2024 - A Year on Board

Sat on my couch, in my flat in Lapland, I am a mere 100 metres from the Kemijoki river. This huge river is the biggest in Finland. It flows for over a thousand miles till eventually it reaches the Baltic Sea. It is however, frozen. I am here working as a Snowmobile guide, fulfilling a dream to spend a full winter skiing and snowboarding in the frozen forests and fells of Lapland. The snowboard will be strapped to my feet very soon, but first, time to look back at times for me when the water was decidedly warmer.

2024 began with a number of trips to warmer climes, to the Canary Islands. No wetsuits needed, only a bucket hat and plus 50 sunscreen to hide from the midday sun. Fuerteventura, twice, and the Canary Islands. Surfing mainly reefs I got to experience some incredible conditions. My first trip to Fuerteventura unfortunately was tempered by having all my bank cards, driving license etc, stolen and used. It is amazing how vulnerable you are without the ability to use your cards or pay for things online. Even usually simple things, become nervy, near impossible tasks. Fortunately the goodwill of fellow surfers I met, almost strangers to me, helped me through this and I am eternally grateful for. The next trip to Fuerteventura and also to Gran Canaria though, felt like the ending of a redemption ark…near perfect holidays and blessed to meet some incredible people and share waves with them.

Nearer home, the first few months were spent in Yorkshire, then home, and Scotland came calling. It was a wet, windy and chilly start to the 2024 Paddle Surf Scotland season, and Summer did not really rear its head until late May and June. It was an exceedingly quiet start to the year booking wise, but as always, blessed with wonderful people to help progress along their SUP journey. The storms may have dropped the temperatures but they did bring a lot of surf to the shores of Scotland’s east coast and probably meant I had the most surf in a Scottish summer I can remember. 

At Loch Freuchie and the River Quaich, it has been really interesting to not the actions and influence of the Beavers, as they slowly adapt to and change the dynamics of the river system. A family of Highland cows regularly made and appearance near the very top of the more navigable section of the Quaich. A fantastic wee, photogenic reward for our paddlers, before we enjoy the current assisted float back down to Loch Fruechie. I genuinely adore paddling on the Quaich, it changes every day as the levels fluctuate, the winds flow or not. I really believe there is not a better location to learn to stand up paddle, and progress on.

Alongside Mike from Yoga Adventure Scotland, we ran plenty of incredibly well received SUP Yoga sessions, where the calm waters of the Quaich blessed us with plenty of lovely conditions. It is amazing to see the connection between Yoga and SUP, the serenity of the environment and the friendly vibe on the sessions.

With Sam from Paddle Surf Yorkshire, and BlueSky adventures, we provided the SUP challenge element of the 2024 Buccleuch Adventure Challenge at Drumlanrig Castle estate in Dumfries and Galloway, Hundreds of happy (and in some case, exhausted) adventurers raced on the boards under bright blue skies and under neath a ruined castle. A spectacular location to bask in the late twenties sunshine.

A few other special trips for me this year too. Paddling on the canals of Amsterdam was a bucket list destination ticked off the list and I would highly recommend to any one, of any skill level. Plenty of van trips away to surf spots further north, particularly one where I managed to snag a fresh snow snowboard descent of Cairngorm mountain, alongside surfing empty powerful waves on the Caithness coast.

Although probably the quietest Paddle Surf Scotland season, the 10th year was also special, with, across the board, wonderful people to paddle with and teach, I cannot thank you all enough for being a part of it. See you all in May 2025!.