Paddle Surf Scotland head honcho reflects on his post Covid winter adventures.

After a long long time in which the end never seemed to get any nearer, Covid regulations started to relax globally. For a travel addict like myself it meant being able to get back on the horse, so to speak and discover more.

The Covid lockdown winter previously enabled me to spend a huge amount of time exploring nearer my doorstep. The huge amount of snow that Scotland had, gave me the opportunity to learn a new sport, Cross Country Skiing, alongside a whole lot of fun backcountry snowboarding. Whenever the snow melted, that meant only one thing too for me….high river levels and perfect river surfing conditions!.

But the travel bug returned and the regulations eased enough to let me do this.

First off was a Campervan trip to the West Coast of Ireland. Empty beaches, vivid greens, great surf and great friends were the order of the day as I visited counties Donegal, Sligo and Mayo, along with Antrim in the North. Surf sessions at Inniscrone, Strandhill and Rossnowlagh all stand out. With thousands of miles of coastline and the Wild Atlantic Way driving route to direct you, there really is something for all paddlers and surfers on this coast.

After a few surf trips to Scotland's North Coast, it was the strange sensation of airplane travel again after such a long while. Portugal was the destination, and the beaches in and around Lisbon in particular. Beautiful weather, pounding surf, great food and friends are always the way when I visit this area, but it was made even more special by getting to meet my little Goddaughter for the first time.

Ericiera is one of Europe's premier surfing destinations with World Class waves on its powerful reefs. Though the line ups were pretty busy, I was able to get plenty of fun sessions, while sharing the water with some of the World's best.

The final 3 months of the winter and it was time to leave Europe as I jet setted out to the Middle East to work in The United Arab Emirates and Oman. Working as Senior Watersports Instructor for Absolute Adventure, gave me incredible experiences leading trips in both countries. Driving big off- road vehicles over sand dunes and up steep mountain paths is not a bad working environment!!.

The Arabian Gulf is a surprisingly fertile spot for waves too, with an average of 100 annual days of surfable conditions. The fact that you can surf in a t-shirt and shorts under blue skies is truly a blessing, so, whatever the conditions there really isn't much excuse not to get in and get wet!.

This Winter was jam packed full of water adventures, here's to a fantastic summer in Scotland!!.