White Rock Beach
GPS coordinates: 53.267261, -6.106309
Just a 5 minute walk up the Vico Road from Hawk Cliff, a path leads down to White Rock beach, a beautiful sandy beach that offers safe nude bathing. Naturists regularly bathe at the extremities of White Rock beach. Strong swimmers can be observed carefully swimming to Hawk Cliff and back.
At low tide [the extent of the tides is quite pronounced at White Rock – up to 50m of beach can disappear under high tide] it is easily possible to walk around, but at other times it can be scrambled over. There are foot and hand holds cut or added in. There are loose boulders placed to protect the railway embankment for about 200m. Take care as these can move or become slippy when wet. The beach proper is quite short but generally more comfortable underfoot than the main strand at Killiney. There is some shelter for changing in and a platform built onto a rocky outcrop. Take care if diving in from the platform as there are smaller rocky outcrops under the tide.
The geology on the beach is interesting and there is a mine shaft visible at the north cove at low tide. Like the larger mine at Ballycorus this lead mine was located where granite rock, formed by the slow cooling of magma converged with Ordovician schists. https://www.mindat.org/loc-206422.html .
The mine extended under the hill to a total length of some 350 metres. The mine has a long history and was fist recorded in 1751. It was known as Mount Mapas Mine.. It was closed in the late 18th century but reopened in 1825. During later years, the lead mined was transported vis barge to Liverpool and used in the manufacture of paint.
White Rock is so called because sailors noted a strong colour difference between the dark rocks on the southern side of the site, and the white or cream coloured granite exposures here. The site shows the margin of an intruded granite body into the older, dark coloured mud rocks, which have locally been metamorphosed to schists. The granite – schist junction is complex with intermixing, and veins of aplite (very fine-grained granite) and pegmatite (very coarse-grained granite) injected in both rock types form the late stages of cooling of the granite. The metamorphism of the mudrocks to produce schist has also resulted in the growth of some new minerals, including large needle like crystals of andalusite up to 20 mm long and 5 mm wide.
There’s something about this spot that always makes me feel like I’m on holidays. They say Killiney Bay is just like the Bay of Naples, but if you ask me it’s much prettier and far less congested with tourists. You can see why it’s such a favourite with naturists. When the sun is shining, I’d take right here over Italy any day.
Irish Naturist Association https://irishnaturism.org/events has been organising Qigong sessions every second Sunday morning through the summer of 2020 on White Rock beach. These are proving very popular with both members and newcomers.
Above White Rock beach is the beautiful setting of Killiney Hill Park which comprises both Killiney Hill and Dalkey Hill which form part of Killiney Hill Park, a small public park overlooking both Dalkey and Killiney villages. https://www.dlrcoco.ie/en/parks-outdoors/parks/killiney-hill-park
To avoid parking restrictions on Vico Road it’s probably best to avail of Killiney Hill car park. It’s only a short 14 min stroll to White Rock beach with magnificent views from the Hill of the Killiney coastline.
https://goo.gl/maps/5rUUCh9WjzBKertC9
