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Scotland

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 9:03 am
by Beanpole
Scotland is looking like being a travel destination in September. After hitting Amsterdam. Planning on hitting the West Coast...Isle of Mull, etc. I'd like to get up to Skye. Thursos a bit too far afield unfortunately.
Any recommendations?

Re: Scotland

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 12:01 pm
by Tally
I lived up there for a few years, the inner hebrides (e.g. Mull, jura, skye etc) are pretty protected, Tiree has good waves and is popular with surfing and windsurfing crew. The outer heb's (i.e. Harris and Lewis) are pretty epic, good beachies and reefs you can catch a ferry from Skye to Harris and back from Lewis to Ullapool.

The south west (Kintyre peninsula) is a couple of hours from Glasgow and is pretty average at best.

East coast (north sea) has its days and there are lots of known spots outside Edinburgh and north of Aberdeen. The north coast is probably the pick of the spots with Thurso East the jewel in the crown but there are tons of options along the whole coast.

I am not giving anything away here, the European Stormrider guide does a pretty good job of summarising the highlights and there are plenty of other resources available on the net. I have a scanned version of the Scotland section if you are interested PM me your email address and I will send it through.

here is a photo sent through from one of my mates up there a couple of years ago.
183250_10150141178656488_518136487_8564720_510493_n.jpg

Re: Scotland

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 12:44 pm
by steve shearer
why is the water so brown?

Re: Scotland

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 12:49 pm
by Beanpole
Thanks, Tally. Didn't expect to get so much useful info. I'm contemplating how long I will stay there so that's a big help.

Re: Scotland

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 1:28 pm
by Tally
the water is brown due to the tannins coming out of the peat into a creek (burn) which flows through Thurso. Here are a couple of other photos from the same day which show a slight variation in the water colour, but it is nearly always brown
TE blue and brown.jpg
TE slightly blue.jpg

Re: Scotland

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 1:31 pm
by Beerfan
How cold is that water?

And how strange to hear "if yee dropp un on me agarn I'll bash yer fearce un" !!

Re: Scotland

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:11 pm
by Trev
Beanpole wrote:
Tue Jul 04, 2017 9:03 am
Scotland is looking like being a travel destination in September. After hitting Amsterdam. Planning on hitting the West Coast...Isle of Mull, etc. I'd like to get up to Skye. Thursos a bit too far afield unfortunately.
Any recommendations?
Do you have family there be beany?

Re: Scotland

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 3:26 pm
by Tally
@beerfan, it gets very cold I once trudged across the reef at Thurso east and was crunching through ice on top of the rock pools, the burn can also be fed by snow melt and flows right through the line up.

i see more agro in the water in one week on the goldy than I did in three years in scotland, they were the most welcoming bunch of surfers I have met anywhere in the world, (things may have changed in 10 years)

Re: Scotland

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 7:45 pm
by Beanpole
Trev wrote:
Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:11 pm
Beanpole wrote:
Tue Jul 04, 2017 9:03 am
Scotland is looking like being a travel destination in September. After hitting Amsterdam. Planning on hitting the West Coast...Isle of Mull, etc. I'd like to get up to Skye. Thursos a bit too far afield unfortunately.
Any recommendations?
Do you have family there be beany?
Just a bit of family history there, Trev. :wink:

Re: Scotland

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 8:08 pm
by Trev
Beanpole wrote:
Tue Jul 04, 2017 7:45 pm
Trev wrote:
Tue Jul 04, 2017 2:11 pm
Beanpole wrote:
Tue Jul 04, 2017 9:03 am
Scotland is looking like being a travel destination in September. After hitting Amsterdam. Planning on hitting the West Coast...Isle of Mull, etc. I'd like to get up to Skye. Thursos a bit too far afield unfortunately.
Any recommendations?
Do you have family there be beany?
Just a bit of family history there, Trev. :wink:
Me too. But on the east coast.
In particular, Dunnottar Castle. But also some history on the walls of Edinburgh Castle and a town just east of Inverness.

Re: Scotland

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2017 7:17 am
by Beanpole
Yeah, it's funny. This sort of started as being about something else altogether. The Scottish bit was kind of a second thought. My son was over there last year and said I should definitely go there. Pretty stoked about doing it now though.

Re: Scotland

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2017 7:27 am
by buddy
Watching that Thurso clip on swellnet the other day I couldn't help but think? 'Fcuk they can surf well in thick rubber'.

I reckon with all that + hood, gloves, boots - I'd be all over the shop on a late takeoff and style would be out the window.

Re: Scotland

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2017 8:38 am
by Beanpole
Not really planning on hitting anywhere that far up. Just adds another dimension to going there.

Re: Scotland

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 4:36 am
by bgreen
I stayed on the Isle of Lewis for a week in summer a couple of years ago. How could I not score waves if they might be windy. Instead, perfect blue skies light offshore winds and for a few days tiny lines from a distant groundswell. I got far bigger waves, though fluked, in Italy. Harris, looked like it could be even more protected. A great adventure but picking a few days and hoping to score, is the same as anywhere - pot luck.

There are quite a few spots so if there was swell you'd be likely to get a wave. Despite talk of the gulf stream, it was cool, so you'd need a decent wetsuit. As I said, when I was there it was sunny summer days.

Re: Scotland

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 12:20 pm
by steve shearer
get a go out Beany?

Or are you too busy being a baby boomer and obsessing about food?

Re: Scotland

Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 3:56 pm
by Rustt
Might be getting a few waves off those hurricanes.

Re: Scotland

Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2017 6:46 pm
by Beanpole
steve shearer wrote:
Wed Sep 13, 2017 12:20 pm
get a go out Beany?

Or are you too busy being a baby boomer and obsessing about food?
Yes, being a baby boomer has definitely won the day. Went to Arran on the ferry yesterday. The wind was howling. Puffer jacket and rainwear. Could have used some gloves. Broderick is protected though as its on the east side. Ended up in a t shirt. A couple actually went for a swim. They said it was freezing. Since I'm not getting past the inner Hebrides there's not much chance of waves. Off to Fort William today. That's a 5 hour train ride through the countryside. Arran is very beautiful and laid back. I could imagine you catching a few fish around there Steve.

Re: Scotland

Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2017 12:12 pm
by Rustt
Beanpole wrote:
Sat Sep 16, 2017 6:46 pm
steve shearer wrote:
Wed Sep 13, 2017 12:20 pm
get a go out Beany?

Or are you too busy being a baby boomer and obsessing about food?
Yes, being a baby boomer has definitely won the day. Went to Arran on the ferry yesterday. The wind was howling. Puffer jacket and rainwear. Could have used some gloves. Broderick is protected though as its on the east side. Ended up in a t shirt. A couple actually went for a swim. They said it was freezing. Since I'm not getting past the inner Hebrides there's not much chance of waves. Off to Fort William today. That's a 5 hour train ride through the countryside. Arran is very beautiful and laid back. I could imagine you catching a few fish around there Steve.
Say hi to the McDonalds for me(my clan) I bboked into a b&b in fw and without telling the lady of the house my name, she said you a McDonald aren't you, if you hang around long enough you'll meet your double. I left the next day.