Neither Clare nor I were particularly keen on climbing out of bed in the dark this morning, but the forecast the night before suggested that there would be a small window of opportunity where light winds, good surf and blue skies might all come together for a few hours. The only snag was that those few hours were from first light until about 10am. Bleary-eyed, we threw on some clothes, put the boards in the van and set off into the glow of morning light. As we crossed the island, the full moon was setting in the dawn light, right in front of us. The photos don’t really do it justice, but it was quite a sight…

At the beach, we were also rewarded with incredible conditions! Glassy waves that peeled off to give us some great rides. We got in as the sun crested the mountains and there was just us and one other surfer in the water. Absolutely magic! At high tide, the waves all dropped off and we got out while still just about warm enough. Getting changed in the van, it was actually warmer outside in the sun rather than in the back. Feeling the warmth of the sunshine on our skin felt superb.

Once we’d got changed and had a hot drink, we walked back down to the beach where a few friends and a couple of other surfers were catching the last of the waves.

As we could see a huge bank of dark clouds over the mountains, we decided not to rush off and found a little cafe on the high street that had a sunny table outside. After enjoying a satisfying coffee and excitable de-brief of the surf, the wind (as forecast) began to pick up and the temperature soon returned to winter levels. We walked back to the van along the waters edge, delighted that we’d made it out for the ‘prime conditions’.

After a big feed back at The Cottage and a bit of kit sorting, we seemed to be just on the edge of ‘the weather’, so took a leg stretch up through the woods in the afternoon, surrounded by big clouds. My legs were feeling stiff by the time we got home after all yesterday’s running around the orienteering course! We finished the day off with some productive expedition planning by the fireside. Tired and happy!