Tom Beaton

The weather rarely does what you want it to do during the British winter. Plan a hike in the hills and you had best pack your waterproofs. This day was pitched as a scenic hike followed by a great lunch. It rained all day on the Friday and all night Friday night. There was a sense it may be rained out by Saturday morning. As we approached the Black Mountains it became obvious there was plenty…

My first trip down to the South Hams. The occasion was a long weekend away for Becky’s Birthday. We started exploring Salcombe walking from where we were staying in South Sands to town. A short drive away was Hope Cove from which we explored at low tide then walked up onto the coastal path. It was a beautiful sunny day with barely any wind. We made a couple of trips to Bantham to surf. The…

Daymer Bay is a sheltered spot near Rock in the Camel estuary. The forecast was for blown out stormy conditions pretty much everywhere that was exposed so the decision was made to head to Daymer. On arrival it was high tide, very windy and very busy. Nice waves but onshore wind and limited space made it tricky. I went out on a 5m kite. It is not often I ride something so small. It was a fun…

Pembrokeshire is one of my favourite parts of the UK. A multisport paradise with endless beaches meaning you can find more exposed spots when conditions are small or more sheltered ones when needed. We headed down there for a long weekend late September staying just outside of Newgale. Saturday was windy and decent swell. A southerly swell means frontside riding for me at Newgale, which is a…

We flew into Olbia in the North East of Sardinia. My last trip was on the South Coast. Immediately I was struck with how mountainous and green the island is. I was hoping for sunshine, good food, and some wind for wingfoiling. Despite some minor hiccups on arrival, our first full day was bless with sunshine and wind. Temperatures dropped quickly that evening and we woke up to rain. It soon…

Pretty much every trip I have made to Pembrokeshire over the years has revolved around the beach at Newgale. An opportunity presented itself to check out Saundersfoot and surrounding areas. It was not the most inspiring weekend weather wise so we headed out there. First things first we explored the beach in Saundersfoot itself starting to walk north. The tide was out meaning you could go pretty…

I don’t mind a bit of moody winter. For some reason I like the look of fog lurking in treetops. Atmospheric perhaps. Over Christmas we had a foggy walk round Grimwith Reservoir in Yorkshire. This is the home of a sailing club and popular with local wingfoilers. There was no wind this day but I bet it looks pretty scenic on a good day. This weekend just gone we walked round Mortimer Forest near…

The ferry over to the IOW is a pretty relaxed affair compared to those crossing international boarders. They go frequently and people commute over them. None of the whole turning up hours before hand. It was dark so the first impressions of the island were hard to give. We kicked things off in tourist mode heading to the Needles – the only spot anyone has really heard of. No doubt a bit of a…

With more regular weekday running and upping distance this year it has opened doors to bigger adventures. Running has been a love hate thing for me in the last ten years. I was the classic guy who would just go out and run and then my knees would hurt so I would give up for months before doing it all over again. A few years ago I decided to try and figure this out and essentially had to relearn…

A Saturday with a half decent surf forecast, sunshine and no rain was always going to be busy. The leaves are down, and temperatures have dropped. It was looking very autumnal, in a good way. I cruised down to the coast, sun shining all the way. I had a couple sup surf shapes and a surfboard with me, but opted for the Infinity New Deal. It paddles effortlessly into anything, and is fun whatever…

Back in September we spent a week in a villa in the Algarve. This is one of those places we have all heard of and know is a popular holiday spot for many, but had never made it there. It is easy to see why people like it. We had a villa a short car journey or 15 minute walk from the coast. Time by the pool, sipping coffees/beers and doing some of that reading I never get round to doing. The…

There are not many cities that I am drawn to but when asked over the last few years the one that I kept coming back to was San Sebastian. Spain’s surf capital with a great eating and drinking culture. Last week we flew out to see if it lived up to expectations. We did basically no research, beyond how to get there. Turns out busses are good round here and the easiest way to get there from Bilbao…

A last minute invite to join a 5 day splitboarding trip in the Alps came through and I jumped online to try and get myself organised. After some missteps and a load of delays at Bristol Airport I made it out to the Abondance valley with all my luggage. That evening we prepped some gear ready to start early the next day. Day 1 was all about getting to grips with gear and technique again. We did…

A bluebird week of snowboarding in Sestriere. Nothing crazy, just pure fun. Good food, good coffee. A solid amount of riding, just exploring and hitting up different spots for breaks and apres. The weather was on the warm side, with strong sun and barely a cloud to be seen. It snowed just before we got there giving us some good conditions with a couple of great powder runs. As the week progressed…

With a big Birthday looming I had decided it was best spent somewhere hot. After numerous destinations came and went I booked a couple weeks in Sri Lanka. It had been on the list for some time and the right season to visit lined up with when I wanted to get away. After doing all the festivities that Christmas involves we jumped on a flight. Its a long old way but we eventually landed in Colombo…

This weekend I completed another attempt at the annual winter hike and fly challenge in South East Wales. It has been almost two years since my last effort in January 2022 but I had identified some key areas to improve. Before setting off, I opted for a lighter and faster approach. I wore shorts, and trail runners, as opposed to trousers and hiking boots. As the walking is mostly fast paced and…

A kitesurfers mecca it said somewhere. Sadly not a breath of wind the time we were there. It has been an odd year for weather, but the potential is clear. Lisbon is an easy flight from the UK. The rush hour drive through a big city, bottle necking at the 25 de Abril suspension bridge was not the ideal start. The beach is down a surprisingly large cliff from the residential area. The top of the…