Using a hire car from Belfast International Airport is the ideal way to reach Ireland's Atlantic coast, a few hours in a hire car and you will reach County Sligo, located in the North West of Ireland its shores are battered by the unrelenting Atlantic Ocean.



The reason using a car hire service from Belfast International Airport is so advisable is that despite being on the opposite coast, the journey is not arduous. Also Belfast International is the second largest Airport in Ireland after Dublin, and much closer to this surfer's paradise. The journey undertaken in your hire car is pleasant as you pass through the rural counties of Northern Ireland and soak in this unique culture.

County Sligo's beaches have recently come to the fore as one of the Europe's premier surfing destinations. This preferential position comes as the sizes of waves recorded on this stretch of coast have soared. Surfers will no doubt want to hire a car with plenty of room and even a roof rack to accommodate their equipment, the stretch of coast is dotted with small towns and villages that will surely welcome this influx of tourists.

Belfast International Airport is the perfect portal for the surfing fraternity, with many transatlantic and continental routes the accessibility for the Sligo coast will be opened up. The Heathrow to Belfast International links that have recently been improved will open up further trade as good connections to this 'hub' airport will truly open the world to Sligo's beaches.

Locals have known of the great surfing along the west coast for many years; the fierce Atlantic crashes into Ireland at pace and creates some impressive swells. A recorded sixty foot wave that would not have looked out of place in Hawaii, South Africa or Australia was recently surfed by a local surfer who had been towed from a jet ski to reach the required speed.

This photo opportunity was snapped and will surely entice surfers worldwide, but especially in Britain who may wish to visit this alternative destination for a trip. The affordability of flights into Belfast International Airport and car hire services makes this a cost effective way to enjoy great surfing conditions.

The Sligo climate however will keep some surfers away. The less brave will stay warm in their hire cars as they watch the hardcore surfers chasing waves. There is no doubt that the less than tropical temperatures will keep some away but those who are avid surfers will surely not be able to turn down the opportunity to surf sixty foot swells in British waters.

The region hosts the Irish National event during July and August annually. This sees surfing tourists descend upon the Sligo coast and with a variety of events such as body boarding, regular surf and long boarding; it offers spectators the chance to see the best surfing talent in Ireland. One surfer from the region has taken advantage of the conditions and now finds himself in the 'Olympics' of surfing in The Canaries later in the year. The skill of this young surfer is testament to the great surfing in the area.

Whether visiting Sligo to just see the beautiful rural landscape or experience the amazing surfing conditions it is the ideal road trip in a hire car. Travelling from anywhere in the world Belfast International airport is a brilliant way to enter Northern Ireland. Being a short drive to the surfer's paradise of County Sligo it this the ideal destination for an extreme holiday.