record changed: 2023-09-16

Dublin, Bull Wall bathing shelters.·Dieglop, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Dublin, Bull Wall bathing shelters.·Dieglop, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

What the EPA says about it

The bathing area is located along the North Bull Wall. Access to the bathing water (not a beach) is via steps from the changing shelters.

Where it is

North Bull Wall, and the other places to swim in County Dublin. Share your position and the map will show how far each one is from you.

Getting to North Bull Wall

About these directions

Public transport times come from National Transport Authority. Timetables cover 2026-09-18 to 2027-09-19. These are scheduled services; check with the operator for cancellations and changes before travelling.

Walking and driving times are estimates. A town search starts at its centre; choose your location or a point on the map for a more precise starting point. Eircode search is not available.

How journey planning works

Destination, access and nearby stops

North Bull Wall is in Sutton, County Dublin. Routes here end at the point the map records for this place. The entrance has not been verified, so the last few metres are for you to judge.

The nearest settlement is Sutton, 5.5 km south-west of the beach. The register records parking here. Getting to the town is not getting to the beach, so the journey below is worked out to the beach itself and the last stretch on foot is measured rather than left out.

Get directions

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Stops near it

The nearest scheduled stop is Dollymount Pk (1726), 1.5 km away in a straight line. Use the planner to check walking connections for your journey.

Dollymount Pk 1.5 km
bus 130
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
North Bull Island 1.5 km
buses 130 and 31n
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Doyles Lane 1.6 km
bus 130
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
Clontarf Coast 1.7 km
buses 130 and 31n
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day
The Oaks 1.7 km
bus 130
Scheduled departures from this stop
Day

Getting to Sutton covers the journeys into the town itself.

Other places to swim in County Dublin

Questions people ask

Is the water clean at North Bull Wall?

North Bull Wall is on the EPA's list but is not one of the waters it tests, so the State works out no grade for it and none exists. Nothing here says the water is clean or dirty, because nobody has published either.

Is swimming restricted at North Bull Wall?

The register leaves this blank for North Bull Wall, which it does for the 89 waters it does not monitor. A blank is not a no. Check with Dublin City Council.

Does North Bull Wall have a Blue Flag?

No. A beach without one can still have excellent water: the Blue Flag also asks for facilities, lifeguards and information boards, which a quiet strand may not have.

Is there a lifeguard at North Bull Wall?

The register records one, Lifeguarded area from changing shelters to end of wall. Lifeguards on duty at Dollymount bathing zone also monitor North Bull Wall.. Outside those hours nobody is watching the water.

How do you get to North Bull Wall without a car?

The nearest stop in the national timetable is Dollymount Pk, 1.5 km from the beach in a straight line, and bus 130 call there, run by Bus Átha Cliath – Dublin Bus. The planner on this page works out the walk from that stop over real footways, and the whole journey from wherever you are starting, for the day and time you pick. Where no footway joins the stop to the beach it says so rather than making a number up.

Where does this come from?

The Environmental Protection Agency's list of places people swim, which it calls the bathing water register, read on 2026-09-20, where this record was last changed on 2023-09-16. Water quality, awards, lifeguards and facilities are the EPA's own fields, and a field it leaves blank is shown as not recorded rather than as a no. The distance to the nearest town is this site's own measurement, in a straight line.

Water quality, awards, lifeguards, toilets, parking and access are the Environmental Protection Agency’s own fields, from its bathing water register, read 2026-09-20. The classification covers four years of sampling and is not a reading for today: after heavy rain the water can be worse than the classification suggests, and the EPA and the local authority post notices when it is. Positions are the EPA’s grid references, projected to latitude and longitude. Journeys are the National Transport Authority’s published timetable.

Beaches and bathing waters in Ireland·Beaches in County Dublin