The last time I was in Australia, I told a good friend of mine, Will, that if he was ever over this way, we'd chase some swell together. So, it was great news to hear that he was scoring some good waves in Ireland this autumn! I got in touch with him and said I’d pick him up from the airport so we could chase some waves together.
We planned the trip within two weeks, and it was looking like we'd be on for some good swell. Along with my mate Luke, we headed up to Edinburgh to pick Will up and get the trip started. With only two seats in the van, we took turns rotating between the seats and the bed in the back for the rest of the journey. From first light to last, it took us a solid 18 hours to drive up.
Once we arrived, we set up our little tent in the pitch-black. When we woke up the next morning, we couldn’t believe our luck in choosing such a great spot. There was a nice slab and a few other waves close by. We ended up spending most of our time in this area, scoring and having a great time together. Over the next four days, we'd pack up the tent before sunrise, head out on the road, and check spots to get the most out of the daylight.
We mostly surfed alone, except for a few sessions at Thurso, but we managed to score it pretty well. Later in the trip, a couple of friends joined us and got some great shots on our last two days, so huge thanks to them for capturing the memories. Every night was pretty cold. I slept in all my clothes and a beanie, but it was 100% worth it. After our sessions, we'd head to a local pub to warm up and shoot some pool with the locals.