#SURFING - Bundoran in Co Donegal has been named one of the best surfing towns in the world by National Geographic.

Recommended for "the salty surf traveller who doesn't mind surfing in cold water or rain", the north-west surf hotspot is praised for the warmth of its locals as much as the quality of its waves.

Surfers are recommended to visit between September and November, when the Atlantic is in full churn - and most of the tourists have gone home!

Bundoran - which hosted last year's European Surfing Championships - is one of only three European beaches to make the list, along with Biarritz in France and San Sebastian in Spain.

Meanwhile, Australians are up in arms after the Gold Coast was snubbed by the National Geopgraphic list.

"As a surfer, I've been everywhere and this is paradise," local surf personality John Nielsen told GoldCoast.com.au. "In terms of waves, we've probably got the most selection of waves year-round that I've ever seen."

Byron Bay in New South Wales, described as the "spiritual and historical home of surfing", was the only Australian town to make the cut

The full National Geographic list of the world's best surf towns can be found HERE.