Northern Ireland.  When you think of the place, you likely think of rolling green hills, the quaintness of Belfast or maybe well-tended, homey farmsteads.  Warm, sandy beaches?  Er, not so much.

But Northern Ireland is an island.  And as such, is actually home to some lovely beaches.  In fact, due to its unique topography and flora, the island boasts some of the most beautiful coastline you may see in all of Europe.  The thick green that this island is known for opening up to white sand is a sure beauty to behold.  Add in stunning natural formations, pebbles and the odd gorse bush or two and you’ll find more than a few postcard-worthy landscapes.

But beyond the pretty,  you can feel good about the safety and environmental friendliness of these strands.  In the past few years, the island has been hard at work cleaning up its beaches to make them not only beautiful but safe.  And in particular, Northern Ireland’s Blue Flag beaches are well worth a visit for a swim, some sunbathing or just a walk down a pretty stretch of coast.

The international Blue Flag system rates beaches on everything from cleanliness to bathrooms to accessibility.  In 2009, six of Northern Ireland’s beaches made the cut across 29 categories for Blue Flag status including Murlough Beach in County Down, Benone Beach in County Londonderry, Portrush White Rocks in County Antrim, Portstewart Strand in County Antrim, Tyrella Beach in County Down and Cranfield West in County Down.

The unique Irish countryside that opens to the beach isn’t a Blue Flag category – though some might argue it should be.  That’s just an extra for beach-goers to enjoy.

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Photo courtesy of L_J.