Kite Buggying in Northern Ireland and Land Sailing in Northern Ireland
What are these you may ask? These are two sports in Northern Ireland that have become increasingly popular. These sports allow the vast expanses of sand beaches in Northern Ireland to be utilised all year around. Two constraints are typically the weather and the tide.
Kite buggying in Northern Ireland is when a type of kart is pulled along by the force of wind using a kite. If the participant enjoys the experience so much, competitive organised races take place over the winter months. An example is below which was taken by Rachel Gilmore from Belfast on the Castlerock Beach on the Benone Strand.
Land sailing in Northern Ireland is a cross between kite buggying and sailing. The user sits on a kart which is powered by a sail. Due to the simple nature of the rigging, beginners typically find that they catch on to the controls and steering quite quickly and are soon zipping up and down the beach! This sport has become so popular in Northern Ireland that Benone Beach, in Limavady, County Londonderry, hosted the first ‘Northern Ireland Mini Yacht Open in May 2009.
Where do you land sail and kite buggy in Northern Ireland? The Benone Beach in Limavady, County Londonderry welcomes both land sailing and kite buggying however there are some restrictions in the summer months (this is the busiest part of the year for walkers or swimmers). Tyrella Beach on Dundrum Bay, near Downpatrick, Co. Down also welcomes land sailing and kite buggying. Nutts Corner, near Crumlin, Co. Antrim is also the home of the only Landsailing Activity Provider where you can sharpen your skills before heading out on the beach. Murlough Beach at the foot of the Mourne Mountains also welcomes land sailing, however access may be a problem as you need to cross a National Trust area.
If you would like more information on the equipment for kite buffying, Surf Mountain has retail outlets in Belfast, Lisburn and Bangor along with experienced staff to help you. Cotswold in Belfast and and Jackson Sports, along in Belfast, also carry equipment that can help you start your kite buggying careers!
There are two activity providers in Northern Ireland for land sailing; Mechanical Technologies Training at Nutts Corner, Antrim and Surfin' Dirt Mountain Boarding in Kilcoo, Down.
