Between the popular seaside resort of Portstewart and the mouth of the River Bann lies the magnificent beach and dunes of Portstewart Strand.

The two-mile long strand is best known as a mecca for holidaymakers, attracting well over 100,000 visitors a year. The beach currently holds the coveted Blue and Yellow flag awards, recognising high standards of beach management and water quality.

Unusually for a National Trust beach, cars can be brought on and parked on the strand – a long-standing tradition the Trust allowed to continue after it purchased the beach in 1980. It is now one of the few beaches in Northern Ireland that families can drive to and enjoy picnics and recreation without having to park elsewhere.

The Strand plays host to a wide range of leisure activities – from bathing and swimming, to horse riding, dog walking and jet skiing. Waves arriving fresh from the Atlantic are often good for surfing.

The Strand is also an important nature conservation site and is officially designated an Area of Special Scientific Interest and a proposed Special Area of Conservation. The combination of open sand, dune and damp hollows provides a mosaic of habitats rich in plants and insects.

The dunes themselves were formed around 6,000 years ago and reach heights of up to 30 metres (100ft). Neolithic pottery and implements have also been found on the site, along with bronze pins and Roman jewellery, reveling a long history of human habitation.

At the western end of Portstewart Strand lies Barmouth, an important estuarine site acquired by the Trust in 1972. The adjacent Grangemore dunes system was acquired in 1991. Together the two sites form a combination of habitats unique in Northern Ireland – salt-marsh, freshwater marsh and ancient dunes.

Barmouth is managed as a local nature reserve and wildlife sanctuary, and attracts large numbers of migrant and wintering waterfowl and waders. A National Trust bird hide, accessible for wheelchair users, provides excellent views of the spectacle, although this is a fragile site and access is restricted.

The Trust land lies on the west bank of the River Bann, used as an access route by millions of eels on their way to breed in the Sargasso Sea, and by salmon on their way to spawn in the rivers flowing into Lough Neagh.

How to get there

• Train: Service from Belfast or Londonderry to Coleraine
• Bus: Ulsterbus no 218 from Belfast terminates in Portstewart
• Cycle: NCN route 93 runs past the Strand
• Car: The Strand is a few minutes from the centre of Portstewart. Drive time: Belfast 1.15 hrs