Float

Obviously, it’s what it does and what you do with it that counts, but these sure are pretty.   From top left to bottom right: Deus Thomas Bexon. Sadly, unknown (found on Swaylocks surf shop). Mollusk surf shop. Dead Kooks. Thomas surfboards. Watershed. Album surfboards. SALT. Felicity Palmateer inlay. Cover image: Watershed.

7 things no one tells you about surfing in the UK

Forget the Maldives, surf the UK. We might moan about cold water and onshore slop, but that’s because we don’t want anyone else to catch on and surf our paradise. Here’s seven things no one tells you about surfing in the UK… 1. There’s beautiful beaches A photo posted by CORNWALL – ENGLAND (@love_cornwall) on Jun 4, 2015 at 5:31am PDT //platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js 2. There’s waves A…

How to bring more mindfulness to your surfing

I was recently sent surfer and writer Sam Bleakley’s lovely new book – Mindfulness and Surfing. The book is a series of short essays; covering everything from the story of the stringer to the effect of the sea on the brain. An unexpected bonus was the sprinkling of delightful facts, like the fact that there is a Cornish word – mordros – for the ever-present sound of the sea. As well as stories…

Cross back bikinis for surfing

Cross back bikinis are the bomb. They put less strain on your neck and shoulders, they work better under wetsuits (no annoying straps digging in/letting water in) and they look great too. The only annoying thing about cross backs is that they’re a nightmare to find. No stores categorise their bikinis by strap type, so it’s a case of searching through until you hit gold. With the summer now over…

Why exercising first thing is epic

I’m trying my best to get into the habit of exercising in the mornings. I am not really a morning person, yet working out before doing anything else is surprisingly awesome, here’s why… You feel invincible Exercising first thing in the morning makes you feel like a superhero all day. Fact. It might be more effective If you’re working out to burn calories or fat, there’s evidence to suggest that…

Review: Surf Ears surfing ear plugs

There’s a number of reasons why you might want to wear earplugs as a surfer – to prevent surfer’s ear in winter and to reduce the risk of ear infections, especially in warm water. In my case, I’m already partially deaf, so I can’t really risk damaging my ears any further. After reading a number of reviews, I decided to try Surf Ears, primarily because they claim to keep the water out while still…

Year of UK travel update – From Watergate to the Quantocks

The first post on my efforts to see more of the UK this year went up in February, and although there has been radio silence on the blog since then that doesn’t mean I haven’t been continuing my UK explorations. Granted, I haven’t made it out of the south west yet, nor have I been to many ‘new’ places. But I have been making a more concerted effort to explore, here’s where I’ve been lately. 2/…

Review: Finisterre Merino Eddy Longline

I have a stack of new surfing stuff worthy of review, but this one is top of the pile. Surfing in the winter in the UK can be testing. Although you’re sometimes rewarded with empty line ups and swell, there’s also a whole lot of being cold and wet to contend with. I’ve already talked about my love of merino thermals post surfing, and the Eddy Longline takes thermal layering to the next level.…

The mountains are calling…

For a while, I was lucky enough to spend time in the mountains every year. Sunshine was eschewed in favour of snow-laden clouds, and for years I only went abroad in pursuit of powder. At some point, the lack of sun caught up with me and the last few years I’ve spent all my holidays in sunnier climes. Also, I’d been snowboarding so much that I kind of lost the excitement for it, I became kind of…

Yoga classes to do at home (or where ever you happen to be)

Where I live, options for yoga classes are quite limited. Although I still like to attend classes when I can, because of this I’ve investigated a lot of online and DVD yoga classes over the last few years. Here’s a few to try if you’re in the same predicament…

Be more yogic

This excellent site has recently made all videos free to stream, there’s a good selection and they’re also shot in a…

10 ways to make surfing in winter more bearable

Cold water surfing season is nearly upon us again. The time when we brave the cold to supposedly get better waves with less crowds, but often seem to end up with a onshore mess or ok waves and the crowds to match.

Still, unless you want to miss out on surfing for nearly half the year and lose all your surf fitness, winter surfing is something we in the UK need to deal with. I’m not a massive fan…

Do you need a surf watch? Or maybe a surf journal will do…

I have to admit, when I saw the advertisements for Ripcurl’s SearchGPS surf watch, I wanted to try one. I am a bit of a geek and I love all the stats in Nike’s running app – in fact, without this app, my motivation to go running is low. I really like to see my progress over time and to try and beat my personal best, and at first glance, the SearchGPS seemed like the surfing equivalent. According…

Pink dragon fruit tropical smoothie

After several years of umming and ahhing, we recently upgraded our second hand, good-for-almost-nothing blender. It couldn’t really cope with anything more than blending soft fruit and even then it would be full of unappetising lumps.

The new one however, is glorious. We went for a Ninja Ultima because it had great reviews, was on sale and appeared to be the next best thing to a Vitamix. It’s…

I’ve been busy creating lots of new watercolour images, this is one of Saunton Sands.

#watercolor #watercolour #sauntonsands #saunton #waves #sea #photography #surf