Protected sectors

What's the story here?

Cross Road lies on the west shore of the Narrows, ¾ of a mile above Kilclief castle and about a ½ mile southward of Cloghy Point. The drying embayment has a shoulder of rock at its southern end and a further one off of Cloghy Point at its northern end. The foul ground off Cloghy Point has the Cloghy Rocks out to more than 200 metres which pushes the tidal streams out from the shoreline and creates the pocket of water out of the tide-way. This creates an excellent anchorage in Cross Roads that has been used for centuries.

Cross Roads provides an excellent anchorage over a solid sandy bottom that provides excellent holding.

How to get in?

Details of the approaches, tidal timings, the run up The Narrows and onward to Killyleagh, on the Lough's western shore, are covered in the Entering and exiting Strangford Lough route description. Continue on this track past Kilclief Castle, on the western shore, bears 265° T when the Meadows Shoal, an area with just over 2 metres of cover, has been safely passed to port.



From there take a mid-channel route up the Narrows until the Dogtail Point Front Strangford Lough Leading Lights beacon comes abrest off the eastern shore. Then sound in northwestward under Cloghy Point the road will be seen fronting the head of the bay. Prepare to anchor when the Salt Rock Beacon is due north (½ a mile distant). The inner section of the bay dries and it has a very steep shelf stepping up from the 5-metre contour.





Anchor aught and conditions over a bottom of compacted sand that provides excellent holding out of the Narrow's tidal streams.

It is possible to land on the gravelly shore by tender but Cross Roads is essentially a stay-aboard anchorage.

Why visit here?

Cross Roads is a historic Narrows commercial shipping anchorage located at the midpoint of the narrows which is surely why it acquired its name.




Arriving in longboats and broaching these fast-flowing waters the Vikings bestowed the area its name Strangfjörthr, 'place of strong currents'. This Narrows part is 5 miles long, 500 metres wide (at its narrowest point) and up to 60 metres deep, which is a natural phenomenon. The twice-a-day tidal rise of more than three metres pushes 350 million tonnes of water at up to 4 metres a second through this deep constricted channel every six hours.




Nowhere can this power be seen more than at The Routen Wheel situated ⅔ of a mile above Cross Roads and approximately 500 metres south of Rue Point. The two respective stone beacons of Salt Rock and Gowland Island, locally known as the pepper pots, mark the southern approaches to the whirlpool about 200 metres above and on the east side of the fairway. It is here that the outgoing tidal stream attains its fastest rate of 7.5 knots at springs. It can be seen in a series of whirlpools, boils and swirling waters, which are caused by a ledge extension from the point and pinnacles of rock on the seabed. The Routen Wheel is identifiable as a seething surface rip and is much more turbulent on the ebb tide than the flood. It is one of the features that make The Narrows an extraordinary sailing and boat handling experience and one that leisure boaters should take due caution when approaching.




Today The Narrows is a marine nature reserve of unparalleled beauty that provides a boatman with magnificent world heritage cruising in unspoilt surroundings. Cross Road is an interesting location to await a tide or spend a night in an out-of-the-way location at the heart of The Narrows itself.




From a boating perspective, Cross Roads offers a respite from the Narrows currents with good deep water holding and direct and immediate access to the gateway to Strangford Lough when needed. It offers a convenient quiet set-down area lying just outside the Strangford Harbour fees paying area.

What facilities are available?

Cross Roads is a stay-aboard anchorage with nowhere to land and no local facilities.

Any security concerns?

Never a problem known to have occurred in Cross Roads.

With thanks to:

Brian Crawford, local Strangford Lough boatman of many decades.