I’m continually surprised I’m not a water person. I love being by the coast, but I absolutely do not want to be in the sea. I find it strange though, as I’ve lived by the water my entire life. I grew up on the North Coast of England, spending my youth and my teenage years in and around Whitley Bay. Although thinking back, I was definitely more inclined to be found in the bars and clubs on North Parade than actually on the beach.
In my 20s I scoured every coastal village and quiet sandy beach I could find in Northumberland, then in my 30s I wandered further North, following the sea to the edges of Scotland. Still, absolutely no inclination to enter that water.
However, after befriending a surfer over the last few years, I found an interest in the surfing community and spent a couple of weekends watching them and their vans, chatting and scouting each other in the water, on the Isle of Lewis and the over at Golspie. While the activity itself still didn’t appeal to me, the community and atmosphere did.
I’d be pottering about in the van, making a cup of tea, while my friend was out in the water (I had no idea how long surfers went out for and at one point genuinely wondered if he had drowned and what I should do) and a pair of unknown surfers wandered past and casually just started chatting, asking about my friend and how it was out there. After spending the day there, I noticed that this seemed to pretty much be the norm, and having a good chat was just part of the surfing process, even in the depths of winter.
A lot of cups of tea were had by myself, warming my fingers after fiddling with my camera out in the frost. I still can’t believe people willingly enter Scottish water in winter. And yes, that van may look familiar… a few months later it was painted half brown and turned into my own little cabin for a summer.