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The UK’s North Sea Coast: Surfing’s Original Cold Water Paradise

Captain Cook lived and learned to sail here before heading out to discover surfing

BY Scott Wicking |

  • The Cove.

    This is the best known wave in the area, sometimes called C land. Due to the slow drip of media exposure, it's now a rare sight indeed to few people on it whenever it breaks. Photo: Scott Wicking.

  • Iceland surf

    The best known wave in Iceland, in February. For the book Cold Water Souls. Photo: Scott Wicking.

  • Lone Peak.

    The reefs of the North East offer plenty of opportunity to escape the sheep like crowds. Photo: Scott Wicking.

  • Somewhere in the North Esat.

    The options for going right on the North East coast are limited, as it's generally the land of left handers. This fickle, slabby right remains another not very well kept secret. Photo: Scott Wicking.

  • Duck Dive.

    Taken on a massive day at the North East's worst kept secret. He was held under for quite a while. Photo: Scott Wicking.

  • Outer Hebrides in spring.

    Photo: Scott Wicking.

  • Scottish Isle Slab in Summer.

    Look at a map of the Scottish Isles and you'll see that there are hundreds to choose from. After several recce's of this Isle, we scored solid surf for three days all to ourselves. Photo: Scott Wicking.

  • Solo session.

    Photo: Scott Wicking.

  • Scottish Isle in Summer.

    The Scottish Isles can be a surfers paradise if the elements conspire. On this mission we surfed 11 times in three days. being so far North, the evening session lasted until 11.15pm. Photo: Scott Wicking.

  • The Gare.

    This is a fickle, man made, industrial fizz bomb of a wave. It's extremely fickle in nature, needing very specific conditions & breaking only a handful of times a year. Situated at he mouth of the River Tees, the water quality is a cocktail of petro chemical run off, human faecal matter & bracish fresh water. Despite this, when it's on, the locals are all over it. Photo: Scott Wicking.

  • Yorkshire Point.

    The North doesn't receive any warmth from the Gulf Stream, so winter temperatures are a pretty chilly 4-7c. Photo: Scott Wicking.

Good surf doesn’t happen every day on England’s North Sea coast. But when it does, it’s some of the best the UK has to offer. Aside from the wild, historic coastline (Captain Cook lived and learned to sail here before heading out to discover surfing) the area has a huge variety of reefs and points, so when the swell does arrive there are plenty of options to choose from. The only fly in the ointment is the freezing temperatures, making this one of surfing’s original cold water surf zones.