Grey Skies, Green Waves: A Surfer's Journey Around the UK and Ireland

by Tom Anderson

A surfer's wet and wild journey through Britain and Ireland Tom Anderson has always loved surfing—anywhere except the UK. But a chance encounter leads him to a series of adventures on home surf. As he visits the popular haunts and secret gems of British surfing he meets the Christians who pray for waves (and get them), loses a competition to a non–existent surfer, is nearly drowned in the River Severn, and has a watery encounter with a pedigree sheep. All this rekindles his love affair with the freezing fun that is surfing the North Atlantic.

Genres: Ireland, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Tom was born in Watford, London on the 15th May 1980. He lived with his parents in London until he saw the error of his ways only a couple of years later whereupon his family moved back to his father’s homeland of South Wales. It was inevitable that he would be drawn to the sea since his grandfather had been a top lifesaver and his father a successful competitive surfer ‘back in the day’.

Tom began surfing at the age of 11 and moved to the seaside town of Porthcawl at the age of 13. He saved up for his first custom surfboard at the age of 14 after doing a milk round for 27 weeks (=270 pounds!) working from midnight until five AM every Friday night, under the watchful eye of long-time Porthcawl Point local Gez McKay (who has since joined the police “’cause it gives you even more water time than a milk round”). By the age of 16 Tom had gained a place on the Welsh Junior Surfing team and British Junior Development Squad.

After finishing school Tom began to travel abroad as much as possible in search of better waves. During a degree in English at the University of Glamorgan, the Student Loans Company funded a large proportion of the travel which went on to form the basis of the Magic Carpet storyline.

He still had to get the odd job though and has done just about everything, including such ‘trades’ as golf caddy, caravan cleaner, bailiff, suit salesman, dishwasher, ice-cream bike operative, barman, line-feeder at a Sony factory, private investigator, canine dental machine repairman and obviously surf shop assistant.

His interests away from surfing include making so-called terminally ill cars last an extra 23,000 miles (and still counting, thank you Nissan!), watching the Welsh Football Team and Arsenal (be it at a dodgy foreign bar, in the stands of the Millennium Stadium or at Highbury/the Emirates Stadium), longboard-skateboarding, poker, basketball, reading and writing and scheming for other ways to fund more surf travel.

Reviews

[Owain Lewis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a tough read. Despite having written three books I wouldn't consider Anderson a serious writer. A serious surfer he may be but his writing just isn't up to scratch - I constantly found myself rearranging his sentences to make them clearer and more cohesive, which was quite difficult. It felt like a lot of the time he had a sort of 'that'll do' attitude to the writing and there's a lack of knowledge as to how to tell a story, which means that a lot of his anecdotes just kind of fritter away into mehness. The quest to find the soul of surfing is pretty hammy at times too. There's a few moments when Anderson's prose does come alive though, for instance his description of surfing at Thurso is pretty exhilarating and it's when writing about the actual in-the-moment experience of surfing that he somehow nails it. Aside from these moments it's a shaky narrative, poorly edited, that would probably have been better as a series of short articles. Outside of the surfing the rest just feels like filler.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Grey Skies, Green Waves offers a glimpse into the surfing world, but it’s hampered by a self-centered narrative and underdeveloped female characters. The writing has subtle but noticeable undertones of misogyny (not uncommon in surfing culture). Anderson’s use of similes feels forced, and his sentence construction tends to be rambling and unfocused. While the book might resonate with those looking to learn about the UK surfing scene, the views are one-sided and its overall execution leaves much to be desired, particularly in terms of its writing style and character depth.

[Tom Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read, no doubt.

But after reads like Barbarian Days and The Secret Surfer, something of a disappointment.

It’s as if The Secret Surfer has a younger, very keen, cousin. One that isn’t as clever and eloquent as he thinks. The last few chapters are little more than a repeat of the rest of the book - there’s little sense of any narrative arc. And I’m left with a strong sense of dissatisfaction from the book overall. Which is odd given the subject.

So. Lots of fun if you’re looking for a quick read. But there are better surf books out there.

[FAITH Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the story is lovely and the authors life lessons are relevant, there is something stiff in his writing. He is writing in a way that makes it seem he is writing how he thinks he should as opposed to writing from the heart. His publishers may have stunted his potential in conveying the true beauty he sees out there.

That being said.... the Outer Hebrides is now 100% on my list, though I don’t think this novice surfer will be attempting anything more than the white water by the shore.

[Bryn Mullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me reminisce of old uni surf trips and reminded me of why I fell in love with surfing. Yes the surfing itself is great but the little sleep to catch a wave, eating any kind of carbs from the Tesco express, following passed down directions to find a wave, those are the things that make me love surfing.

[Jordan Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, but I struggled with the dialogue bits.

[Celia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah I really enjoyed this book. It made me want to pack up the car, grab my surfboard, and take a big road trip round the UK. I loved reading him mention places I’d surfed myself, allowing myself to really remember those beaches. A great read.

[Tim Corke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Anderson's account of a year surfing around secret, barren and remote beaches in Ireland, the Outer Hebrides, Cornwall and his beloved Porthcawl and South Wales is a journey of self-realisation that refocuses his attitude towards the sport he loves. At the same time, it pulls the reader into understanding a bit more about a dedicated community that has for a long time been stereotyped and misunderstood.

"Surfin' USA", the Beach Boys' classic track of sun-kissed Californian beaches and lazy beach days is a million miles from taking on some of the UK's harshest beaches in atrocious weather conditions. Whilst two very different images are portrayed, the same dedication and passion oozes throughout this honest and brilliantly detailed account. You can feel the "ice cream headaches" as Anderson dives into the bitterly cold freezing surf followed by a sharp intake of breath. You can feel the weariness and aching shoulders that follow the exhilaration and joy from riding hidden breaks.

The vivid descriptions of grey skies and green waves, the freedom and the attitude to living life to the full combines to deliver a travel book with a twist and one that may have inspired a non-surfer to don a wetsuit and give it a go!

[Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a useful and entertaining surf travel guide around the greens and greys of th UK including spots such as Croyde in Cornwall, Hell's Mouth in North Wales, Thurso Bay on the tip top of Scotland and even the Severn Bore.
it is an addictive read, and doesn't suffer from the myth that all surf books/films are monotonous and uninteresting. i found that i knew a lot more about surfing after i had read this book, as it's very good at explaining what makes good/bad/huge/long-lasting/messy waves etc. there isn't too much typical 'dude' sufing slang either, which makes it easier for a novice like me to read.

[Mark Chisnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Anderson is a good writer, and this is good read for surfers. He's not quite up there with my personal favourite, Andy Martin (check out Walking on Water), but Anderson is only a notch or two down.

This is the second book of his that I've read, and it was cool to see stories about surf spots I know well - personally I could do without the cod-psychology 'getting-my-stoke-back' that the hangs the tale on, and would prefer it if he'd look to culture or history to beef up the narrative a bit (like Martin). But really he doesn't need to beef it up at all, the stories of surf search and adventure work beautifully on their own.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anderson is a enthusiastic amateur surfer who in this book is discovering and re-discovering the best spots to surf in the UK, and Ireland. He journey for surfing nirvana takes him from the Outer Hebrides, Cornwall, his home patch of Porthcawl, a remote north Wales spot and on the far west coast of Ireland.

It is much a journey of discovery for him to see what the UK has to offer surfers who have been spoilt by overseas waves, as well as a record of memorable surfing days. He writes with eloquence and clarity, and makes the subject accessible and fascinating for non surfers.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wonder if my enjoyment of this book was heightened by unexpectedly discovering 2 chapters on people and places I know very well, but that aside Andersons descriptions of waves and UK coastline were vivid, honest (the cold and rain playing a starring role!) and inspiring. For someone very new to this world there wasn't too much 'surfer' language to make it inaccessible. If you love the sea (from the shore or on the waves) you will enjoy this book.

[Rhiannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best of the three for me so far, though if you're not already interested in surfing, Riding the Magic Carpet is probably the best introduction to Tom Anderson's writing.

[Ulla Todd Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

excited for some cold surfing