When I was a child I liked in Australia, one of the songs that is etched on my memory from that time was; "Everybody's gone surfing.......Surfin USA" by Leif Garrett. It brings back memories of going down the beach after school, flailing around in the surf on a polystyrene surfboard in a vain attempt to look cool and emulate Leif on his board surrounding my pre pubescent, spotty faced young girls all idolising me..........needless to say for some bizarre reason it didn't happen, not how I imagined it would anyways. So never did I imagine in my wildest dreams 30+ years later I'd be stood in the heart of the Welsh mountains taking photographs of surfers as they battled a man-made wave that is the newest Snowdonia tourist attraction; "Surf Snowdonia".
Firstly let me say, as far as tourist attractions go it's well worth a visit. It's located in the village of Dolgarrog whose claim to fame was a devastating flood that occurred in 1925 from the reservoir above the village killing 17 people. The very same reservoir now feeds the pool at Surf Snowdonia and has helped bring new life into the village which like a lot of locations in this area has always suffered from high unemployment and deprivation. The beauty about the facility is that anybody can enter the grounds and spectate from all angles, giving a perspective of the sport that most people only ever get from a long distance away sat on a beach.
The facility itself contains cafes, retail outlet, childs soft play and a surf school catering for all levels of ability. A great idea and helps to open up the sport for people who ordinarily would never get the opportunity to give the sport a try and who may be afraid of venturing into the open water.
Another interesting aspect of the development of a man-made wave, and as pointed out to me by a Sports Development Lecturer friend of mine, is due to the waves level of consistency it can now be considered as a suggested sport for the Olympics, something which in the past was not an option due to the inconsistency of the natural environment. This strikes me as a real positive progression for the sport and allows for an even greater degree of interest and participation from the general public as a whole.
So if you ever find yourself in the area and want to experience something which you would never expect to find in the mountains, pay a visit to Surf Snowdonia, it's well worth a look ;-).
Surf Snowdonia 01492 353122
www.surfsnowdonia.co.uk
