THURSO is the northernmost town on the British mainland, home to around 8000 people. It’s situated just along the Caithness coast from the decommissioned Dounreay nuclear power plant and close to Scrabster where the ferry departs for Orkney. Salmon fishing is big business here, too.
And it has waves. Huge, crashing waves, comparable to those found in Hawaii but about 20C colder. It was those world-famous waters off Thurso East that drew Phoebe Strachan to decant north from her native Edinburgh, beguiled by the prospect of heading out into the north Atlantic Ocean every day with her board, immersing herself in the icy brine and its steepling surf.
Strachan’s commitment to her passion is unquestionable. Since arriving on the Caithness coast she has worked as a teaching assistant in a primary school, a postwoman, and is now training to be a joiner, doing whatever it takes to keep her in close proximity to the sea.
Most of her spare time revolves around surfing. If conditions are too benign to make it worthwhile to head for the water, the 26-year old can be found practising her technique on an on-land board or coaching the burgeoning youth scene at the North Shore Surf Club where local kids are desperate to emulate the drama they witness daily out on the foam.
“Thurso is home for me now,” she says. “I’d like to travel more before I properly settle but I don’t think I’d like to live anywhere else. I’ve been here for six or seven years now. I was born and raised in Edinburgh and spent some time in Aberdeen then thought I’d come to Thurso just for a winter to see what it was like. And I haven’t left yet.
“I got a bit sucked into life here. I never planned to stay here for so long but it just happened. It’s pretty much the same with everyone here, they maybe say they’ll come for a winter but never leave.
“I’ve got my own house now that I rent and I’m pretty happy here. I’m definitely not a city girl, I’m more suited to the rural life up here and that suits me perfectly.
“I wanted to get better at surfing and push myself into bigger waves and this is the best place in the country to do that.
“I usually get out in the water every day. It’s tougher in the winter as daylight only lasts from about 9 to 3 so you have to try to fit in an hour before dark. The best waves are in the winter so you have to try to juggle things so you can get out there to experience them.
“It’s really cold too. Sometimes you put your head under the water and it’s like, ‘oof, Jesus’ but you get used to it pretty quickly.
“I help run the surf club so getting the kids into the water and letting them experience it is magic. We’re building a surfing community. Not one that’s too big but one that’s sustainable.”
Strachan, who finished fifth in the British championships last year, has surfed all around the world representing Scotland but her derisory laugh answers the question about how much financial support she receives for doing so.
“Surfing in Scotland has pretty much no funding at all,” she confirms. “For me to be a better surfer I need to compete more often abroad but I have to work full-time to keep a roof over my head, food on the table and fund my career. It’s so difficult.
“A lot of the English girls are full-time surfers and get funding to compete on the QS tour. But there’s never been a professional surfer in Scotland. I could move to England and try it but I’m not sure I’d want to. It’s just such a crowded scene down there.
“But I’ve been very lucky to travel with Scotland and get to see so many different parts of the world. The sacrifices are always worth it when you get there.”
Surfing made its Olympic debut last year in Tokyo, a development Strachan welcomes. “It was good to see the sport out there in the mainstream and maybe that exposure will help see a bit more cash trickle back to Scotland,” she adds. “I’d love to see surfing make the Commonwealth Games one day. If I’m still competing at that point I’d definitely be up for that.”
Strachan admits she’s not a huge fan of crowds but will make an exception this weekend when her adopted hometown hosts the Scottish national surfing championships.
“One of the reasons I moved to Thurso was because I wanted to win this championship,” she reveals. “And I think my competitive nature has kept me here ever since.
“I won it in 2018 and then again last year so I’m hoping to hang on to my title. It’s one of the biggest dates in the surfing calendar and people come from all over to either compete or to watch. So it should be another cracking weekend.”
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