May-Day Bank Holiday

Well, summer is genuinely upon us. We have had some warm days, and the visitors have returned in full-force.

The General Election is days away and the country is alive with talk of the next government.

Beadnell, meanwhile, is plodding-on with charming predictability.
The only real changes, which I’m sure will cause a wave of discussion, is the new menu about to be released at the Beadnell Towers, and the semi-permanent marquee that has arrived at the Craster Arms in preparation for the World Cup next month.

The end of April gave me the opportunity to take a trip up to Thurso for the most prestigious surf contest in the British Isles, the Oneill Coldwater Classic / Highland Open 6 Star Prime WQS.

The surf was mediocre, the wind was strong, but the backdrop and area was stunning, and we got to meet some childhood icons along with way. All in all a good trip. Some photos below.

The surf here has been pretty decent in the last two weeks, much better than the previous months, and we’re crossing our fingers for more of the same.

I even managed to make a quick edit for the San Sebastian Surf Film Festibal in Spain. :)

More as it happens form the shores of Beadnell…

Deepest December. Cold, dark and bleak.

So… Just back form a week riding the powder in Val Thoren. What a good week.

Crew

VT

The village has slipped into dormancy, happily, after a busy summer. The weather is cold, the days are dark and short. There is snow on the ground as I write this post.

The surf has been pretty average for autumn, a few clean swells but mostly junky cross-shore, small period mediocrity. Ive still been getting in, but more out of desperation than desire.

December was a massive month for surf news, with Hawaii firing with epic huge swells. The ASP tour was won by Mick Fanning after Parko stumbled in the Pipe event which was eventually won by Taj, for the first time, with Kelly coming second. Parko, although pipped at the post for the world title, took the Triple Crown Title for a second year, after Sunset and Haleiwa both produced quality entertainment.

And finally, the Eddie ran. 5 years in the waiting, with 30ft+ swell, it went off, massively, with Greg Long winning in the last heat to steal 1st place form Slater. Epic.
I watched all 8 hours straight on the web, one of the best live streams ive ever seen.

I was doing some tidying-up the other day and found these shots from the end of summer, and so thought I should share them.

Hope you like the flash-back to a warmer, sunnier Beadnell.

So, back to reality. at least the winter solstice has now passed, and its officially getting warmer and lighter everyday.

The New Year will bring new swell.

See you out there. :)

b

Shut-down. Winter arrives. Where is the swell ?

“Its not that bad”. You have to tell yourself that.
Ok, its not summer anymore, the nights are cutting-in, and the air is getting colder.
But it gets a lot worse than this.

Grey Abyss

Autumn is usually a decent period for swells, and although its not been flat, we’ve not had it epic yet either.
A few decent glassy afternoon’s at Bamburgh have been rewarding, but we want more.

With the dark and cold becoming ever-more ominous, the villages have shut-down for winter the last few tourists will be here for the schools half-term, and then at the end of October the caravan sites will close for winter, and that’s it for another year.

The shortboards and thrusters are being cleaned-off for the big winter swells, the fat fish, eggs and mals are put away.

I had better find those gloves…

In the meantime with the surf and water locally providing little inspiration, there are a few distractions to look forward to. The end of October means Halloween, and the village of Beadnell takes this very seriously, with competition, prizes and a grand night to be had. Some locals have been making their costumes for a month already… no names mentioned.

Halloween Lantern

Check out the Craster Arms on the 31st for all the fun.

To help pass the time, there has also been the European leg of the ASP Tour, France and Spain just finished, the boys are in Portugal awaiting the event to start.

With only two events left, there are ten potentials aiming for the title. Parko has slipped in the last two events and Mick Fanning has had two wins, with the Mundaka event being won by Adriano. Bede, Taj, CJ and Bobby are all in the running.

Slater is in 5th, and you know he’s still a threat, with Pipe to come. Check the rating here.

Some highlights from the last events below. Not exactly perfect conditions at either location… but worth a look.

See you in the water.