Forget Porthemmet - give me Porth!

Posted on October 5, 2007
Filed Under - leisure |

Today was as warm and sunny as a day in July. I was sunbathing outside in a bikini - in October! This morning I went for a stroll along the cliffs with a friend who lives up the road from me. I took this picture of Watergate Bay in all its glory. In my opinion, it looks as glamorous as the now-famous Porthemmet, only fewer palm trees.

Watergate bay, surfing

Surfing

There was good surf and plenty of surfers out in the water to enjoy it. I went surfing myself in the evening. I didn’t get down to Whipsiderry beach until almost 6pm. There were about twelve other surfers out in the water: mostly guys, a couple of kids and even another girl. It’s the first time I’ve seen another girl at my local breaks. There are female surfers around, in fact one of the best female longboarders in the country, Sophie Skinner, lives across the road from me.

Today was, I think, the biggest surf I’ve been in so far. When I first got to the line-up I was a little intimidated. But eventually I paddled for a wave and actually caught it first time! After that, I started to enjoy myself. On one occasion, however, I managed to catch a large wave without expecting it, and was already plummeting down the face before I even realised that I was on the wave and really ought to stand up. So that one was wasted and I felt like a complete idiot. I hope no-one saw me!

That said, I am having a lot of fun learning to surf. Riding a wave is the most incredible experience, something that everyone should try if they can. Age is no barrier! My next door neighbour took up surfing at the age of 60. The friend I was with today took up surfing in his 50s. It’s not about trying to be gung-ho and reclaim your youth. It’s a way of being really involved with nature, being right in there and part of the ocean.

Emotional roller-coaster

I feel quite happy and relaxed and the unusual thing is that this has been a consistent feeling over days and weeks. Before I left the rat race, my emotions were up and down like a yo-yo. I could go from happy to miserable in an instant, and often several times a day. Looking back, I was completely out of control inside. I would feel angry at myself for being that way but be unable to prevent it. It’s a corny simile but it really was like being on an emotional roller-coaster.

Now that it has stopped I can hardly believe I had the energy to cope with it all. I’m sure that if I had let that situation continue I would have cracked at some point. I am so pleased I made the decision to give up the career and move to Cornwall. It turned out to be a good decision but I honestly didn’t know at the time whether it was or not. That is one piece of advice that I would give to people who are thinking about doing a similar thing. Don’t waste time asking yourself whether you are doing the right thing or not, because you won’t know until you do it.

Stumble it!

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