The Rain and Spain

Hello again strangers!

Sorry for the lack of posting in recent weeks. Last time we spoke I was on a ship on the way to Spain... soon after I threw up in the cabin toilet, and apparently it was dead calm. Anyway I was out in Spain for a longboard comp and a little photo trip with some of the UK's top longdongers. As you might imagine it was a very civilized, relaxing trip with fun waves, good food and the odd spanish beer. Unfortunately, although it was very much still work for the mag, it was a holiday from the County Limits project and I returned to the UK with only a couple of weeks before our deadline to score a new county. Not sure why it always seems to be so last minute with these trips, but anyway with not long to go, two good looking charts appeared for the same few days. One for South Wales and one for a small Scottish Island. Right up until I picked up the surfers, I still hadn't decided which to go for, but after a group talk, we decided to hit Wales and drove up that night. The following morning revealed small waves and lots of rain, a real reality check after the glorious Spanish weather. Luckily, as predicted the clouds cleared for the next day just in time for the waves to pump. It was a sick trip and it means that I've now ticked off two more counties, Bridgend and Vale of Glamorgan. New issue of Wavelength is out next week so check out the shots in there.

Out and Aboat

I'm somewhere in the middle of the ocean, with no land in sight, bobbing up and down on a big floating naff hotel that smells of school dinners. Obviously, I'm not on my way to any of the British counties, but instead I'm on a short little photo trip for Wavelength that isn't part of County Limits, crossing my fingers that I don't miss anything back home, (yes, I realize Cornwall and Devon have waves today, but I've done them, and I can see that Wales will have a small wave.)

Anyway, back on the County Limits next week but in the meantime, Essex and Suffolk are in the shops now wrapped up in the spanking new issue of Wavelength. Check it out!

New issue of Wavelength out later this week, meanwhile check out the trailer. This issue has the feature on Suffolk and Essex in (not the sunny looking barrel shots.)

From the archives

Been digging through the massive slide archive of John Conway, the guy who set up Wavelength almost 30 years ago. Amongst the treasures, I found this little beauty of the Severn Bore, my one hope of getting surf in Gloucestershire. I reckon it actually looks pretty fun, and I'm digging the guy sat in the way with a homemade '80s GoPro gaffered onto the nose of his board.

Caithness

Pretty sure Thurso East must have a wave on it today. Maybe not quite as good as it was when this shot of Stokesy was taken a couple of years ago, but probably clean and barreling none the less. Problem is, Thurso is a helluva drive for just one day, and Caithness is such a bounteous county of waves that I'd really want to save it for a better chart. So that's the gamble, miss a day of surf in the hope that something else comes up before the next deadline.

I should have been there tomorrow

New issue of Length has just gone to print with the feature on Essex and Suffolk in there. I was almost off to an early start on the next county when Oli saw a chart for this little sweet spot which looks like it's gonna be similar but bigger than in this vid tomorrow.

Anyway, in the end we didn't leave at the crack of dawn this morning for the mammoth mission up North, because of a few transport issues. Transport is definitely one of the hardest bits about this whole project, what with the cost of fuel and needing a vehicle that won't break down half way there. Anyone got a spare chopper they're not using for the next year or so? (as in the flying variety, not the 80's bike.)

Labour Intensive

Well that's two more counties ticked off the list... just. It was a hell of a gamble but at the start of this week we managed to find a half decent looking wave in Essex! Now I wouldn't necessarily recommend Essex as a surfing destination, it's cold, brown and very, very fickle, but there is definitely potential there.

Whilst we were waiting for this little left to start working, we hossed up to the more reliable, but still relatively surf-starved Suffolk. Considering the short lived swells and months of flatness, this county actually has a pretty big, hardcore community of surfers who are keen as fook all through the year... unlike Essex, where apparently no-one has ever heard of surfing.

Even Gordon didn't have a clue where to suggest looking for waves south of Lowestoft when I randomly bumped into him there and tried to pick his brain... but that's what happens when you don't get in the water enough and spend all your time trying to get re-elected.

Anyway check out the full story and shots in the next Wavelength out in a couple of weeks. That's two of the trickiest counties done, so surely it will get easier from now on?