Scotland- March

manbearpig

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May 11, 2009
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Thinking about changing things up and trying to avoid crowds for a trip this winter. No stranger to cold and have traveled to cold destinations in the past. Anyone have any insight as to how the surf is this time of year in Scotland, particularly Thurso?
 
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gbg

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Jan 22, 2006
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Thinking about changing things up and trying to avoid crowds for a trip this winter. No stranger to cold and have traveled to cold destinations in the past. Anyone have any insight as to how the surf is this time of year in Scotland, particularly Thurso?
If you are flexible in your schedule, wait til the swell and conditions line up. Might pay more but less risk.
 

Mr Doof

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Jan 23, 2002
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Surfed in Thurso in the 80s (and stayed with a friend of a friend who's dad was in the LA Olympics on the skeet/trap shooting team for the UK).

Fall is best.

Spring is worst.

You can always get lucky.

I advise distillery tour and long walks on the edge of the island in a gale, not specifically the latter after the former, but if you aren't an outdoorsie type or don't care about such things, doing so may make things more entertaining.
 

Mr Doof

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Jan 23, 2002
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I would trust them over me as I was there for a short while, just once, and a long time ago.

Still, winter should be biggest, summer should be smallest.
 

manbearpig

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May 11, 2009
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Yeah I wish I could make a late fall trip happen. I reckon the swell will be there no issues, it’s winds I’m trying to make sense of that time of year. But from the sounds of it there is usually somewhere working.
 
Aug 8, 2019
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I surfed Thurso ETC.. that time last year. It can get good but the wind is the real killer.

However if Thurso is sh!t due to the wind just drive down the coast road and you will literally see other waves that you can just pull over and paddle out. plus so many nooks in the coast that there will be offshore somewhere. I was there for a week and surfed with one other guy at most.

Also FYI when you park your camper van on the road next to where you paddle out at Thurso ( you can sleep there). The local kids use this as a race track at night, because it is literally the only straight road in the area. So prepare for a 2am wake up, as a hopped up Honda Civic hits 110 3ft from you car.
 
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Aug 8, 2019
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So I surfed Thurso 3 times in the week. Once pretty good and the others were more of a "I am here I am going to surf this scenario." However once I got out of Thurso I got much better surf. Thurso isn't really a place you want to hang out in either as it is a pretty industrial town, but there are tons of more open places nearby. Surfers Journal did a thing on Scotland a few years back I don't remember what issue but nearly all of the spots they surf are easily accessible.
 

manbearpig

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May 11, 2009
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Cheers man. Thurso has been #1 on my bucket list for some time now. You’re experience is giving me confidence to pull trigger for the timing I have.