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International Surfing Day
"🎶 Don't be afraid to try the greatest sport around
Those who don't just have to put it down
You paddle out turn around and raise
And baby that's all there is to the coastline craze
Catch a wave and you're sittin' on top of the world"
~ Catch a Wave, The Beach Boys, 1963
Ooh Wah! Ooh Wah! Surf’s up, kilt-wearing wave riders! This breezy tartan, awash with the colors of clear blue waters and golden sunshine, conjures memories of endless summers and youthful adventures. For a dose of surf nostalgia, consider the iconic 1966 film The Endless Summer, which followed two California surfers on a global quest to chase summer—from Senegal and Ghana to Australia, Tahiti, Hawaii, and back to California. Oddly enough, Scotland didn’t make the list!
Yet Scotland has its own surf story. While the north coast is most renowned for its waves, intrepid surfers also venture to the Shetland Islands for a more remote ride. Surfing began gaining popularity in Scotland in the mid to late 1960s, especially near Fraserburgh, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh. In September 1968, Edinburgh surfer Andy Bennetts, with friends Stuart Crichton and Ian Wishart, thought they might be the only surfers in the country when they boarded a train to Aberdeen to test out a board Andy had picked up on holiday in Cornwall. To their surprise, they met George Law—a local who had been surfing there since 1967.
One of Scotland’s true surf gems is the town of Thurso, home to what’s considered the best right-hand breaking wave in all of Europe. Despite the bracing temperatures and unpredictable weather, a devoted community of surfers has made its mark there. So whether you’re chasing swell or just soaking up the sun in plaid, grab your board and your tartan—Cowabunga and hang ten, tartaned dudes! 💙 💚 💛 ☀️ 🏖️ 🏄 👣
By designer Carol A.L. Martin, this tartan speaks to the colours of sand, sea, sky, and sun in the summer.
International Surfing Day celebrates the sport and culture of surfing. Though most associated with warmer climes, there is surfing in Scotland, although the best surf, unfortunately, is in the winter, which means freezing temperatures, snow, and gales, and often with little light.
On the mainland the most famous stretch of surfing coast is found on the north coast. But you can travel up to 60°N in Scotland and still find surfing waves in the Shetland Islands.
Surfing first started in Scotland on the east coast in the mid to late 1960s, with small groups of surfers forming around the Fraserburgh, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh regions. Andy Bennetts from Edinburgh, and his friends Stuart Crichton and Ian Wishart, thought they were the only surfers in the country when, in September of 1968, they set off for Aberdeen on the train to try out Bennetts's new board, which he'd purchased on a holiday to Cornwall.
When they arrived at Aberdeen, however, and asked a friendly man at the beach pavilion if they could leave the board with him for safekeeping, they were surprised to discover that he already looked after a board for another surfer - local lad George Law, who'd been surfing there since 1967.
The small town of Thurso boasts the best right-hand breaking wave in Europe and, despite its climatic disposition, has managed to spawn a group of hardened surfers.
If the thought of the icy surf in Scotland gives you shivers, keep warm by clicking Clark Little's photograph "Catch a Wave" showing a beautiful sunset on the favorite surfing North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, and read about some other fabulous surfing locales.