February 13-20, 2022

#1 Thurso East Surf Break

When we were in Newquay, I mentioned I really wanted to catch a barrel and one of the guys we got to know at the surf shop, named Andy Bain, said I should check out Thurso in northern Scotland. Little did I know at the time, but Andy is actually a local surf legend in Thurso and grew up surfing there in the 1980’s, starting out surfing even in jeans. Thurso East is considered the crown jewel of the “Norse Coast” and is a peeling right hander over a flagstone rock reef next to the old ruins of Thurso Castle. It sits just to the right of the pier where the Thurso River flows out into the ocean and the currents are very strong. There is a rip that goes out from the river to the break but there are also currents that pull away from the break and across the river at times towards another break called Shitpipe.

My first experience was early in the morning on February 14, 2022. It was around 7:47am and the sun was just coming up. The ocean was dark and the waters muddied as they broke along the rocky shoreline. I could see ripples in the churning waters flowing out from the river mouth. The sky was grey and windy and there was no one else in the frigid choppy waters. I imagined that was likely due to the 12mph onshore winds which made the 6-9ft waves sloppyt but they still peeled along the reef so you could clearly see the right hander. I paddled out from the rocky beach to the right of the river, caught the rip from the river flow out into the bay, and it was a dry hair paddle as I had heard. However, what I didn’t expect was that it was very challenging to paddle to peak of the wave due to a strong current pulling in the opposite direction. When I finally got into position, the wave would wall up quite thick and high but surprisingly it would lack much power until it actually started breaking. I caught a couple waves but, after the second wave, I found myself sucked to the left of the river mouth. I had a hell of a time paddling back from there. It seemed like, if you missed the rip from the river, you would be caught in another current pulling you towards the town and away from the break. After a damn good paddle workout, I finally made it back over to the break and caught a nice wave back in to shore. However, it dropped me off to the right of the river mouth and there are three low solid cement walls there ending in a marker posts. Unfortunately, I found myself just to the left of the second wall while the waves were pushing me into it. I made it out without getting smashed but it was sketchy and clearly not the best exit.

Thurso is located on the Pentland Firth which separates the Orkney Islands from the north of Scotland. The firth is actually a strait but it is notorious for it’s fast, strong tidal currents which can reach 30 kilometers per hour and these tides and tidal races combined with gales make it one of the most dangerous waters in the world. Between 1934 and 1981 there were 234 wrecks in the Pentland Firth – see the listing here. You can definitely feel the power of the tides and currents in the waters.

As if the currents were not enough to worry about, there are also two nuclear power plant near Thurso in Dounreay that are now shut down and in the process of being decommissioned. However, these plants have had 3 major accidents resulting in 5 main environmental issues. As of 2012 radioactive particles were still washing ashore at Sandside beach which is another popular surf spot 12 miles to the west of Thurso.

So, it’s nice, safe, and warm surfing conditions.

On February 15th, I surfed Thurso East again but the conditions were smaller with the wind offshore. The waves were walling and barreling even so very different shape than yesterday. The rip from the river was consistent but the currents further out changed and this time pulled into the wave and past the castle towards the farm. I paddled out from the boat launch at the river but it made for a long paddle (easy on the way out but hella hard on the way back against the rip and up the river. I actually climbed out one of the ladders on the pier). Again, I was the only one in the water which seemed even colder today. Note: On most days it is better to paddle out from the rocky beaches near the Castle. On this particular day, the waves were steep and hollow and I ended up wiping out a bunch of times when my nose would stick in the wave. I think I needed to paddle earlier and harder, arch my back more when paddling into the wave, angle a bit more, pop up faster, and bend my knees more. So, quite a few things to work on.

February 16th, I again surfed Thurso East. This time conditions were great! Offshore wind, smooth waves, and minimal currents. This time I paddled out from the rocky “beaches” to the right of the river and hopped over the rocky spike wall since the waves in that area were small. I also found that there is a gap in the spikey rock wall near the cement stepwise wall with the marker post that juts out into the ocean. I would not recommend this method when there are large waves in that area but it worked well this time. The waves further out were nice peeling 6-9ft waves and the wind was 8mph and offshore creating very nice conditions. I expected to see more people out today given the conditions but I was the only one surfing. Bi came out this morning as she has every morning here to watch and make sure I didn’t drown out there given the decent sized waves and the rocky reef underwater. Here is a short video from the morning that Bi took for me. Watch me get smashed in that second wave! Lol.

February 17th – Terrible conditions – onshore winds, very sloppy, strong currents. I only caught one wave.

February 18th – Amazing, powerful, 7-10ft barreling waves, offshore winds, and smooth water. I caught 3 good waves and had about 2-3 crushing wipeouts as well. Bi just caught one photo below. It looks great but I get smashed in that lip a second later.

February 19th – Morning Session – 14mph onshore winds and very sloppy conditions with strong currents. Also freezing cold with snow on the ground and hail. I probably do not need to say this but nobody else was out there.

February 19th – Second Session – Sunset – 8ft clean barreling waves, offshore 6mph winds, and a medium crowd. It seemed like a completely different place than in the morning. I caught five of the biggest and best waves of the week and, of course, I have no photos. Amazing steep, hollow, fast, overhead waves though and a session I will not forget.

#2 Thurso Castle

Thurso Castle sits near the mouth of Thurso River which is said to originate from an old Norse phrase meaning Thor’s River. The castle sits on an ancient Viking fortification but the current ruins are Victorian Gothic in design and mostly constructed in 1872. A castle has been in this location at least since 1157 and was the residence of the Earls of Orkney and Caithness. Most of the ruins are sealed from entry and blocked off by cemented doorways and the castle wall. However, there is one archway that you can walk through from the rocky beach that leads into the castle grounds. Interestingly, Ulysses S. Grant, the former US President visited here in 1877. Walking around the grounds and through the ruins feels a bit haunting and eerie since it is not really open to the public. Perhaps I was trespassing. Nobody is there but the grounds are maintained since part of the castle is still habitable and is apparently the home of the Viscounts Thurso. The statues of the women and even the lion seem to display an expression of sadness that seems fitting given the cold, windy location near the tumultuous icy sea.

#3 Castle and Gardens of Mey

Castle Mey and the 30 acres of Gardens surrounding the castle are beautiful and well maintained since the castle was purchased by Queen Elizabeth in 1952 and is managed by the Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust. Prince Charles still visits the Castle at least once a year. The Castle was built in the 1500’s by George Sinclair, the 4th Earl of Caithness for his second son William. George Sinclair however was a wicked man and had sent his first son, John, to battle his rival the Earl of Sutherland. John was successful but left some of the allies of the Sutherlands alive when they provided hostages and pledged to leave the country. George Sinclair believed this showed weakness or perhaps allegiance between John and the Sutherlands so he threw John into the dungeon in Girnigoe Castle. John was planning to escape but William found out and told their father George. John somehow managed to kill William for this act. Keep in mind that George had been holding John in the dungeon for about 6 years at that point and feeding him salted beef and little water. Eventually, John went insane and died in that dungeon in Girnigoe Castle. So, the Castle of Mey ended up going to the third son of George Sinclair (4th Earl) who was also named George Sinclair and who founded the family of the Sinclair’s of Mey. The Sinclair’s were a very powerful family and the Castle of Mey became the seat of the Earl’s of Caithness who descended from George Sinclair.

You have to buy tickets to visit the Castle and Gardens which can be purchased on the Castle of Mey website.

There is also a Granary Lodge between the castle and sea that is a bed and breakfast. Apparently, it is possible to see the Northern Lights from here on some evenings.

#4 Olive Restaurant

Olive is our favorite restaurant in Thurso and is only open in the mornings from 9am-1pm but they have fantastic coffee, cake, toasties, and avocado on sourdough. The decor is warm and bright and it is a wonderful place to have breakfast or brunch. The owner is a talented young chef who named the restaurant after his grandmother.