Watersports

Imagine crystal clear water breaking over soft sand, the warmth of the sun on the back of your neck... and cool, fresh air filling your lungs.

When it comes to sun, sand and surf, the Isle of Tiree has a distinctive pedigree. Every October the UK’s windsurfing elite descend upon the island for the Tiree Wave Classic, a major event that also brings in competitors from around the world. This year’s is the 25th.

This country does watersports rather well. When you consider Scotland has 60 per cent of Britain’s coastline, and nearly 800 islands, it’s hardly surprising that messing about on the water is a much loved pastime for many.

Whether you’re enjoying a peaceful sail on tranquil waters or a high-octane bounce across the waves, Scotland’s scenery and atmosphere are unrivalled. Wild and free, with plenty of room to splash about and without too much heavy commercial shipping traffic or crowded harbours, the seas and waterways are clean and inviting.

When it comes to board sports in particular, however, Tiree has staked a definite claim. It’s not difficult to understand the appeal of this Inner Hebridean gem. The island sparkles like a diamond, fringed by white sandy beaches, and warmed by more than its fair share of sunshine, often even late in the year. Family friendly, the flat, quiet roads add to the charm of a rural community, where 800 people are scattered across an area measuring 10 miles by five.

When the Wave Classic hits Tiree’s shores, though, it does get a tad livelier.

That great combination of a mild climate and strong winds ensures an exciting week for the windsurfing enthusiasts who will flock to the island, with Britain’s top pro and amateur competitors participating in what is now the sport’s longest-standing event.

In at the deep end

We put those claims for climate and conditions to the test in summer this year, heading to Tiree with friends and our collection of teenage sons, and renting a roomy house by the sea on the north of the island. The weather didn’t disappoint: there were a few rainy moments, but they quickly passed.

As we hoped, the boys had an idyllic week, cycling the 15 minutes west to Balevullin Bay for daily surfing lessons. I watched, somewhat fearfully, from the shore, as they flipped and slipped in the waves, emerging euphoric each time they followed through to skim upright into the shallows.

Keeping a careful eye on their progress was Craig “Suds” Sutherland, of Suds Surf School, who chases the winds to the beach each day, hiring out the boards and the wetsuits, coaxing all ages into the surf.

Originally from East Lothian, Suds first began coming to the island on family holidays, and was soon hooked.
“It’s just such a laid-back place,” he enthuses. “It offers a really good lifestyle and we have some of the best beaches in the world here. For learning to surf, it’s as good as you’ll find anywhere. The season starts at Easter and goes right through a busy summer until just after October.”

All relative

What passes for a “busy” summer on Tiree, however, would hardly rival the equivalent European seaside resort. There might be a longer queue in the Co-op, say, or perhaps all four of the outside tables at the Scarinish hotel might be taken.

There is a second hotel on Tiree, the Lodge at Gott Bay, the eastern shore where the drama of the Wave Classic is played out – and the bar is always in good voice that week.
Also at Gott Bay is the internationally recognised Tiree Kitesurf Academy, run by Helen Thompson. The former British pro women’s kitesurfing champion, Thompson is another Tiree resident who had holidayed on the island, eventually moving from her home in Killearn to settle there because of her sport, in which the surfer uses a kite rather than a sail.

“Tiree has such clear water and with the highest wind speed in Scotland and the UK, it’s the best place to learn,” she says. “It’s also allowed me to practise at the highest level. It’s difficult to find all these conditions, the climate, the wind, anywhere else.

“I started windsurfing at the age of eight, after coming here on holidays. At 16 I started kite buggying and eventually progressed to kitesurfing. The sport has taken me all over the world and I’ve competed throughout Europe, in Egypt, South Africa and the United States.

“Still, though, for offering everything in a small area, Tiree is unique. There is a 360-degree wind, which means you can have perfect conditions any direction, and the island is so flat and right out in the ocean, so there is no turbulence. The wind is clean, there are no mountain ranges to disrupt it, and it is exposed to the big swells of the Atlantic.”

Time to unwind

This unique appeal extends to the clouds of wildflowers strewn in the Tiree machair, the flocks of seabirds, the evening call of the seals, and the breathtaking glimpses of basking sharks, their fins silently cutting the waters offshore.
We finished up our evenings on the island with sausages sizzling on the barbecue, and cold beers sipped in the garden overlooking the sea. Our sons had a carefree week, the best possible preparation for a looming school year to be focused on Standard Grades.

Small but perfectly formed, Tiree is ideal for boardsports, but it is not the only place in Scotland where you can enjoy them. Whether you are looking for the chance to take in an event or to take the plunge yourself, a good starting point is simply to check out the various governing bodies.

With one in four of us enjoying watersports of some kind each year, it’s worth remembering other types of sailing can be less labour intensive than the board variety, but still provide a thrilling sense of adventure.

Scotland’s Shirley Robertson might have gone on to bag gold medals in back-to-back Olympic Games, but she learned the ropes by sailing on Loch Ard in the Trossachs from the tender age of seven.

Whether you play hard, or just want some fun, there is nowhere better than Scotland’s wide open waters to take some time out, and turn your face into the wind.

Find out more

Royal Yachting Association Scotland
www.ryascotland.org.uk

Surfing GB
www.surfinggb.com

British Wavesailing Association
www.britishwavesailingassociation.com

British Kitesurfing Association
www.britishkitesurfingassociation.co.uk

Waterski Scotland
www.waterskiscotland.co.uk

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Fly to Tiree with flybe

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