Portugal- Surf’s up!

By now you must have realized I often get an idea in my head that I get set on and then have to carry out no matter what. Learning to surf was one of them. I’ve had this fascination with surfing since I was small; I used to watch those ads for Roxy and wonder what it felt like to be enclosed by a wave. Obviously those were professionals, but I had to start somewhere and began to research where I could learn. 

So, last summer I decided it was time to give it a try and jumped in (quite literally) at the deep end and booked a solo surfing trip to Portugal. I chose Portugal because its Atlantic Coast is supposed to have some of the best conditions for surfing in Europe. After more research I found a suitable place to stay there; The Lodge in Colares, 45 minutes from Lisbon and one of the few ‘surf camps’ that didn’t actually mean you had to camp.

In fact, The Lodge was a pretty perfect place to stay I discovered, with spacious rooms, hammocks strewn about the sunny gardens and a communal kitchen which meant I could sort my own food and eat on my patio, perfect after a tiring day.

The Lodge also organized the surfing lessons everyday. On Day One, I was so nervous I could barely eat breakfast. We were picked up by a van with surf boards lashed to the roof which deposited us at a beach close by and left in the capable hands of the friendly instructors. The first challenge of the day was getting myself into a wetsuit. The second challenge was getting myself and a board twice my size and weight to the sea. Which was quite a task since the beach was at the bottom of thousands of steps.

After these minor obstacles the fun began. We did some group warming up and then practiced pop-ups on the sand. I had been practicing for weeks leading up to this trip but still found it hard to get the move quite right. Still, after all of five minutes we were deemed ready to hit the water.

The water was so cold it took my breath away, despite the wetsuit. I guess the Atlantic never warms up, even in August. I spent most of that first morning somewhere on the sea bed, trying to see how much salt water a human can consume and generally wondering why I signed up for the whole enterprise.

I reminded myself this was my idea, and decided not to give up just yet.

Day 2 dawned wet and wild, but hey, we were doing a water-sport so what did some rain matter? We all braved the mean, grey waves, and to add insult to injury there was an unpleasant undercurrent that made it even harder. I spent most of the lesson trying to get back out to the waves each time I was thrown to the beach like some flotsam. I almost made it though, once, despite the conditions which made me believe tomorrow would be the day.

 I was right. Day 3, the sun was back, the sea was calling, and finally, I managed to stand up! I was so pleased with myself, it really is an amazing feeling getting both feet on the board and riding it to the beach. It was high-fives all around with the surf instructors- they were amazing, I would never have got it without them.

The trip looked much better after that. I had a couple more good runs, also on Day 4. It was epic to actually be surfing! Although each time I paddled out to those rolling green waves which would rise like a wall in front of me I did question my sanity.

Other than surfing, I got to relax with yoga everyday at The Lodge, lie in a hammock with a magazine, eat refreshing salads I made myself in the sun and get to know the other guests. The beach was also an easy walk away. I used to walk there each morning, to watch the first surfers of the day take on waves bathed in silvery sunlight. The days whizzed by. My muscles ached, my feet were cut by shards of seashells and I could barely lift my bag into the overhead compartment on the flight back, but it was all worth it, to say I can surf!

Practical stuff:

Getting here- The Lodge is located in Colares, about 45 minutes from Lisbon. Its best to fly to Lisbon and ask at The Lodge for a pick-up (and drop-off).

Accommodation, food, surfing etc- The Lodge has various packages; I chose a 4 night surf and yoga package which included surfing instruction each day and a yoga class. But they have a variety of options, you can even choose to do mountain biking or rock climbing. Breakfast and lunch are provided and there is a communal kitchen to fix dinner and any other meals you want. The surf van picks up who ever’s surfing each morning and drops you back, its all very well organized. They also take photos of your surfing (fails) which you can purchase afterwards. FYI- The Lodge organizes the surf lessons through Solfun, a local surf school so even if you are staying elsewhere you can still get lessons with them (they’re really good).

My top hacks- I traveled solo and was hoping to meet some others my age but it was mostly families. So, if you want to avoid that go in September when there are probably more young people. Also, the water is absolutely freezing, so you might want extra rash guards and booties.

I’m happy to have learnt the basics of surfing, but I’m definetly going to learn somewhere with warm water next time! Feel free to share any sporting adventures you’ve had abroad or anything you would like to learn (travel is a great way to learn new things).

Thanks to Susanna from Solfun for the  surfing photos. All other photos my own.