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It's Friday time to escape from the City?

Well, after my recent trip to Earls Court I can see why so many city dwellers are in a mad rush to load up their 4 by 4's and get out of the city  on Fridays for the weekend down time before they start the chaos of city life again on Mondays.

The Kentos loves London and would like to live there so I guess it suits some people, however, standing on the underground during the summer at peak time is an experience that most would probably not want to experience ever. In the light of that experience here are some pictures I took the day before London.

I was working at Fistral Beach on the weekend for a Hen surfing party   and these following shots are at a polarity with London life, no wonder places like Nwqy, Watergate, Mumbles are becoming property hotspots..

The funny thing about Nwqy is that there are heaps of great places to eat and drink which does not involve getting to close to the pub crawlers wearing football tops amongst other clothing.  Just search and you will find....  p.s it was actually a Tuesday when I escaped from the city

If you can't escape the city until friday, no worries we can cater for your surfing needs just email us or checkout our websites click here  GSD surfing development

      

Mawgan Porth surf school, Newquay, Cornwall

   

Mawgan Porth is located several miles away from Newquay and it's better known big brother Fistral beach which hosts the National Surfing Centre.

SurfGSD now has a base at Mawgan Porth located behind Cornish Fresh the large supermarket which use to be a garage.  We use Fistral beach and Mawgan Porth and our customers are offered the best location for surf on the particular day.

Mawgan Porth offers a safe quiet environment with plenty of parking and several food places including the Deli in the supermarket which offers organic cornish pasties and home made rolls. In addition you can pop into the new place to eat in Mawgan Porth called 'Fire'.

In addition to our surf school in Mawgan Porth we will also be offering surfboard rental and wetsuit hire to beach visitors.

To book surfing sessions in small groups with GSD at the fantastic beach simply email us or book online via the following link mawgan porth private surf lessons  or group courses catered for a maximum of 8 in a group click here.

Places to stay in Mawgan Porth:

There are numerous campsites in the direct area, and several high quality hotels such as Bedruthen Steps Hotel overlooking Mawgan Porth.

Stay at the Pendoric. You can find us in the village of St Mawgan, only a 5 minute car journey from the renowned surf beaches of Watergate Bay and Mawgan Porth.We are a chintz-free environmentally-friendly bed and breakfast and a perfect base for exploring the surf beaches and attractions of North Cornwall.

For Newquay try the following:

Designed to meet the needs of the more discerning party-goer and active-weekender, Sunnyside Hotel is a fun and funky hotel catering exclusively for adults visiting in Newquay, Cornwall.

Getting  To Newquay has never been easier with the recent expansion of the A30 and the increased flights from London and all major UK cities to Newquay airport has put this beach in the spot for most land locked wave lovers.

We cater for our customers needs so please feel free to email us your surfing course requirements.

Mawgan Porth is located several miles away from Newquay and it's better known big brother Fistral beach which hosts the National Surfing Centre.

SurfGSD now has a base at Mawgan Porth located behind Cornish Fresh the large supermarket which use to be a garage.  We use Fistral beach and Mawgan Porth and our customers are offered the best location for surf on the particular day.

Mawgan Porth offers a safe quiet environment with plenty of parking and several food places including the Deli in the supermarket which offers organic cornish pasties and home made rolls. In addition you can pop into the new place to eat in Mawgan Porth called 'Fire'.

In addition to our surf school in Mawgan Porth we will also be offering surfboard rental and wetsuit hire to beach visitors.

To book surfing sessions in small groups with GSD at the fantastic beach simply email us or book online via the following link mawgan porth private surf lessons  or group courses catered for a maximum of 8 in a group click here.

Places to stay in Mawgan Porth:

There are numerous campsites in the direct area, and several high quality hotels such as Bedruthen Steps Hotel overlooking Mawgan Porth.

Stay at the Pendoric. You can find us in the village of St Mawgan, only a 5 minute car journey from the renowned surf beaches of Watergate Bay and Mawgan Porth.We are a chintz-free environmentally-friendly bed and breakfast and a perfect base for exploring the surf beaches and attractions of North Cornwall.

For Newquay try the following:

Designed to meet the needs of the more discerning party-goer and active-weekender, Sunnyside Hotel is a fun and funky hotel catering exclusively for adults visiting in Newquay, Cornwall.

Getting  To Newquay has never been easier with the recent expansion of the A30 and the increased flights from London and all major UK cities to Newquay airport has put this beach in the spot for most land locked wave lovers.

We cater for our customers needs so please feel free to email us your surfing course requirements.

Mawgan Porth is located several miles away from Newquay and it's better known big brother Fistral beach which hosts the National Surfing Centre.

SurfGSD now has a base at Mawgan Porth located behind Cornish Fresh the large supermarket which use to be a garage.  We use Fistral beach and Mawgan Porth and our customers are offered the best location for surf on the particular day.

Mawgan Porth offers a safe quiet environment with plenty of parking and several food places including the Deli in the supermarket which offers organic cornish pasties and home made rolls. In addition you can pop into the new place to eat in Mawgan Porth called 'Fire'.

In addition to our surf school in Mawgan Porth we will also be offering surfboard rental and wetsuit hire to beach visitors.

To book surfing sessions in small groups with GSD at the fantastic beach simply email us or book online via the following link mawgan porth private surf lessons  or group courses catered for a maximum of 8 in a group click here.

Places to stay in Mawgan Porth:

There are numerous campsites in the direct area, and several high quality hotels such as Bedruthen Steps Hotel overlooking Mawgan Porth.

Stay at the Pendoric. You can find us in the village of St Mawgan, only a 5 minute car journey from the renowned surf beaches of Watergate Bay and Mawgan Porth.We are a chintz-free environmentally-friendly bed and breakfast and a perfect base for exploring the surf beaches and attractions of North Cornwall.

For Newquay try the following:

Designed to meet the needs of the more discerning party-goer and active-weekender, Sunnyside Hotel is a fun and funky hotel catering exclusively for adults visiting in Newquay, Cornwall.

Getting  To Newquay has never been easier with the recent expansion of the A30 and the increased flights from London and all major UK cities to Newquay airport has put this beach in the spot for most land locked wave lovers.

We cater for our customers needs so please feel free to email us your surfing course requirements.

Newquay surfing leg of the Moskito Tour goes off!

The UK leg of the Moskito Tour went off this past weekend in great 4 to 5 foot conditions at Fistral Beach!

With just under a 100 groms entering the 2 day event and great conditions throughout the weekend the UK leg of the European Moskito Tour has proved to be the best yet in 2007!

The event kicked off early on Saturday morning with a consistent 2-3 foot swell and light offshore winds giving competitors a great opportunity to show off their skills.  With the rain holding off, and the promise of sunny skies ahead, the crowds at the beach were about to witness the UK’s best up and coming surfers in action.

The early rounds of the Under 12’s and Girls divisions got underway, with heats running back to back maximizing the great conditions on offer.  From early on, 11 year old Harry Timson proved to be a surfer to watch out for, ripping through his early heats in the under 12’s division with some fantastic surfing.

Zoe Sheath (15) and Holly Donelly (15) cruised through the early girls rounds getting themselves into the final against other stand outs Kathlean Spears and Tassy Swallows.
It was Holly however who took the honors winning the girls division with some impressive surfing to seal the victory!  Holly also posted the highest score of the event with a 9.17.
In the Under 12’s, Harry Timson convincingly took the win, with a high standard of surfing beyond his years, even managing to combo the other 3 finalists with a combined 2 wave score of 17.33!  After the prize giving Harry said, “I’m really excited, I surfed well today and I can’t wait to get in the Under 14’s tomorrow, I’m gonna try and win that too!”  Harry walked away laden with prizes from the event sponsors.

Competitors were greeted with an increase in swell size on Sunday morning.  With a solid 4 to 5 foot shorebreak pounding the high tide mark at Fistral event directors were pleased to have completed the under 12’s division the previous day.  “The shorey was pretty heavy,” Phil Richardson said, “some of the younger kids were amped for it but you can’t expect everyone to get out there, especially if they don’t know the break at Fistral as well as others.”

The first round of Under 16’s got underway from 9am with all 8 heats running back to back, followed by the quarter finals of the Under 14’s division.  As the tide dropped the swell started to pick up on the good banks at Fistral, providing perfect 4 to 5 foot competition waves. 

Again, youngster Harry Timson was proving to be a formidable contender, cruising through his heats in the under 14’s and working his way into the semis with some impressive surfing in the larger conditions.  Leon Mansfield (14) also showed off some great moves, putting in powerful turns and high performance maneuvers throughout his heats, working his way into the Under 14’s final.

In the Under 16’s heats Jack Butler (16) and Toby Donachie from Constantine showed off some fantastic surfing, with Toby posting the highest Under 16 combined score of 16.90.  Jack was unfortunate not to make the final but Toby powered through to meet the other 3 finalists – Josh Hughes, Stuart Campbell and Josh Piper.

The final of the Under 14’s kicked off in excellent mid-tide Fistral surf.  From the outset Leon Mansfield posted high scores and looked set to win the heat hands down!  His high standard of surfing and wave selection was phenomenal and he was rewarded by the judges high scores, combo’ing his fellow competitors with a 16.00.  When the hooter sounded for the end of the heat it was obvious who had won.

The final of the Under 16’s was the most competitive heat of the event with all 4 surfers working hard to claim the win.  With some great surfing Toby almost had the final in the bag and was getting ready to claim the win but in the dying moments of the heat Stuart Campbell rode an excellent wave from way outside, whacking it all the way through to the inside, and scored well for it, getting the score he needed to steal victory away from Toby.

The awards ceremony signaled the end of the 2 day event, with all finalists being awarded a mass of prizes from the event sponsors, including the latest sunglasses from Electric, clothing from Santa Cruz and Board bags and other goods from Globe.
During the prize giving the lucky winner of the highly sort after limited edition Santa Cruz G-Deck surfboard was awarded via a raffle draw. 

With kids of all ages entering the event, the youngest competitor being 8 year old Angus Scotney from St Mawgan, the UK leg of the Moskito Tour was deemed a huge success!

Phil Richardson, Marketing Manager for Electric Europe, said “I’m really stoked with how the event went off, we couldn’t have asked for better conditions, the standard of kids surfing in the UK is as good as anywhere in Europe!  I was really impressed with the way the kids attacked the surf and also with the UK surf scene”.

Brad Hockridge, Santa Cruz Europe, said “The event was a great success, we were blessed with great waves for competitors to show off their potential.  We flew Matt ‘Ratt’ in from the States and we were stoked to see him throwing some big maneuvers in the UK surf and for him to be on hand to explain the Santa Cruz Epoxy board revolution.”

The Moskito Tour now heads to Santander in Spain to get the best out of the Spanish groms!

Final Results:

Under 16 Division
1.    Stuart Campbell
2.    Toby Donachie
3.    Josh Hughes
4.    Josh Piper
Under 14 Division
1.    Leon Mansfield
2.    Max Tucker
3.    Chris Kelly
4.    Tom Good
Under 12 Division
1.    Harry Timson
2.    Sam Harwood
3.    Connor Swan
4.    Dillon Scotney
Girls Division
1.    Holly Donelly
2.    Zoe Spears
3.    Kathlean Spears
4.    Tassy Swallow

Electronic judging System:
For the first time in a BSA event a revolutionary digital judging system was used.  Each judge disposed of the usual clipboard and paper score sheet method, replacing it for a handheld computer system that wirelessly converted the scores back to the main computer.  This allowed for instant results not only benefiting the BSA staff but also the spectators and competitors.

About the Moskito Tour 2007:

Created in 2001 the annual Moskito Tour hosted by Electric has become an established part of the French and Spanish surfing calendars for young kids of all levels.

Now in its seventh year Electric’s Moskito Tour of kids surf events has expanded its legs to include, for the first time, the UK.  The Moskito Tour 2007 will have seven stops across Europe, from April to August, featuring events in Spain, France, Portugal and England.

The Moskito Tour is a great starting block for any aspiring surfing professional to test their skills in the competitive field and a good opportunity for more experienced competitors to hone their skills in a mixed field of competitors, not to mention the possibility of bagging some great prizes.

The Moskito Tour – Europe schedule of events:

Portugal:
-    Costa Da Caparica, Lisbon        28-29 April
France:
-    Les Sable d’Olonnes, Vendee    5-6 May
-    La Torche, Brittany            12-13 May
England:
-    Fistral Beach, Cornwall        2-3 June
Spain
-    Playa del Somo, Santander        21-22 June
-    Zarautz Surf Club, Zarautz        14-15 July
France
-    Seignosse, Landes            11- 12 August

Event divisions:
Each event is open to all levels of surfing over 4 divisions:
-    Boys 12 and under
-    Boys 14 and under
-    Boys 16 and under
-    Girls 16 and under (Girls are also eligible to enter all boys divisions)

Event Administration:
Event directors: Phil Richardson, Perrinie Lecabellec, Karen Walton (BSA)
Head judge: Gilberto (Association of Surfing Professionals)

Event Inscriptions/Enrollment:
For more info, check out:  www.electricvisual.com and www.myspace.com/moskitotour2007 or email moskitotour@yahoo.com

Thanks to everyone who supported the UK leg of the Moskito Tour specifically the BSA and all media partners, including Surfers Village.

All photos to be credited to Event Media UK/BSA.  www.eventmediauk.com

The Moskito Tour 2007 is presented equally by – Electric, Santa Cruz, Globe and FCS

Newquay nightlife, live music

Forgot to say that whilst in Newquay on the Bank Holiday weekend I went to the Vic bars in the back streets to see a group called the Dolmen had a great night and even bought the CD which is really cool, (even though my daughter described it as Pirate music).

This is the CD I purchased and you can find out more about the group and their music @  www.thedolmen.com If you get a chance go and watch them and Ceri on the Flute. I reckon you will have great night out 2.

Roll on September, as am heading to the Bestival on the Isle of Wight can not wait...

Newquay surfing

I flew out of Cardiff airport on friday night and within 25 mins was landing in Newquay. Air South west run a fantastic service and just to let you know it costs £17 one way to take your board on the short flight.

We had a small private group session and the guys opted to spread their surfing sessions over three days and then by night hit the town, hence we did not start until very late in the morning.

The surf was pumping all weekend and in fact on saturday arvo we had to cut the lesson short due to the high tide shore dump that is happening at fistral beach at the moment.

On saturday night I went back to the Lotus Thai and am glad to report it was 'ab fab darlings', if you go to newquay try this place out. I had the 'weaping tiger' it was awesome.

Here is Tom riding a wave to the beach, he was a super cool guy and  really amped at his successful surfing trip.

For more information on private group surfing session at fistral beach for more information on booking your surfing development courses simply click here surfing newquay

Rip Curl Boardmasters Returns for Another Awesome Summer Festival

Why not? Combine a private small group or 1-2-1 surf lesson on the famous Fistral beach and then head to Europe’s biggest surf, skate and music Festival, the Rip Curl Boardmasters, will return for it’s 26th year to Newquay from 6th - 12th August 2007.   

As a premier lifestyle and Music Festival, the Rip Curl Boardmasters has gone through massive evolution since it’s early days. Born during Britain’s pro surfing explosion in the 1980s, the Boardmasters festival has welcomed a number of surfing’s World Champions.  Now spread across the whole town of Newquay in over three sites, the festival features a huge range of activities that entertain around 220,000 visitors each year, heavily boosting the tourism industry within the South West area.

The Rip Curl Boardmasters events include a $100,000 5* Men’s World Qualifying Series† (WQS) surf contest, a Women’s 3* WQS $15,000 event, Vans Summer Session Vert and Eastpak Miniramp skate contests, a huge trade village and Foster’s Beach bar. The festival’s music event, Unleashed,  will also return for a 3rd year at the stunning cliff top location of Watergate Bay, arguably the country’s most unique location for a live music event and previously headlined by major music acts including Feeder, Razorlight and James Blunt.

UNLEASHED HEADLINE ACTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON 12TH APRIL! In addition to the Unleashed rock festival, the musical offering at the Rip Curl Boardmasters continues to grow.  The Foster’s Beach Bar on Fistral Beach will host seven nights of live music at the ‘Beach Sessions’ presenting a selection of artists across a plethora of musical tastes from reggae soul to rock and punk.

The Rip Curl Boardmasters is the UK’s longest running surf event held at the country’s most famous beach break. The International surf contest hosted over the week-long festival is considered the start of a series of European Events on the gruelling WQS circuit and is visited by the World’s hottest surfers.

The Vans Summer Session is the biggest vert skate comp in the UK, if not Europe and is a massive highlight of the entire Rip Curl Boardmasters Festival. Skaters are invited from around the World to challenge for the coveted Summer Session Crown and the $20,000 prize purse!

Tickets for Unleashed cost £25 each night or £45 for a weekend ticket.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketweb.co.uk (search for Rip Curl) or call Ticketweb’s 24-Hour charge-by-phone on 08700 600 100

For further information on the Rip Curl Boardmasters visit www.ripcurlboardmasters.com

For further information and images please contact: Claire Lynch/Claire@sportsvision.co.uk or James Rodd/ james@sportsvision.co.uk  on +44 (0) 208 789 6655 or go to www.ripcurlboardmasters.com

Escape from the city part deux

Simon parker asked the following question regarding my article entitled 'escape from the city', mainly aimed at land locked Cardiff based surfers..How do you get your boards down there? Do Air Southwest take surfboards, and if so, how much?

Well I am sorry to report that after repeated emails and telephone calls to the Air south west team, I still am not clear and therefore unable to answer your question Simon, sorry.

However, I am flying back 2 Newquay this friday night as we have private group lessons down at Fistral beach this weekend and will ask the guys at the desk.

It is a real shame that Air South West have not got their act together regarding their website and customer information. This is always a sign of a company living in the past, 'pre-internet' generation.  I have asked them to answer the comment posted by Simon.

Anyway, as stated in the last article it is a fantastic service and I hope it lasts as I hate driving 4 - 5 hours especially when you hit the A30 !

I will keep you updated on board prices and any feedback from Air south west..

Escape from the city

Last Tuesday I jumped on a plane from cardiff and flew to Newquay, cornwall within 45 minutes I was running a surfing lesson for a group from Cardiff, we surfed for the day and then all flew back the following day.  newquay is a great place to learn to surf if you live close to an airport and not lucky enough to have an easy drive to your local surfing beach or surf school.

I flew with Air South West and am back down at Fistral beach in ten days time. Fistral beach and Mawgam Porth are now the closest beaches for the Cardiff population to surf at now, no more long drives to pembrokeshire or North Devon.

For more information about the excellent service and  flights from Cardiff checkout the link here click to fly

For more information on Newquay, Cornwall surfing, checkout the info about  Newquay's finest below.

A virtual tour of Newquay, Cornwall’s most popular holiday resort, is now available on a newly-launched website, www.newquaysfinest.co.uk  Its creator, James Keith, head of Newquay-based web design company Quick Hits, claims the tour’s depth and quality has few if any equals among European resorts.

He has combined cutting-edge software with his own photographic talent to create the 15-minute tour covering five miles, hailing “Virtual Newquay” as a revolutionary new way to explore the area. 

“‘Virtual Newquay’ provides visitors with the sort of clearer vision of the town that just wasn’t previously possible short of actually visiting the place,” he explains.

“With Newquay’s Finest, not only can you take a virtual tour of the coastline surrounding Newquay, but you can actually go into shops and businesses on the way.  Fortunately, we had some good days of sunshine when I was doing the photography earlier this year, so I’ve even laid on guaranteed sunshine for the virtual visitor!”

The tour can start from a location of the browser’s choice, but the recommended route begins at Trenance Gardens and heads along the Gannel Estuary and onto Pentire Headland and Fistral Beach to Towan Head.

The route then continues to Newquay Harbour and into the town, followed by Newquay Bay and Porth Island.  James plans to take many more photographs this summer to constantly enhance the tour.

Totalling 250 pages, the Newquay’s Finest website also includes a local business web directory, surfing information, competitions, a chat forum and local jobs.

James enthuses:  “Ahead of their visit to Newquay for real, visitors to the website can enjoy a unique insight into  the finest of everything that Newquay has to offer – which is saying a lot!”

Among many other features, real time surfing and weather conditions and forecasts are displayed and website visitors also have the chance to win a custom shaped Adams Surfboard.