surfin in Europe? Any ideas?
Jeez, where do you start? France is probably the easiest option - you can easily train from London to Paris, then Paris to Hossegor or Biarritz. Plenty of surf shops there hiring boards, and the beachbreaks in SW France are reliable all year round. That'd be my pick for a quick, easy escape out of England.
Get the Storm surf guide to Europe, it will give you an overwhelming choice of all the locations and time and conditions. Also hire cars etc and whose at fault in an accident different countries different rules.
As thermalben said if no train it to France.
Eye full towers on the French beaches try and keep your mind on the surf!
Don't forget Ireland - its not as warm as Spain or France but its got great waves. Fly to Dublin, hire a car and head straight for Bundoran or Lahinch (about 2-3 hr drive from dubs). Bundoran has more surf shops for hiring boards etc - its the main surfing town in Ireland and its got quite a few options close-by for various swell and wind conditions. Here's a shot I took of the peak which is right in front of the town...
There's a few more shots here - http://www.surf-much.com/session/view/32/Ireland/North%20and%20East/Donegal%20and%20Sligo/Bundoran
Cheers,
Jono
www.surf-much.com
Ah I just read your post again and I see that you mentioned the water not being cold, and not spending $$$ - so maybe that rules Ireland out!
Ireland, wow! Looks pretty good - though freezing for sure! Don't think I could hack it. Will check out the French option though I've heard the coast there gets chockers in August and the local attitude is pretty aggro. Anyone got any feedback on Cornwall/Newquay? Thanks for the suggestions!
You're not going to get the same sort of consistency in Cornwall or Newquay as you would around Hossegor or the Landes region. For sure buy the Europe Stormrider guide, it's all there. A few times I flew from London direct to Biarritz, hired a car and took a cheap two man compact tent, this worked OK in the summer but (as usual) winter session is what you want to chase - plus everything, including accomodation, is half price.
From Biarritz you have Hossegor in the North a short 30-45 minute car ride and a pick of spots and then south you have the Basque coast. Even with no waves, you can still experience some great culture. Be aware of afternoon naps when their world stops.
Don't forget the South Coast of England or cheap flights to Bilbao in Spain. From here you can work north to Menakoz (awesome right - they were surfing naked there! - quite embarassing really) and the famous Mundaka. Heading west is also very good. We did this on a 5 day session and scorded every day (just dump luck).
You mentioned the cold, in the winter I had to have a 4-5 zipless steamer and still got wicked ice cream head aches with every duck dive. The memories far outweight the down side.
Oi! I am over in London for a few months and looking to do a side trip to get outta this massive landlocked city for some waves. Don't have my board with me so will need to hire... have heard Portugal/France/Spain are decent? Anyone been surfing in Europe? I'm probably flying solo so any suggestions appreciated. Waves don't need to be huge, just good conditions (and water not too cold!) and pref not too crowded or $$$
thanksss