It has the European Blue Flag for its water quality and The National Trust’s beach/dune management. From the beach entrance, the route is clearly visible: a 3.6 mile (5.8km) round trip of sandy beach and Atlantic surf awaiting the walker. Walking due west, your target is the River Bann, hidden from view by the East Mole, a breakwater defence. In the distance is the eye catching and romantic profile of Mussenden Temple – a folly perched on the cliff edge. Less known about Portstewart Strand are the towering sand dunes (some of Ireland’s tallest) and declared an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI), together with the adjoining Bann estuary, where the River Bann (Northern Ireland’s longest) ends its journey to the North Atlantic. You might spot occasional porpoise offshore and sea birds, such as gannets and sandwich terns. You will notice 200m zoned areas marked off with wooden posts, a unique numbering system of lifebuoy stations (1-15), and lifebuoy 15 is your turning point back along the beach to your start point.