Surfing in Caithness

You don't need to leave Scotland to find gnarly waves to ride. Thurso offers some of the best surfing in the UK but remember to bring your wetsuit as the wopping 70%+ groundswell challenges riders from December through to February. Thurso East and Thurso Harbour Reef are the closest breaks to the town but beaches such as Sandside Bay, Strathy and Brimms Ness are all close by to add some variety to your Scottish surf adventure.

Don't be put off by the monthly swell figures, Thurso in the summer boasts some of the best breaks Britain has to offer and is a sure thing when other Scottish beaches aren't putting out. The Thurso area doesn't fall short in the beauty department either, Thurso Castle is a ruined twelfth century earthwork fortress rebuilt in stone in 1878 by Tollemache Sinclair. The outstanding castle looks out over the River mouth so you'll be sure to catch a glimpse of the Gothic mansion when you're abreast a 12ft ridge.

It has to be said that these beaches owe a lot to the 1981 Scottish Surfing Federation Eurosurf competition which opened the dramatic scenery of the Thurso coastline up to European surfers. Once the SSF decided to host their competition there the rest of the water sports world wanted a piece. The Scottish Canoe Association has held their National Surfing Championship in Thurso since 1984 followed by the World Kayak Championships in 1991 and 1997. The humble Scottish beaches proved their worth in many other competitions since then and Surfers rarely visit only once. After visiting Thurso's surfing beaches once you won't be saying "Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods." (Robert Burns, My Heart is in the Highlands.) for too long.