Working in Newquay for the summer
Posted on November 4, 2007
Filed Under - work | Leave a Comment
I’ve been in Newquay throughout the 2007 season, and now that summer has come to an end it is a good time to go through the essentials you need to know if you are intending to come down to Newquay for the season.
Finding accommodation
It’s always best to start your search as early as possible. The season lasts from April to September, so many rooms have been snapped up by April/May. The further into the summer, the less choice you have and the more prices go up. However, people do move out of flats or houseshares at short notice, so if you are in Newquay and keep your ear to the ground, you should be able to get something. The two estate agents in Newquay dealing with rentals are Start & Co and David Ball. Other good sources of information are the window ads in the Choc Box (a newsagent in the centre of town) and the local newspaper, the Newquay Guardian, which comes out on a Wednesday.
See also my post on Things to know about flat-hunting in Cornwall.
Rent
Although Newquay is relatively expensive compared to most of Cornwall, there is a huge range of accommodation, so it should be possible to find something to suit every budget. The cheap options if you are down for the summer working are a caravan or a room in a shared house (around £70 per week). You will generally need to have a job sorted or prove that you’ve got the money to cover the rent for, say, six months. If you plan to be here even longer, a shared house/flat is probably a good option. I don’t have much experience of surf lodges but as far as I can tell they are not the best option if you are staying for the season. They work out more expensive than a room in a shared house and they get booked up very early. They can also be a bit scummy and noisy! Fine if you’re on holiday, not so good if you’ve got to get up for work in the morning. Not sure what the latest is on caravans either – perhaps someone can enlighten me? Some of the campsites used to rent caravans long term to people who were down for the season but the council seems to have put a stop to that this year. If there are campsites that still do this, I suspect you will need to get in there early.
Jobs
The job market in Newquay is pretty much what you’d expect from a seaside holiday town. 
There’s plenty of bar work, chambermaiding etc, all minimum wage stuff. I think you get a better hourly rate with the local supermarkets, Somerfield and Morrisons. If you don’t mind commuting to somewhere like Truro, you’ve got a wider range of options such as office work. Basically, if you are getting in the region of £6.50-7 an hour for a temp job, you are doing well. Jobs can be found from the same sources as accommodation – the local paper, the window of the Choc Box or just keeping your ear to the ground and trawling the town. There is also a job centre which is worth popping into. As mentioned above, you often need to have a job before you can secure decent accommodation, so if you are just going to turn up and look for work, stay at a cheap out-of-town campsite while you find a job, then get your accom sorted.
Transport
In the summer extra bus services are laid on within Newquay, not only to supplement the main routes but also to ferry happy campers to and from their campsites. If you happen to live on a route to a campsite (as I do) you can take advantage of this service, with buses running far into the night. There are also regular buses to Truro and St Austell, and somewhat less frequently to Padstow, St Ives etc. I have a bike that I use to get around town, to the supermarket etc. Be warned that Newquay is quite hilly and the surrounding area is also undulating. It is a bit of a pain if you don’t have a car, especially if you need to ferry a surfboard around. That said, I’ve coped without a car throughout the summer so it is possible! If you don’t have a car, make sure you get accommodation near to whatever it is you are interested in. For example, if you want to surf, make sure you are within walking distance of a surfing beach. It will make your experience so much better.
Shops
Newquay’s got the basic supermarket and high street names plus loads of surf shops, so you will never be short of funky clothing or naff surfboards. For a wider range of shops, Truro is a bus journey away. The one area where I have had to go further afield is outdoor equipment. There is a big outdoor store in Truro but its prices are not particularly competitive – perhaps because it doesn’t have any competition! I got what I needed cheaper in London on one of my visits.
The crowds
If you look on the web or talk to people who live in Cornwall you will find that Newquay is the place everyone loves to hate. There is constant moaning about the crowds, the behaviour of young people, stag and hen parties, the noise, the mayhem and so on. But it’s really no different from Saturday night in any city centre. Yes, it does get rowdy right in the centre of town and I feel sorry for the people who live there (and probably moved there when it was all nice and bucket-and-spadey), but if you find somewhere to live that isn’t on the main drag you should be fine. Be warned, there are some roads (such as Mount Wise and Edgcumbe Avenue) in town that are wall-to-wall B&Bs so you might want to avoid those.
The vibe
As far as I am concerned, Newquay has lived up to my expectations of being a great place to be with a laid-back vibe and interesting, like-minded people. It feels different from other towns in Cornwall: there’s a broader range of people around, everyone is always dressed for the beach and most people don’t have a nine-to-five job. If partying is your cup of tea, there is plenty of it about. My hardcore partying days are over and I prefer more chilled-out way of spending my time: there are some nice local pubs if you know where to look, or you can just hang out at the surf shop.
In summary….
There are loads of people down for the season doing exactly what you are doing so you won’t be alone. Wages are low and it might take you a while to find good accommodation but the atmosphere is relaxed, the beaches are lovely and you’ll meet some great people.
Additional info
If you have any info to add to the above, please leave a comment. I’m writing from my own experience and there may be useful stuff that I haven’t encountered myself.
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How to buy your first surfboard
Posted on November 4, 2007
Filed Under - leisure | Leave a Comment
Buying your first surfboard is very exciting but also daunting as there are many types of surfboards out there and differences in shape, materials etc are a pretty technical subject.
The key thing to focus on is to get a board that is right for you, not just the latest trendy brand or shape. If you get the wrong kind of surfboard you won’t be able to surf it properly, you’ll get discouraged and you won’t have fun in the water. You might even give up surfing altogether, which would be a real pity!
How do you know which surfboard is right for you? Ideally, you would talk to someone who knows their stuff - your surf instructor, if you have one, might be a good start. If you can get to Newquay, I highly recommend Tunnel Vision surf shop (seen in the picture above). They will give you honest advice with absolutely no expectation that you will then spend money in their shop.
Alternatively, see if you can try out a few different boards before committing to buying one. Borrow from friends, ask surf hire owners very nicely!
Although the best advice will come from an expert, you can do youself a favour by picking up some basic information that will help you to understand all the surfboard jargon. Here’s what I found useful when I was buying my first board.
Softboards
When buying your first surfboard, there are two main aspects to consider: length and materials. If you go to a surf school, the first board you ride will be a ‘foamie’, a 9 ft-plus foam longboard which is very stable, soft and easy to ride. However, there’s little point buying one of these because you will outgrow it very quickly.
Longboards and shortboards
If you are interested in longboarding, you will progress to a hard longboard, also known as a mal (short for malibu) which is anything over 8 foot. If you are interested in shortboarding, you will progress to a hard shortboard, which is under 7 foot.
Briefly, longboards are more buoyant, stable and easier to paddle than shortboards, and shortboards are much more manoeuvrable than longboards. Most surfers that you see on TV or in the water will be riding shortboards. But longboarding has a following in the UK partly because longboards are easier to ride in crap surf – of which we get rather a lot! Experienced surfers often have several boards of different dimensions and designs that they ride in different surf conditions. And if you are a big lad, you might never bother with a shortboard as it won’t have enough bouyancy.
Mini-mals
But that’s jumping ahead. There’s an intermediate level when you are progressing from your beginner longboard to a shortboard, which is the mini-mal. These are usually 7 – 9 foot, and somewhat easier to carry than a full longboard. People who only surf a couple of times a year may never manage to progress beyond a mini-mal, so it’s a popular board to buy. This also means that it is relatively easy to pick one up second hand in decent condition - and sell it again once you’ve outgrown it.
Fibreglass and Epoxy
Most surfboards are either made of polyurethane foam and fibreglass with a polyester resin (fibreglass boards). Or they are made with polystyrene foam and epoxy resin (epoxy boards). It’s all getting a bit technical here but the basic difference is that epoxy boards are more durable and lighter but less flexible, whereas fibreglass boards are more flexible and perform better.
Custom and Pop Out
The other basic difference to be aware of is between Pop Out boards and Custom boards. Custom boards are shaped by hand, whereas Pop Out boards are produced from a factory mould. Most people prefer a Custom board to a Pop Out, but Pop Outs tend to be cheaper. Somewhat misleadingly, Custom in this context doesn’t necessarily mean shaped for you. Actually the best type of board to buy is a genuine ‘custom’ board, where the board has been shaped for you personally. It is definitely something to consider, even for your first board.
Buying guides
I’ve been having a look at surfboard buying guides on the internet and I haven’t found one yet that I would wholeheartedly recommend. It’s a difficult topic to write about in a brief article. Most guides either don’t have enough information or they are just confusing. However, some are useful and I have listed them below.
For a clear, concise explanation of the basics aimed at beginners, look at this site from New Zealand.
To find out more about surfboard types and shapes, check out the guide from secondhandboards.com.
There’s a more detailed, idiosyncratic guide from The Little Pink Shop in Croyde. It’s not the clearest article in the world but it makes a brave attempt to explain some of the subtleties for the reader who wants to dig a little deeper. Be aware though that they concentrate on the brands that they stock – there are other brands out there worth considering.
360guide, which also has an excellent wetsuit buying guide, also has some interesting material on surfboards. There is a comprehensive explanation of surfboard features, which is fascinating background but more information than you really need if you are a beginner. There’s also an entertaining canter through the history of the surfboard which is worth a read.
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How to buy your first wetsuit
Posted on November 4, 2007
Filed Under - leisure | Leave a Comment
I bought my first wetsuit for surfing this year. I’ve used it for a few months and it’s been great so I thought I would share with you how I bought it. There are other online guides from shops and suppliers, but mine is from a completely independent newbie!
If you are going to be surfing for more than a week or two it is really worth putting some effort into finding the right suit. Make sure you talk to salespeople in shops as most of them give basic advice, although some need a bit of prompting! In Newquay I got friendly, comprehensive advice from Andy at Tunnel Vision and Marlon at Newquay Surf Centre - from whom I eventually bought my wetsuit. I’ve since had a look at the advice available online and the best no-nonsense guide I have found so far is 360guide’s wetsuit guide. The guide from Magic Seaweed is also quite thorough and technical.
First, a quick reminder of how a wetsuit actually works. It keeps you warm by trapping a thin layer of water between your skin and the suit. This layer is warmed by your body, keeping you nice and warm in turn. A good wetsuit should not let in cold water and should not chafe in sensitive places! There are three aspects to consider: fit, warmth and price.
Fit
This is the key aspect. It doesn’t matter how much you spend on a wetsuit that has all the latest technology and features; if it doesn’t fit properly, it won’t do the job. So it’s very important to try wetsuits on, even though it’s a bit of a pain. Try not to pick a hot day to try them on though!
Bear in mind that the wetsuit will feel tighter when you are dry, so if anything you want the suit to feel ever so slightly too tight, as it will loosen in the water. Wetsuit sizes are the same as dress sizes, although you should err on the small side. For example, my dress size is 10-12, so a size 10 wetsuit is perfect for me. Be aware that American wetsuits may use American sizes.
Top-end wetsuits will have super stretch (or similar) all over and will therefore fit better, whereas cheaper wetsuits may have super stretch only on the arms or not at all. Also, there should not be any seams where you have a lot of movement, such as under the arms, as the suit will chafe. In particular, check around the neck area to make sure there is nothing that will chafe.
If you hire a wetsuit, you will usually be given a rash vest but you should not need one if you have your own decent wetsuit as the fit and quality will be good enough to keep you warm and chafe-free.
Some people wear swim clothes underneath their wetsuits, others just go free! Of course, if you are hiring a wetsuit it’s probably best for everyone if you wear some form of swimming costume. With my own wetsuit I sometimes wear a bikini and sometimes don’t bother with anything. The fit of my wetsuit is such that I have no problems with the suit next to the skin. In fact, I sometimes get a bit of chafing from my bikini top so going without can be better. Some girls also wear a rash vest instead of a bikini top. For men there are obviously different issues (!) and more potential for uncomfortable chafing. Most of my mates seem to be from the ‘commando’ school of wetsuit wearing, but it’s worth experimenting for yourself.
Warmth
In the UK, surfers tend to wear a 3/2mm suit in the spring/summer/autumn and a 5mm suit in the winter. This refers to the thickness of the neoprene. 3/2 means 3mm on the body and 2mm on the arms. Anything over 5mm becomes too inflexible for surfing.
The seams are crucial in keeping cold water out of the suit. There are two basic types of seams. Flatlocked stitching is cheap but only semi-watertight and therefore only suitable for summer in the UK. Blindstitching is watertight and is suitable for all year round. Some suits have liquid seams in addition to blindstitching, which makes them even warmer. If you only intend to surf for a couple of weeks in the summer and don’t want to spend much money, flatlocked is okay. For anything else you should get blindstitching. It also appears that liquid seams are becoming more standard and are no longer found only on the top-end wetsuits.
The above two aspects are often what you will see on shop labels along with the price, e.g. “Ladies 3/2 blindstitched £99″.
Top-end suits will include additional features designed to keep you even warmer, such as a batwing or extra-warm chest and back panels. A batwing is a flap underneath the zip of the wetsuit. The zip is the main area where cold water will come in so the batwing prevents the cold water from reaching the body and allows it to flush out of the suit. For my wetsuit, I decided to go for the batwing but not the extra panels, which would have been more expensive.
Price
You can spend anything from £10 to £250 and more on a wetsuit. In Newquay this summer 2007 you can get a top-end full (sometimes referred to as steamer) wetsuit for around £130. Famous brands such as O’Neill are around £150, but don’t give you much more than a suit that is £20 cheaper. I got a top-end suit for £119. They knocked a few quid off because it was last year’s model. I was also told that you can get better deals if you buy your summer suits in the winter and vice versa. It’s easier to get a good deal on a men’s wetsuit than a ladies’ wetsuit as the vast majority of wetsuits in the shops are for men.
The next level down is around £100. You won’t get a batwing but you will get blindstitching. Anything lower than that probably isn’t worth considering if you want to get into surfing seriously. If you are strapped for cash you can look into getting a decent second-hand wetsuit. I was shown one for £35 which would have been serviceable. Personally, I wouldn’t buy a second hand wetsuit as I wouldn’t know what it had been, ahem, exposed to. However, not everyone is massively bothered about that, especially if you are saving £100!
If you don’t mind spending more money, consider getting a custom made wetsuit. Local Newquay brand Snugg has a good reputation for made to measure wetsuits.
My summer suit is a C-Skins ‘Angel’ steamer, in black with nice lilac panels. I’ll be needing a winter suit soon (at the time of writing it has just turned October) so I will come back and update this article when I’ve got my winter gear sorted.
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Get more out of life by saying “yes”
Posted on November 2, 2007
Filed Under Ideas & Philosophy, Self Improvement | 3 Comments
I have just read an absorbing article over at GetRichSlowly which talks about the power of saying “yes” instead of “no”.
It really struck a chord with me. Despite my bullish nature and willingness to throw myself into dramatic situations such as giving up my job, too often I feel fear about doing the simplest things, and too often say “no”, because I’m afraid of what might happen.
For example, a few weeks ago an acquaintance said I should give them a call when I next go surfing and they would take me to a break I hadn’t been to before. And I never took this person up on the offer because I was a bit embarrassed about it. Another time someone asked me to go running with him because he wanted to get into training but I said no because I was embarrassed and thought I might hold him back. All just silly stuff, but I’m sure most of us have been there.
Who knows what might have happened if I’d said yes? I might have had a laugh and sealed two good friendships.
So I am going to start saying yes more often. I’ve even found an opportunity today to say yes to something that I said no to yesterday.
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New project - strength training website
Posted on October 31, 2007
Filed Under - projects | Leave a Comment
I’ve been on a bit of a roll recently and I’m developing another website already. This isn’t either Project Red or Project Blue, which I have referred to before. It’s another small, personal site on a subject close to my heart: strength training.
There seems to be a huge gap in the market for websites that treat women’s strength training seriously. There are a couple out there - the best being Stumptuous but I think there’s room for my perspective!
I hope I can inspire more women to train for strength as well as looks and CV fitness. Then maybe we can debunk once and for all some of the ridiculous myths and fears that do the rounds about women and strength training.
I’m hoping to get the site up and running with some great content over the next few days. I’ve had a go at filming myself in the gym to provide content for the new site. After wrestling with both Windows Movie Maker and Nero 8 (free trial version) I’ve managed to get some clips up on Youtube, although they need a bit of work. They are quite dark for some reason. Anyway, here’s a special sneak preview of my adventures in film for you lucky readers!
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Revamp of dropoutdiaries.com
Posted on October 29, 2007
Filed Under - projects | 7 Comments
I’ve been spending all my spare time recently working on this site. I’ve moved it to its own domain (dropoutdiaries.com), changed the design so that the site is easier to navigate and I am sharpening the focus of the site to make it clear that it is primarily about ways of leaving the rat race, changing your life and generating new streams of income.
I enjoy writing the blog but - as is the nature of personal blogs - it does ramble from topic to topic, so I want the main focus to be on the articles, with the blog backing them up.
Something else I did just for a laugh was to get a hoodie printed with my own design as a (subtle) advert for dropoutdiaries.com. After all, why advertise someone else’s brand when I could be advertising my own? You can see the front view and the back view in the photos. Geddit?
It’s a tough world out there for new blogs and it takes time to build up a siginifcant readership. I can’t believe how much I have learnt, even in the last 24 hours! Building a site on your own is a real adventure.
I have implemented a number of tools and tactics to try to generate some income. I don’t know at this stage which will be successful and which won’t, but it’s fun to try them out!
Above all, though, I want to create content that people really enjoy reading. I don’t get much feedback on the quality of the content, particularly of the articles. So if anyone reading this is moved to provide some literary criticism on the articles or the blog posts, do feel free!
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Business plan for Project Red
Posted on October 24, 2007
Filed Under - projects, Working for yourself | 2 Comments
Could I face the dragons… and survive?
Project Red, my online project, has now begun in earnest. I am writing the initial business plan, attempting to answer such basic questions as: How does it work? How does it make money?
The site doesn’t exist yet, so I am plucking numbers out of the air based on what I can find out from similar websites. It’s quite difficult to predict things like unique visitors, income from advertising and so on when you don’t have any base data.
But if I’ve learnt one thing from watching Dragon’s Den (ha!) it is that you’ve got to have a grasp of your numbers.
As far as software is concerned, my intention is to use an off-the-shelf product as I don’t have the resources to develop my own and the available products are absolutely fine for my purposes. There is a particular product that I like the look of but it is not the most popular of its type; it is a newer kid on the block. I am thinking about installing a copy to play around with and I will also try out one of the industry standards for comparison.
At the same time I am thinking about branding issues, look and feel, how the whole thing is to be presented. For instance , I am trying to decide whether to get someone to design a proper logo at this stage or wait until the project has been up and running for a bit and then having a re-branding exercise.
There is a lot to think about all at once. Some areas I am comfortable with, other areas are new to me. I used to be an IT project manager, so describing how the site will work and developing a plan to implement it is water off a duck’s back. But working out the financials is a different story. I’ve got little experience in this area and I’m not the most mathematically minded person either!
Nevertheless, it’s all pretty exciting. I’m confident in my ability to apply myself and grasp the basics, and I will be cornering knowledgable friends to pick their brains wherever possible.
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Manifesto for business success
Posted on October 19, 2007
Filed Under - projects, Emotions | Leave a Comment
I’ve been having a minor crisis of confidence recently. This can easily happen when you are on your own and don’t have anyone to pep you up. I lost confidence in my business ideas, the projects I want to develop to earn an income for myself. I became temporarily unconvinced that they were good ideas in the first place, and I started to lose faith in my ability to make them work.
In the meantime, I started a new temping job this week in Bodmin. It’s a small company, nice people and the work is easy. It turns out that taking a step back and just doing something relatively mindless was the break I needed. It was all getting a bit intense.
However, today I decided on a few things: a manifesto for business success, if you will!
- I am positively going to ooze confidence about my ideas! If I don’t do it, no-one will. I believe that the more I do this, the more confident I will become without even trying.
- My ideas are good. I don’t know if they are workable and I don’t know if they will work for me. But fundamentally they are good ideas and it is worth giving them a shot.
- My brain needs to be working all the time. I can’t afford to get stuck on a particular issue or not have any idea of the way forward. I need to be constantly coming up with ideas and following them through. When you are doing a mindless temping job, it is easy for your brain to go on holiday for a bit, which then seeps into your non-working hours as well. So I need to keep the plans and ideas constantly ticking over and never go anywhere without a notebook!
- I’m going to enjoy myself more. Yes, it’s still going to be intense but I can make a bit more of an effort to find the fun in it. After all, it’s what a lot of my ideas are based on, that endorphin rush, that flow of good feeling that you get when you’ve worked really hard and pushed yourself but you’ve enjoyed doing it.
I’m not going to elaborate on my ideas in this blog, at this point. I do want to keep that element of commercial confidentiality - at least until I am a bit further down the line.
But I might as well refer to them as something, so I will call them Project Red and Project Blue. Project Red is the one I’m going to concentrate on first and it is an online venture. Project Blue comes a bit later and is an offline venture.
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Surfing and money
Posted on October 8, 2007
Filed Under - leisure, - work | 1 Comment
This is the life! Went for a mid-morning surf today and I was the only person out there. It wasn’t the best session in the world as I didn’t catch many waves. I have a tendency to hover a little too far out, and today I was over-correcting this and also lurking too far in! But it’s always good to get out in the water. Especially now that I have just had a phone call from one of my temping agencies with a couple of days work for this week. If the conditions disappear, it could be the last surf I have for a while.
I was half-tempted to say no to the assignment as I was looking forward to another week off temping work. But while it’s nice to have a relaxed attitude towards earning money, I can’t be too cavalier. I have been quite pleased with how I have managed not to panic about money. I am earning less than a third of what I used to earn and paying a hefty £550 per month in rent. It would be easy to lie awake at night worrying about it, but there’s no point. I can’t magic money out of nowhere, so if there isn’t going to be enough I will have to deal with it in a practical way.
I have been keeping track of every penny I spend in a big spreadsheet. I now need to a look at all this spending and work out where I could be cutting down or not spending money at all. I think that if you concentrate on affording the things you really want (like a winter wetsuit!), you can cut out the stuff that isn’t so important and save quite a bit of money. How often do we bemoan spending money on things that we didn’t really want in the first place, hardly ever use or have too much of anyway?
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Newquay 10k road race
Posted on October 7, 2007
Filed Under - leisure | Leave a Comment
I took part in the Newquay 10k road race this morning, organised by the Newquay Road Runners. It’s one of the cheeriest races I’ve been in, lots of smiles and good humour. The weather was warm, which kept spectators and marshalls in good spirits. I liked the goodie bag and memento at the end. Instead of a medal, we all got a little wine glass with the details of the race printed on it. In the goodie bag we practically had a packed lunch: bottle of water, orange, banana, ready salted crisps, box of raisins and two (two!) bars of milk chocolate. Really quite a decent haul.
So, now the moment of truth - my time. Well, it was 59:44. My Personal Worst for a road race over that distance! Granted it was a tough, hilly course but the reason my time was so bad was the lack of training and preparation. Obviously I was aware of this and I knew I would be slow - although I didn’t think I’d be quite that slow (I was aiming for a modest sub-55 mins). However, I did enjoy myself and the fact that I did any running at all in the last few weeks is due to having this race in the calendar.
Another positive to come out of the race is the fact that my pacing was much better than it usually is. Normally I start off too fast and get slower and slower. This time I decided to run a negative split and increase the pace at the halfway point if I was feeling good. Usually in the second half of a race lots of people overtake me, especially towards the end. This time no-one overtook me in the second half of the race, although I managed to pick off quite a few people myself (probably the old and infirm). I must say, though, that with about half a mile to go my legs suddenly went leaden and my breathing got very laboured so I had to work very hard in that last part of the race.
All in all, an enjoyable Sunday morning out, and lots to work on fitness-wise!
Stumble it!
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Find out how to leave the rat race and get the life you want. Read my story and others, learn from our mistakes and be inspired by our successes!