Before the end of term, way back in June, myself and Laura decided that this was the summer that we were going to learn to surf. I had been surfing once down in Pembrokeshire but nothing much so both of us were going to head into this experience as total beginners. We had thought about attending a camp in the UK but that idea quickly went out the window when we discovered all the great camps that were situated on the continent. By chance we stumbled upon Wave Sisters, a female only surf and yoga camp off the coast of Bordeaux (they also have camps in Lanzarote and Portugal). The price was right, the dates fitted in with our plans so we quickly booked the trip and then our flights and before we knew it it was the 13th of September and we were sat in the Luton departure lounge drinking coffee and reading Vogue waiting for the 12:10 departure to the south of France.
After landing we caught a bus into Bordeux for some lunch and before we had time to explore the beautiful place we were on another bus to Lacanau - Le Huga where we were picked up in the 'Surfmobil' by our yoga and surf instructor for the week, Jelena. We drove into an area carpeted with trees with various sized cabins sprinkled all the way through. Our cabin was one of the coolest things I have ever see. We had an outside shower to rid sand off our boards, wetsuits and bodies post surf (most amazing thing ever!), a big decking area where we ate our food, practiced yoga and just chilled day and night. Inside there was a kitchen, lounge area, four bedrooms, two bathrooms and two toilets. Oh, there was also a hammock casually swaying in-between two trees outside. Amazing. At night and even in the day when we sat outside there was not a sound to be heard with the exception of a few birds here and there. Bliss.
Carcan, the town in which we were situated was very small and because we were there out of season it was even quieter with most shops and restaurant already closed for the winter. There was one small food shop open and we would make daily walks down to the centre of the village to grab some fresh bread, veg and fruit to make our own breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The first night we were there Laura, myself and two other girls walked down to the beach where it was pitch black. It was so dark that you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face. A plus to this however was that you could see the stars sooooo clearly it was insane. We just sat and listened to the invisible sea while staring into the fairy-lit sky - amazing.
We were able to surf everyday except for Tuesday where it was really stormy and the waves were just a big no-no to everyone, even the locals. Along with lessons, we had theory sessions which taught us about things such as the role of current, tides, wind and period in the creation of waves. This was actually really helpful and by the end of the week we'd walk to the beach and be able to tell where was the best place to surf that day. One good thing about this camp was that it went by the waves rather than by a specific time, meaning that we only surfed when the waves were at there best each day.
Every day we would yoga from 9-10am (except for Friday when we surfed in the morning and did yoga at 6pm) we would then usually head down to the shop to grab some food, go for a little walk and then read until the afternoon when we would violently pull on our wetsuits ("it's like having a constant hug" - words of one Miss Dowse!), took our boards out of the trailer (mine was a 8'6" longboard names Francis, Frankie if he was doing well), and walked barefoot all the way to the beach (about 5mins) - Such a free and relaxing feeling, I can not even explain. I can see how people get hooked to surfing and its lifestyle.
After a few days we all managed to stand up, although be it for a few seconds! I definitely was not very good but I loved being in the sea and surfing is all about having fun. We would normally spend 2.5/3 hours straight in the water everyday - the time would just fly by. Surfing is definitely something that I want to pursue and we are already looking into different surf spots in the UK and Ireland (and possibly Portugal :) ).
The trip was filled with laughter - seriously, if you ever need a pick me up just flick through loads of German gossip magazines and you will be in tears! Despite not understanding a word of what we were looking at we spent hours laughing at the most random pictures in those really weird European mags!!! Also I have never been more relaxed in my life. This trip is something that I will definitely be doing again. The perfect was to spend my last week of summer before heading back to uni.
Best. Trip. Ever :)
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