Ride the waves of world's first inland surf lagoon
Surf Snowdonia in the Welsh mountains provides very respectable rides of up to 18 seconds
The world's first inland surf lagoon. But don't imagine some sloppy wave rolling through an outdoor swimming pool - this is as near as technology has come to creating a "real" surfing wave.
In the heart of the Snowdonia National Park, in north Wales, so, rather than swaying palms and tropical breezes, you encounter green wooded hills, scudding clouds and, yes, plenty of rain.
Everyone from "groms" (precocious kids) to experts. There are three waves: beginner, intermediate and advanced. The latter is a fast, powerful two-metre-high wall of water that rolls for some 300 metres along the freshwater lagoon without losing power or shape. One wave is released every minute, providing very respectable rides of up to 18 seconds; reef breaks such as the famous Pipeline in Hawaii rarely offer rides of more than 10 seconds (although they are somewhat warmer and bigger). I shared the advanced waves at Surf Snowdonia with former pro-surfer Kalani Robb, from Hawaii, who was "totally stoked" by the experience. In fact, he'd flown over from California to surf here - that's just short of a 20,000km round-trip for two hours of surfing on a man-made wave, which gives some idea of the novelty value this place has.
This is as near as technology has come to creating a "real" surfing wave
For learners, the beginners' wave is fun and far from intimidating; instructors will get you up and riding on an easy-to-use board. The intermediate wave is a playful, waist-high roller on which you can improve your technique. Boards and wetsuits can be hired on site and there are options for non-surfers, including a watery assault course in the separate Crash and Splash Lagoon, and The Blob …
