North Yorkshire, The Winter Surfers

An Autumn Day in North Yorkshire the surfer walks board in hand along the track which leads steeply down to the beach for the North Sea surf ahead.

The roadside is lined with parked vehicles, mobilehomes, campervans, work vans, old and new all dressed with stickers & roof racks which tell the tale of the alternative & fast growing winter British surf scene, a reflection of the tastes & culture of Modern Mans desire to break free from the traditional social norms of spectator sports, commercials and consumerism, instead hungry for first hand experience and participation of life and the natural world.

From the cliff head the bussle of adventure below is hidden to the passerby but venture to the cliff edge or take the walk down to the beach and witness the human experience of tidal energy and surf, like seals blackened by thick winter wetsuits they group and spread across the water of the bay hugging and riding waxed boards.

This alternative movement of sporting activity, the victory shared by all, no losers as defined by traditional British sports, the win is for everyone, in each ride laid inches from the water chest flat on body boards with the sea foam splashing their face or riding high 6ft above the sea level on the crest of a wave, the thrill & speed of the natural world, of celestial bodies, the pleasure is riding the wave of energy that flows to land and going back again and again until the surf fades or the cold bites.

The backdrop to the scene beyond the bay the ruins of Scarborough Castle and the rows of traditional seaside buildings of penny arcades and fish & chip shops the diverse pleasure and love of the British Seaside, all year round from season to season come rain or shine, the people of Britian the old and new and their affinity to Sea.