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Greencastle and Moville
Courtesy Flag
Irish TricolourWaypoint
North Channel Approach 55° 13.8’ N 006° 54.25’ WCharts
AC 2510 Moville to Londonderry, AC2511 Lough Foyle, AC 2798 Lough Foyle to Sanda Island AC 2723 Western Approaches to the North Channel, SC 5612 Imray C64Rules & Regulations
The buoyed channel in Lough Foyle is a “narrow channel” within the meaning of Rule 9 of the Collision Regs, so keep right and don’t get in the way of large shipsHazards
The ebb tide spills out beyond Inishowen Head and in NE winds can cause very turbulent seas.The Tuns Bank extends out from Magilligan Point at the extreme NE end of which there is a lit PHM In rough weather the seas break over this bank and the NW side has been known to dry in some years. There is an incomplete breakwater to the South West of Greencastle harbour marked at the outer end by an ECM. This breakwater extends outwards from the Donegal shore for 150m and is causing strong ESE eddies on spring ebbs.Tidal Data Times & Range
Warren Point - 0430 Dover MHWS 2.3 MHWN 1.9 MLWN & MLWS no data. There is a vast amount of water going into and out of Lough Foyle with each tide and the streams through the narrows can reach 3.5 kts at Springs and 1.6 kts at Neaps. There is a UKHO Tidal Diamond (B) in the middle of the Magilligan narrows which is reproduced in the Charts on this site and gives a good indication of the best time to be in these waters.This site is designed for slower, roaming broadband connections, like you would get at sea, so it needs JavaScript enabled to expand the text.
General Description
Contacts: For both Greencastle and Moville contact the HM (Frank McDermott) 00353 (0)868166151.
Greencastle lies just inside the entrance to Lough Foyle and is a convenient stop-over for boats cruising the North coast of Ireland but do not want to go all the way up the Lough to Londonderry. The harbour is well sheltered in all weathers but the entrance will be awkward in strong winds from the WSW through South to ENE. but the pontoons are open to NE and Easterly weather. The harbours both lie in the Republic of Ireland.
Although there was activity here to support the original “Green castle” built in Norman times the first pier was not constructed until the early 19thC. This has been expanded over the years and today it contains the terminal for the Magilligan Ferry and also services the Port of Londonderry Pilots.
Moville is 2nm further SW along the coast from Greencastle and, of the two, probably has more in the way of amenities in the town though the shelter is not so good. It consists of a single pier on which most of the inside berths are taken by local fishing boats and the outside berths exposed to the tides and any weather from over the Lough.
Yachtsmen should take note that although there is an anchorage between here and Carrickarory Pier it is in the tideway which can make rowing ashore or back a protracted affair if your dinghy is not equipped with an outboard motor.
Mobile Phone and Internet users take note: This is in the Republic of Ireland; you may be able to access your UK provider’s UK network over the Lough but you will be making an International call and need to make arrangements for advantageous call rates.
Approach
The approaches to Lough Foyle are dealt with in our article Lough Foyle, Londonderry Marina & Approaches
Until recently the entrance to Greencastle was delineated by a sector light on the NW harbour entrance but this has now been removed during the building of a new outer harbour.
There has been a a period of four or five years since they started improving the facilities for cruising yachtsmen here and we're not sure that even that has not been improved upon since 2019. As a yacht skipper you will be making for the visitors berths on the pontoons at the southern end of the bay outside Greencastle Harbour itself. There is an ECM at the end of the wave barrier at the pontoons but, have a care; from the NE along the Donegal coast, once you have passed the Warren Lighthouse, there is an off shore reef called the Colaways stretching out about 140 metres from the point. In daylight this will not be a problem but at night a) you won't be able to see the lights at the entrance to Greencastle and b) the boundary of the red sector of the red/white sector light off Moville cuts through the reef which occupies a slight bit of the white sector. So, at night, stay well into the white sector of that offshore light until you sight the SHM on the South pier of Green castle broad on the starboard bow before making for the pontoons.
If making for the harbour, the entrance is marked with flashing red and green lights as standard. For a night approach come in using the green light on the entrance wall as a front mark and the two flashing greens as a back mark and when comfortably clear of the flashing light on the ECM ease over to put the two vertical lights on the back mark in the middle of the harbour entrance lights. If coming in from the Magilligan narrows don’t cut the corner round the outside harbour wall as it shallows a bit there but on the whole there is plenty of water in the entrance.
Be very aware of the Lough Foyle Ferry. During the summer it operates continuously in daylight hours so it’s like Irish rain, if you can’t see it you will shortly! A link to Ferry Times can be found HERE
To anchor off Moville just come in from the Moville channel mark and pick your spot!
Berthing, Mooring & Anchoring
In the past the locals preferred visitors to anchor outside Greencastle harbour but....
.... this is no longer the case and visiting boats are catered for at the pontoons at the South wave barrier. Be aware that weather blowing along the North coast of N.Ireland will make the pontoon berths uncomfortable if not untennable. In those conditions, if you can take the ground you would be better anchored inside Moville.
Facilities
Both water and shore power is available at Greencastle and, as you would expect of a bustling fishing port, diesel is also readily available.
There is a good boatyard next to the harbour which services the local fishing fleet but is also happy to service visiting yachts. Petrol can be obtained in cans from the local filling station about ten minutes from the harbour.
Provisions may be found in the local shops but do not expect supermarket choice. There is no ATM in Greencastle
Eating, Drinking & Entertainment
The main attraction of this part of the world is that, in the main, life is taken at a gentler pace than the big city. Do not expect the rapid, slick service in the restaurants and shops; be prepared to “sit a while” and enjoy the peace.
Ashore in Greencastle there are three restaurants and a few pubs and shops. A not-to-be-missed attraction is the Inishowen Maritime Museum and Planetarium which occupies the old Coastguard Station on Greencastle harbour. Information about that and a history of Greencastle’s development can be found at
http://www.inishowenmaritime.com
Of the two towns Moville is slightly larger and boasts more shops and pubs. Much of what is available can be found at
http://www.craicon.com/tag/moville-pubs/
There is a bus service running between Greencastle and Moville and on to Londonderry which runs about four times a day but for an evening out in Moville from Greencastle one will have to use the local taxi.
Eating out
Irish Restaurants in Greencastle, Updated June 2021 - Tripadvisor
Londonderry (Derry) is about 20 miles from here, and from there, there is access to road and rail links to the main Irish Cities. Londonderry Airport is close to the city and has regular Ryanair flights to the main airports in the UK.
Links
Shipping Forecast
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/marine/shipping_forecast.html#All%7EMalin
Inshore Forecast
http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast_and_sea/inshore_waters/13
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