When you think surfing, you think sun. You think colourful boards and beachy hairstyles and probably Australian or SoCal accents. You probably don’t think of Scotland.
Look, Scotland has its strengths. It’s picturesque, has loads of culture, and plenty of delicious food, but it isn’t exactly known for having ideal conditions for the surf, meaning Scottish wave-chasers have historically had to head all the way down to Cornwall or Wales to get some practice in. That, however, is finally about to change.
A £60 million ‘surf resort’ near Edinburgh is due to open for business on November 11. You might be thinking, ‘what does that mean?! They can’t control the sea can they?’ which is a very valid question. Sadly, there has been no summoning of Poseidon involved in the creation of Lost Shore, only the construction of Europe’s biggest wave pool which is three times the size of Wembley Football pitch. That’s a lot of surf space.
This pool can generate 1,000 waves an hour, and takes less energy to power than a single ski-lift. Your move, skiers.
If that sounds like a bit of you, or a bit of someone you love, you’ll be pleased to know that you can actually stay on-site in one of the 53 luxury units available. If you have no interest in donning a wetsuit yourself but want to tag along, you can spend your time in the wellness studio or at the cafe, or just stay cosy in your lodge and await your more adventurous friends/family/partner.
Amy Hadden, who founded the resort, has called it, ‘more than just endless epic waves for surfers,’ stating that she wants to, ‘inspire the curious non-surfers to give it a go and feel the buzz of riding your first wave.’ She also mentioned that, despite it not being traditionally a national pass-time, she hopes Lost Shore will feel, ‘unmistakably Scottish.’
They’re taking bookings right now for Christmas; have a look here to make a reservation or find out more. Happy surfing, dudes and dudettes!
Time Out, surf-style
We’d be fibbing if we claimed that everyone at Time Out loves riding waves (heck, plenty of us have never even tried), but those of us that love the sport are pretty fanatical. Not only have we covered the first UK Surfing Reserve in Devon and have guides on where to surf everywhere from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, we even boast a guide to the very best epic surf movies.
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