Pack your board ... and a warm wetsuit to catch some waves up north. Photograph: Britain on view
Learning to surf in Scarborough, or anywhere else up on the northeast coast, is not the obvious first choice when taking up the sport. This is mainly because the media have done such a great job of portraying Cornwall and Devon, and to a lesser extent Wales and Scotland, as the top UK surf destinations. As a result, many people living in the north believe they have to travel all the way down to Newquay, unaware that there are plenty of places to learn to surf, much closer to home.
The northeast coast has plenty to offer surfers of all abilities. Around Scarborough, South Bay is a brilliant place for learners, and both North Bay and Cayton Bay are good for all levels, as are Tynemouth, Saltburn and South Shields.
The northeast also boasts some of the best surf in the country for the more advanced surfer: there is a fantastic variety of challenging reef breaks and there are often waves here when everywhere else is flat. Staithes is one of the best-known reef breaks, but should only be attempted by experienced surfers. The beautiful Northumberland coastline is a relatively unexplored region, and as a result has many outstanding, crowd-free spots just waiting to be discovered.
"Isn't the water a lot colder?" is the inevitable question when discussing the surf on this coast. Well yes, it is a little colder up here, but only by one or two degrees all year round. Warmer wetsuits easily counteract this - don a 3/2mm or 4/3mm suit in midsummer, and cosy 5/3mm or 6mm suits in winter. There are plenty of places, especially around Scarborough and Saltburn, to hire warmer wetsuits, so surfers travelling up from the south (yes, it does happen!) don't have to shell out for new gear.
The northeast coast has a vibrant surf culture, community and industry, and some of the best surfers in the country come from this region - Gary Rogers from Saltburn, Gabriel Davis from around Tynemouth and Ryan Hammond (an up and coming young longboarder) from Scarborough.
The media rarely mention this, focussing instead on the southwest as the "surf capital". This not only is this a disservice to those of us working in the surf industry up here, but it portrays surfing (one of the fastest growing sports in the country) as a sport solely for those who have the time and money to regularly travel all the way down to Cornwall in the hope of finding decent waves.
However, on light summer evenings, many surfers living in cities such as Leeds will happily drive the short distance required to grab an after-work surf in Scarborough. We should give the northeast its due: if you live up here and want to take up surfing, there plenty of places on your doorstep offering surf lessons, equipment hire, advice and top surf action!
·Sue Hawthornthwaite is a partner in Fluid Concept Surf Shop and School in Scarborough.
