Surfing Waves

Hey everybody,

I've got some questions about surfing in the UK....

I'm an intermediate/advances level surfer whose having to relocate to the UK against his will for family reasons.

Just curious about the vibes, consistency and crowd levels in different areas of Scotland (espically) and also across the UK?

I really do not like crowds and generrally will do anything to get away from them.
I understand my place as a non local when surfing anywhere and am always respectful to those who call a break home.

Where is a good location in Scotland for consistent waves and would be a good area for my wife and daughter to live as well? Inverness?

Devon and south England is of course and option too but I'm afraid it'll be super crowded down there from what I can gather.

Thanks to all who reply, this is outside the box for me having to move against my will. I'd really appreciate some sound advise to make sure I get it right.

Also, decent chest high waves are all I really care about.

The crowds over here in the UK are nuts, but thin out up north, however storm systems hit us hard all over the UK, more exposed areas will blow out easily. Scotland has some amazing surf for all abilities but where to go depends on your true ability, when you say intermediate/advanced what exactly do you mean? Caithness is truly incredible for advanced surfers, but if you want chest high nice waves I would assume the east coast (such as Inverness) would be perfect with plenty of options, sheltered spots and swell magnets. There is also the more remote west coast and Hebrides, expect wind but awesome surf and thinned out crowds (I'm planning a trip to the outer Hebrides soon!). However, despite the issue of crowds, north or south Cornwall or devon are brilliant, consistent coastines drenched in swell and really good spots, spreading the crowd and if you are willing to get up early worth checking out for sure! I've had some moments surfing almost alone in some truly epic surf in North Cornwall. The surf on this island has its days, and is definitely worth the effort.
Hope this helped!

Yo pipe dreams,

Super helpful man.
Thanks for the reply.

I mean I've been surfing off and on my whole life (32 years), have been out in a range of conditions (double over head, shallow reefs, heavy beach breaks) all over the world and know water etiquette around other surfers. I'm certainly no pro but I've had plenty of long hold downs, broken leashes and sore ribs to know a thing or two.

Maybe Cornwall wouldn't be that bad.
I'm always in the water at daylight and I'll be doing most my surfing during the week anyway. Is it more consistent down south?

Are most of the consistent breaks up caithness way all super gnarly?
How would you describe the water vibe down south vs. In the North?

Glad you find it helpful man!
By the sounds of things you shouldn't have any problems in a UK lineup almost anywhere, the average skill level here tends to be lower (although alot of egos might not accept that) than other surf zones as I am sure you will find!
As I said Cornwall is in my humble opinion the ultimate of UK surfing, and definitely the most raw and powerful, with something for everyone and waves almost all year round, with just the occasional summer flat spell stopping you surfing. Shelter is always just a couple of bays away, and contrary to popular belief there is a few class spots going unridden if you hunt on those strange swells with funky direction etc. North Devon has less raw power but the waves definitely make up for that, low tide Croyde is world class beach break barrels, Lynmouth being a left freight train barrel (or nice lefthand point the rest of the time) and shelter at Putsbrough, and much more, it is the easiest place in the UK to get great waves. Even if it is always a few feet smaller, it is definitely higher quality by defenition, but no wave will go unridden, and expect to share. North is much more consistent than south, because of the swell sapping english channel draining the life out of massive swells that can get into it, I would know I am quite far down the English channel all the way in Dorset, but what it lacks in consistency it makes up for with some awesome reefs down on the south coast of Cornwall, especially Porthleven. Bantham is also a good option in south devon, but would not recommend going more east from there, as we only get waves in massive groundswell or windswell, and crowds thicken towards London. Northeast England is also an option, but not nearly as consistent as the West, but the reefs do fire for some of the best surf in the UK quite frequently over the winter. I'm sorry this is a bit of an unorganised thought dump, but it is all down to preference down here. I prefer the raw rugged coast of Cornwall personally, but definitely worth travelling and surfing both of these coasts. In short for Cornwall, north is more consistent than south, as the swells are normally hitting Ireland or Scandanavia.

Back to Scotland, yes, the Caithness coast is mental, and for the sake of survival I haven't yet been there yet. Up north the coast has formed in a way that means loads of slabs and little to no beach breaks, and the power mixed with the rock formation means that you do need to be at least fairly gnarly to take on 90% of the waves there but by the sounds of things you shouldn't have a problem fitting in at Thurso on the average day, which is a world class righthander. I do believe that east Scotland is full of empty, cold beachbreaks. Hopefully a Scottish surfer sees this and can help out here, because I only have second hand knowledge and public guides etc for info on Scottish surfing, as I have never been up there before. But also remember how short the days are, I may be wrong but up in Scotland I belive they only get a few hours a day in mid-winter, and right up north Scotland the sun doesn't ever rise at this time of year, and vice versa with absurdly long days in the summer with midnight sun (and surf!) in some places.

Not 100% sure what you mean by water vibe but I will answer every way I think you could possibly mean in hope that I get it right:
Water temperature is consistently low all over the UK, with east England and Scotland being colder than the west coast. Gets down to around 7 in the English Channel, about 8 in Cornwall/Devon, 7 for Wales and 6 or 7 up north in Scotland, and East coast being more like 5 or 6 I believe. Take this as a rough estimate from me, there was a chart in a CARVE magazine (the UK's main surf magazine) but my friend is borrowing that issue at the moment so I can't use it, but I am sure there is factual info somewhere online.

The people in the water for the most part are relatively chill down in England, but there is competitiveness and can be a few incidents of localism. There is an ongoing fight at my Local spot at the moment on the facebook group (yes, the surf spot has a facebook group, and to give an indication of crowds here the group has 5k members and is private), with the whole local v non-local thing and beginners being bullied out of the spot. Luckily for me I am a local and in the advanced category, so I haven't had issues but just be aware very tense line-ups exist, but you shouldn't get any Canaries or old school Bali level localism. Cornwall I've ran into one bad local in about 10 years of fairly frequently surfing there, Wales and Devon I've never had an issue. I'm sure by nature there will be a heavier vibe up north in Scotland on the more advanced reefs, but other than that I can't see Scottish surfers not being stoked to share the surf, especially in the more remote areas. But a non-local competent surfer should never see an issue anywhere here.

If its water quality you are talking about then most the UK is abysmal after the privatisation of water and sewage under Margret Thatcher, not her brightest moment. And the water quality legislation is loosening constantly for some reason, meaning bigger profits for water companies and a lot of emergency Cokes downed on our end (life hack, it will kill bacteria in your gut and mouth ingested from bad water). I don't think it's as bad up in Scotland however, and Cornwall+Devon is not as bad as down here in southern England. Just be aware of sewage when surfing down here, and download safer river and seas with notifications on to save yourself getting sick

Hope this is helpful!

Thanks Pipe! That was a fun read fir me even from all the way over here!

I found surfing around Dunbar quite relaxed, we have been there two summers. However water is really cold, even in summer.

Thanks for the super informative reply Pipe!
very interesting stuff.
From what im gathering the crowds are more manageable than I had assumed in Devon and Cornwall. Maybe they'll be a good option for us. I know southwest England would be a MUCH easier sell to the old lady than Scotland.
Any Scottish surfers to chime in?
What about Wales?

The majority of wales is in the swell shadow of Ireland, so less swell gets through, that being said South Wales is still pretty consistent. The waves are pretty solid quality. I might actually be moving to Wales for university to Swansea, waves in the area are pretty good but you need a drive to access waves, north to the gower peninsula, or south Porthcawl way, both very good surf areas with Porthcawl bringing up some really good surfers too. From what I understand Pembrokshire gets good pretty consistent waves but I will gladly admit I don’t know much about the area, and further north you get some nice reef breaks at the cost of swell shadow. Welsh surfing has always been overshadowed by the other UK and Ireland nations and their surf, but do not overlook it…

OK no one else has chimed in so for what it's worth..

I havent surfed much in a while and was never any good but I guess the coast and the waves don't change so here's my guide to surfing north of the border.

East Coast - needs a decent northly swell as there is no real fetch from anywhere else. Honey pots are close to Edinburgh and busy at weekends when its good. It gets better the farther north you go. best surf is found once you turn left north of Aberdeen..

North coast - loads written about the slabs round about Thurso - go west and you'll find plenty more less demanding waves with no a lot of people around. Turn the corner towards Durness and explore a ways down that coast which has surf that sneaks past Lewis.

West Coast .- Someone put Ireland and the Hebrides in the way of the swell for virtually all of the west coast mainland. The swell window is quite small with Machrihanish the main spot and that's a good three hour dive from Glasgow.The tides can be strong and weird either flattening or increasing the surf. It can get busy if you stick to the easy access points at the south and north ends of the beach. Various other spots north and south to choose from if you get fed up being run down by abandoned kayaks . Most other spots will have surfers in them if the swell is good at weekends. Weekdays you might be the only one out.

Hebrides - 100 miles of varying coast that is exposed to the North Atlantic now mostly joined up by causeways between the islands. The farther north you go up the island chain the deeper the water offshore is so more powerful waves..and the more rocky it gets . Crowds? No.

In a nutshell The outer Hebrides are the best all round option for surf if not domestic harmony. Around Glasgow/ Edinburgh might be where you are condemed to live and you can get some surf. Inverness? It's a fair drive to the surf along the coast to Banff/ Fraserburgh and a LOT farther than you think to Thurso. And property is expensive.

I have in the past saved up my time on water for 3-4 week trips 3 or 4 times a year to Ireland and the Hebrides..

Does anyone have any more input on good places for a surfer to live in the UK?
Newquay is of course everywhere I'm just put off by the reports of how crowded it sounds ( though I haven't been yet to confirm) what other towns would you recommend that offer good vibes and possibly less crowded waves?

I'm making another trip over in June which I plan on doing a week or so worth of driving around the country trying to figure out a place to eventually relocate next year.

Texas to Scotland, =WTF especially for your wife and where she fits in the UK, the Gower peninsular in Wales might offer something to you a little warmer than Thurso.
Like everywhere there are mainstream bucket list beaches and secret spots out of tourist zone ( scotland fits that, but swell window hide much and serious lack spells apply.
UK is quite tiny compared to many surf zones, consider Ireland too, look at work suitable , your job may be portable ?

Yea WTF is right.
You'll find yourself asking that a lot when you get divorced and have to move in order to be in your child's life.

I thought about Ireland.
Have friends over there around Killarney.
I think it might be too far from my daughter though who lives in Kent.

I'm not planning on working much when I get there.
Probably just be living in a van and surfing for a while....
Or maybe forever.
Who knows.

How are the crowds over in Ireland vs the UK?
Just out of curiosity.

RatTrap wrote:Yea WTF is right.
You'll find yourself asking that a lot when you get divorced and have to move in order to be in your child's life.
.

That RatTrap is a big ticket item! lots of side issues too, ouch!
PM if you want to talk off topic from the forum!
Not fully wired on the UK and Ireland but my friends there are researching for you!
weird question , how often do you want to surf?

Yes, a large ticket indeed.
Perhaps the largest ticket I care to punch within my lifetime.

Awesome man!
Ill be curious what they say.

O Ill be in the water everyday, why do you ask?

I recommend a book for you for your UK and Ireland surf spot research
You can get it as an Ebook if you are an Mac user, I imagine it is also available in Amazon.

For good information it‘s one of the Stormrider Surf Series by Low Pressure UK, they are very comprehensive, and they are shortly to release a website!

Now why I ask about how often……. Ireland off the coast of England creates some very specific swell windows so there are a lot of times where swell is blocked, the east coast of England through to Scotland can have excellent surf but very. specific.
Magic Seaweed and Wanna surf offer some help and there is quite good information on our very own Surfing Waves Surf Map

wully wrote:
In a nutshell The outer Hebrides are the best all round option for surf if not domestic harmony. Around Glasgow/ Edinburgh might be where you are condemed to live and you can get some surf. Inverness? It's a fair drive to the surf along the coast to Banff/ Fraserburgh and a LOT farther than you think to Thurso. And property is expensive.

I have in the past saved up my time on water for 3-4 week trips 3 or 4 times a year to Ireland and the Hebrides..

After some initial research I became also quite fond of the idea to go to the outer Hebrides this year summer for 3-4 weeks. Based on the Stromriders guide most spots seem to be on the Isle of Lewis.

I have two questions:
- How to best reach the Isle of Lewis, there seem to be ferry and plane options?
- Where to stay the best way? Does it make sense to stay near Barabhas as this seems to be closest to most of the spots?

Thanks a lot,
David

A renaissance Michealangelo? Barabhas looks to have a nice left handed point wave,anyway welcome back hope a trip comes from your enquiries!
I know the Stormrider guides can give good options let us know howmit brent and add to the Surfing waves map!
We have nothing on our map of the Hebrides , outer limits!

A note as to penguins, they are very very lost. Southern ocean surf zones only, and you are right if they were in Dunbar they would have a severe attitude!