“S lide your right leg, put your foot forward and twist.” With a surfboard tucked under my arm, my instructors’ directions ringing in my ears and my wet suit zipped tight, I ventured into the waves. But I was not heading into the warm seas of California.
These were the murky, machine-generated waters of Lost Shore Surf Resort, Europe’s largest inland surfing destination, which sits in a former quarry just outside Edinburgh. The resort, complete with luxury accommodation, restaurants, bars, a surf school and other amenities, opens on Monday and is expected to welcome more than 160,000 visitors a year, create more than 130 jobs and contribute £11 million to the local economy annually. The wave pool, which is three times the size of Wembley stadium’s.