COAST CHARACTER

Elegance incarnate on the ocean, professional longboarder Mike Lay cut his teeth on Cornish waves and after years of competing around the world has returned home to the Penwith Heritage Coast to settle down

Mike Lay,

Cornwall

Igrew up in St Just, a few miles inland from the West Cornwall coast. It was pivotal to my upbringing and remains such an intrinsic part of my being. The coastline is very rugged; in the summer it can feel tropical, but in the winter it’s elemental and moody. You’re at the end of the country, next stop Bay of Biscay, and there’s a powerful feeling of finality and solace with the land behind you and a mass of ocean ahead.

I learned to surf at Sennen Cove and Gwynver Beach with a juniors club, later specialising in longboarding, which is better suited to the Cornish waves. Given free rein, I’d surf every day, all day long, because it’s all-encompassing and the search for the perfect wave is so compelling. You can surf all year round here – if Sennen and Gwynver are wild, the Bay of Penzance is more sheltered.

After a decade of travelling to surfing competitions and to ride waves for pleasure all over the world, I’m laying down new roots here now with my wife Frankie, who’s from Jersey. I can’t think of a better place to be, amidst this like-minded community where beach culture is so significant. We’ve got a little house with a few acres of land and we’re planning what we’re going to do here.

It’s an oasis of calm.

I take our dog Ronnie out for lots of walks and I find it really rewarding discovering the ancient history of this part of Cornwall, which includes Bronze Age settlements and barrows. In the summer, I work as a beach lifeguard at Gwynver, one of the most exposed beaches in the UK, with its strong rip currents. One rescue a day is usual but it can be as many as six. Stay well within your depth would be my best advice. Mike Lay is brand ambassador for

Finisterre (finesterre.com). He’s also an avid supporter of Surfers Against Sewage and its #millionmilebeachclean. Follow him on Instagram at @laymike.