Thurso, Caithness By Al Mackinnon
Thurso is the most northerly town on the British mainland and was prime Viking territory – the name roughly translates as ‘the place of Thor’s river’.
I’d heard rumours that there was an Indonesian-style barrel at the end of the road in Caithness.
I was living in Cornwall at the time and one Christmas Eve I headed to Thurso to see for myself. I looked across the bay where an overhead north swell was running down the reef. There were fun waves, but no barrels.
I asked a local why it wasn’t barrelling and was told I needed to come back when solid northwest swells align with rare southeast winds. A year or two later, I made the drive again. This time the bay was like a millpond. I thought I’d been hoaxed. Then I noticed two surfers preparing their boards. The water at Holborn Head, the point behind Thurso where swells pass before arriving at the reef, turned dark.
Soon there were lines discernible in the bay. Then a groomed set arrived at formidable speed. Each swell hit the reef and thundered ferociously down the line.
It was double overhead and barrelling all the way with thick, serrated lips. But as fast as the waves arrived, they vanished again – the energy dissipated and the bay returned to a state of total calm. It was 20 minutes between sets, nothing in between. I had never seen waves do that in all my years of surfing around the UK.
FACT FILE
Type of wave: Right reef break.
Best conditions: Solid northwest swell and southeast wind.
Where to stay: Sandra’s Backpackers is a popular budget option.
Good to know: Surfing in Scotland has boomed in recent years so don’t expect to have the premier waves to yourself.