DAY 15: BUNDORAN

IN 2011, the Donegal town of Bundoran held the record for two of the top-five waves recorded on the planet.

The waves pushed across the Atlantic and crashed on to nearby Mullaghmore.
At the time, The Independent newspaper called the seaside favourite with Irish day-trippers  "the little town making big waves" and reported that surfers in the know called Ireland "Europe's cold water Indonesia".

Bundoran was listed last year by National Geographic in the world's top 20 best surf towns.

On its day, Bundoran is definitely worth braving the water temperature and suiting up for some fun on the fibreglass plank.

When we arrived, however, it was more a case of "you should have been here yesterday".

Flat as a pancake.

But a stroll in beautiful sunshine on The Promenade and Rougeys Walk from the main street shows plenty of potential with glorious views over point breaks, rock shelfs, small reefs and open beaches.

Declan, from Madden's Bridge Bar where we stayed in town, told us The Peak across the road from the pub attracts its share of riders in Donegal Bay but the beach near the castle on the way in from Sligo was probably the pick.

Check www.bundoransurfco.com if you're ever in the area.

Lesson of the day: If you are going to take photos incessantly of the scenery as you drive around Ireland, remember to clean the insects and bird poop off the windscreen daily.