Surfing the Wild Atlantic Way

At over 2500km the Wild Atlantic Way is the Grandaddy of coastal drives, linking some of Ireland’s most spectacular scenery of Ireland’s West Coast. With plenty of diverse landscapes, places to stay, beaches and of course, Irish pubs, there is an infinite amount of things to see.

On a two week trip in October 2021, I got to experience some of its magic, surfing along the coast of Donegal, Sligo and Mayo. It was a trip that left me wanting more.

Leaving on the ferry from Cairnryan to Belfast, a quick, easy two hour journey across the Irish Sea, my van quickly found its way out of the city and through the gentle rolling countryside of County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. The first sign that I had crossed into the Republic was the speeds changing into Kilometres, the scenery soon changed as soon as I entered Donegal.

My first overnight stop was Rossnowlagh. A wide expanse of open, gently shelving beach which even lets you drive onto it, a pretty unique experience and I was pretty nervous about taking my big van on to it, but it survived the ordeal!. Rossnowlagh is famous for its mellow waves, long walls perfect for SUP surfing, making it an ideal introduction to surfing in Ireland. Rossnowlagh is a stunning little holiday destination, but out of season it was completely dead, meaning bar the odd dog walker or jogger, it was 3ft waves on a mile long white sand beach.

Next stop was Bundoran, Ireland’s surf capital. With surf shops alongside amusements, cafes and fairground rides, Bundoran is one of Ireland’s premier holiday resorts. Famous in surfing for The Peak, an  A frame reef in the middle of the town, I surfed at Tullan Strand, its miles of waves, stretching North of the town. The surf wasn’t clean but I could see the potential here, especially the refraction wave, bouncing off the cliff and increasing the wave’s power.

The next stop on my Irish surf odyssey was Strandhill beach. It was a place that I surfed several times, finding some fantastic waves, ideal for SUP Surfing. Long lines and an easy take off made for an addictive cocktail which kept me coming back again and again. Strandhill is the beach resort suburb of Sligo, a buzzing little town well worth a visit. Strandhill is a favourite Longboarders beach so expect waves ideally suited to Paddleboards. Strandhill sits under Knocknarea, all 328 metres of it. Topping it is the huge 40,000 ton rock pile that is believed to be the grave of a Queen, Maeve. With spectacular views in all directions, the 40 minute hike from the top car park is totally worth the effort.

Dunmoran strand was my next stopping point, for a gentle flatwater paddle taking in the stunning views while waiting the the next swell to come in. Come in it did at Inniscrone, a giant sweeping bay and probably the best session of the entire trip. Under big blue skies on an empty beach, perfect peeling 5ft waves rolled in like clockwork, Long, drawn out turns were the order of the day, then a gentle paddle back with big gaps between the set waves, the SUP surf dream!.

A few days staying at the flat of some friends in the town of Westport made a welcome change from the van and of course, the luxury of having a shower. The brightly coloured Georgian streets of Westport made a fantastic base from which to explore the coast of County Mayo. Westport sits on Clare Bay, home to 365 islands, with almost unlimited SUP touring potential. It feels like someone took all the best bits of the North Coast 500 back home in Scotland and popped them into one giant bay. With the many islands protecting Westport from all but the hugest Atlantic swell’s, we hit up Carrowniskey and Cross beach. Conditions ranged from onshore 3 ft slop (still fun peaks to be found) to an incredible sundowner under blue skies. This session was particularly memorable, sharing mellow waves with friends in the turquoise waters. Only the October temperatures gave away the fact the water's colours were in Ireland and not in the Caribbean. 

Ireland is not known as ‘The Emerald Isle’ for no reason. All that magnificent, lush greenery is due to the amount of rainfall that can fall. Luckily for me, as a Whitewater Kayaker and Paddleboarder, rain brings opportunities. The Bundorargha River is a small creek next to the outdoor centre my friends work at. This meant access to Kayaks and the opportunity to run the grade 2-3+ rapids along it. Some fun drops alongside some rapids with several committing moves needed to be made through its jagged rocks, culminating in paddling into Killary Fjord, the only Fjord in Ireland.

It was time to bid farewell to friends and retrace my steps back to the ferry and home. Strandhill again provided some fun peaks on a very windy offshore session. The wind then fully tore into the Irish  West coast, so I made the decision to leave the Republic and head into Northern Ireland. Indeed, I got to witness Ireland's tallest waterfall, all 120 metres of it being blown, the wrong way, vertically up its face!. The Causeway coast of Antrim had yet more incredible coastal scenery and a little bit more protection from the strong westerly winds.

Portrush is Northern Ireland's premier surf destination and was my final surf. With beaches at both sides of the seaside resort it can attract plenty of swell. The town itself protected the East Strand from the prevailing wind, and with lots of surfers out it was great to see so many get their surf stoke on. The waves were not firing on all cylinders but it was still a fun way to finish off an incredible surf trip.

I only scratched the surface of what the Wild Atlantic Way on Ireland’s West Coast has to offer a touring surfer. I was blown away by the rugged views, empty beaches and endless potential. I shall be back.