Surf trip on the mainland 6.

Where the trip ends, now

Yeah, I did exactly what I had planned, there was no hurry today, surfing at Crantock again, nice two hours session. When I started driving to Weymouth I just stopped to use my brand new mini camping gas stove. Being a nomad is a great feeling, I can stop anywhere, now I did at a car park beside the road to cook my 9p Tesco chicken soup after that I had a coffee, that’s perfect, like in a posh restaurant.

I got back Weymouth, now I’m exhausted, but things this way are good. As a pathetic bloke told once, hitting the road is the freedom, arrival is death. Tomorrow, by ferry, I’m arriving in Jersey, but this is just a temporary stop.

Surf trip on the mainland 5.

Where you’re suppose to go

Today project was very complicated: finding a place where I really could surf, not like yesterday. So I thought if I needed to drive 50 miles, Praa Sands or Penzance are on the bottom side of Cornwall, it didn’t matter just I wanted to use Tunnel Vision in proper circumstances. According to the Magicseaweed the combination of waves and wind seemed to me good at those spots, but just for sure I went to Boardwalk (or Overhead? so many shops beside each other), the place, where I bought a TV, and asked the seller. He told me that there was no point in going so far away, because the swell was coming from a different direction, in short, I got perfect advice how I could find good place for surfing.

So I just drove to Crantock, a small village next to Newquay. This bay is protected by hill against the wind, so it didn’t smash the waves. The view was gorgeous, at the right side of this wide sand beach there was a small river, so you could practice river surf too.

At the car park I met an Irish bloke, Ian, who had been living here for long enough to learn this place. We introduced ourselves to each other and our boards, too. He bought a brand new long board on Monday, and I got mine yesterday. It turned out that he had forgotten his leash at home, and surfing without that could be a big s.cks, if you have to swim always after your board, so I lent mine to him, because now I have two!

(Desert surfer) Eventually we got into the water, finding our cosy waves, and I was over the first when I realised I had already stood onto that by TV. We had 3-5 feet high waves, great rides for two hours! Ian promised he would leave the leash behind the first right wheel. He did, but I almost lost that because I almost completely forgot about it.

Tomorrow, surf again I think at the same bay, and after that go back to Weymouth, because I have to catch the ferry on Friday.

Surf trip on the Mainland 2.

In the Capital of British Surf

Sidmouth or Bath, that was the question this morning, Sidmouth was the answer. On the way to there I had to stop at couple of places to take pics. I love the British countryside, and swinging on the slim roads isn’t comparable. The best place was an old motor museum somewhere around Seaton and Cloyford.

Down Sidmouth I asked a bloke about waves, and he told me, today I couldn’t expect anything good. Anyway, the upper side of south west peninsula is always better, from this angle. So after taking some breathtaking pics, again, there, I jumped back to the car and drove to Newquay, the capital of British surfing.

Amazing place, as far as I know the town has about 20000 inhabitant, it’s not a big one, but how little sugar candy! I just could take a quick look to the Fistal, I saw the swell, ahhh, clear lines-up, and the water, not like that dirty, sink risen liquid at Kimmeridge, but clear, deep blue. I just stormed in the middle of the town and, at the town beach, got into the water. Imagine a magical place, where there is a sand beach divided by couple of huge rocks, some of them connected by bridges to each other. Just wow! The whole place is about surf! You can come across surf board fabric shops everywhere. I found the Bilbo factory (My first board is a Bilbo, but when I was writing this post this was the only one)! You can book in advance to learn how to surf at every second house.

I wasn’t sure that I would be able to surf today. But I managed it. I met a carpenter guy and his mates at the car park, he showed me the shortest way to the water, and gave me some advice. Eventually I could ride for one or one and a half hour. According to the magicseaweed two-three perfect days are coming!