Edinburgh will soon be home to the world’s first inland surfing resort - featuring Europe’s largest state-of-the-art wave pool.
We went along for a first look at the 60-acre site and spoke with Lost Shore founder Andy Hadden and Scottish Tourism Alliance CEO, Marc Crothall MBE.
Lost Shore Surf Resort in Ratho will open in September 2024.
We went along for a first look at the 60-acre site and spoke with Lost Shore founder Andy Hadden and Scottish Tourism Alliance CEO, Marc Crothall MBE.
Lost Shore Surf Resort in Ratho will open in September 2024.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [WAVES CRASHING]
00:03 It's been a lot of hard work to get here,
00:18 but to know that we're delivering the world's
00:20 first inland surf resort, Europe's largest inland surf
00:23 lake right here on the outskirts of Edinburgh,
00:26 and we're almost there, is a very satisfying time.
00:29 We're over halfway through construction,
00:32 so yeah, there's a real buzz about the project yet.
00:34 And having just opened our vouchers a couple of days ago,
00:38 the uptake has been phenomenal.
00:40 So we really hope that keeps up and people can keep
00:42 supporting us on our journey.
00:43 [WAVES CRASHING]
00:47 [WAVES CRASHING]
00:51 For surfing, we're not really on the map.
01:03 I'm one of the first professional surfers
01:06 in Scotland.
01:07 And when you mentioned that you're from there,
01:12 they're just like, is there waves in Scotland?
01:14 How did you become a pro surfer?
01:17 This is a place where families can come and stay
01:20 and have a great time.
01:21 And we're going to have lots of things to do.
01:22 We've got a great food and beverage offering.
01:26 But ultimately, it's just going to be, hopefully,
01:28 a really aspirational place to come and stay to try surfing.
01:32 The surf on one of the most consistent surf
01:34 breaks in the world, where you can learn from beginner level
01:38 right up through to experts having a great time.
01:40 It's an unbelievable technology that we're bringing here.
01:43 Accessibility-wise, going surfing in Scotland
01:46 can be really difficult for some folk.
01:48 But Edinburgh's the capital city of Scotland.
01:51 You've got the wave pool right at your doorstep.
01:53 So it'll be a great opportunity for loads of folk
01:57 to get into it.
01:58 For us, it's going to be an amazing training ground.
02:01 And all the kids that are coming up as well,
02:05 we're going to be able to coach them at Lost Shore.
02:08 And yeah, it'll be amazing.
02:11 It's something very different and absolutely up there
02:15 in terms of its world-leading experience.
02:18 There are only seven or others of these in the world.
02:21 So Scotland's ambition is to be a world
02:23 leader in 21st century tourism.
02:25 And this ticks the box.
02:27 And it brings another reason to visit,
02:29 something that will attract new audiences.
02:33 It will attract different audiences.
02:36 And hopefully, not just from the UK,
02:40 but people will have international appeal as well.
02:42 And Scotland is already a destination of choice.
02:44 There's a lot of competition out there.
02:46 And this could be a game changer and set us apart from many
02:50 of our other competitors.
02:52 It's like a skate park.
02:53 A skate park you can practice over and over and over again.
02:57 And in surfing, you don't really have that
03:01 unless you've got a wave garden or a pool like this.
03:06 It's really going to be like--
03:08 yeah.
03:09 Put it this way, if I'd had it when I was growing up,
03:11 I would have been a lot better surfer than I am now.
03:13 So it will be an amazing thing.
03:16 Hopefully, we'll end up making it into the GB squad
03:19 and going to the Olympics or something like that.
03:21 With a training ground like this, I don't see why not.
03:25 So yeah, it's an exciting thing.
03:28 And I think a lot more people will be
03:31 getting into surfing after this.
03:33 In the UK, surfing's been doubling in numbers
03:35 every two years since 2016.
03:38 With the Olympic movement, with the onset of the hype
03:42 around facilities like ours that are popping up
03:44 around the world, with wetsuits obviously getting a lot better,
03:47 and with people just generally recognizing
03:50 what surfing can do for their physical and mental health,
03:52 surfing's having a huge explosion in the UK.
03:54 And yeah, here in particular in Scotland,
03:56 we've got an amazingly tight surf community that's growing.
03:59 It's all behind us.
04:01 We want to make sure this is good for our surfers,
04:03 good for our people, and to make sure
04:05 we can maximize the opportunity for the youth
04:08 here.
04:08 But guys like Ben, it's been great to get their support
04:11 and also to support him through his journey.
04:13 He's just a little taste of what can happen,
04:16 where these people's lives can go.
04:18 He's sponsored by Red Bull if places like us get behind them.
04:21 So we're really excited about what
04:23 we can do for future generations of kids
04:25 around here, Rathoe and Edinburgh,
04:27 and take them all to the next level.
04:31 [WAVES CRASHING]
04:34 (water splashing)
04:37 [BLANK_AUDIO]