Lost Shore surf resort, Edinburgh: Everything you need to know

Lost Shore Surf Resort | Lost Shore

Today, Scotland gets its first artificial surfing wave, as the new Lost Shore resort launches in a former quarry at Ratho, just outside Edinburgh. Online booking is now open, and members of the public will be admitted from Monday, 11 November.

With a price tag of £60 million, it is the most expensive sports infrastructure project to be completed in the country for more than a decade.

It’s also a development consisting of many different but complementary elements, so we’ve spoken to all the major players involved in the project, discussing the mechanics of the wave pool, the ways in which the new development will focus on the health benefits of surfing, the accommodation and food and drink options available, and what the development will mean in terms of performance for Scotland’s elite (and not so elite) surfers.

Chris Bain, logistics manager at the Lost Shore surf resort near Edinburgh PIC: Courtesy of Lost Shore

How does the wave pool make waves?

Chris Bain, logistics manager: “We have an engine system that creates a wave through paddles that move through the water. That then reacts off the floor of the pool and onto the sidewalls, pushing a wave along the sidewalls.” Read more

How many waves can the Lost Shore wave machine generate in an hour?

CB: At Lost Shore, it will create around 1,000 waves per hour, breaking both left and right, each one offering rides of 15-20 seconds. Read more

And can the pool produce different kinds of waves?

CB: Yes, There are about 20 different types of waves we can create just now, but if a different type of wave is developed by Wavegarden [the Spanish company who invented the wave machine] they can just press a button in Spain and that will be sent to all the Wavegardens around the world, so we can trial that wave in our pool.” Read more

Dr Jamie Marshall with his PhD on Surf Therapy from Edinburgh Napier University PIC: Courtesy of Lost Shore

How much of a role has psychology had to play in the development of Lost Shore?

Jamie Marshall, social and health innovation lead: “In the wave pool world there’s a lot of talk about blue health – that is, people generally feeling better around water – but often it’s people talking about things that are incidental to their operations. We want to be intentional about it, so everything about the physical design of the pool has been informed by psychology considerations. For example, where do we want people to be able to lose themselves in the experience without people leering over them with their cellphones?” Read more

Will surf therapy sessions be provided at Lost Shore?

JM: Yes, we’re going to have lots of surf therapy at Lost Shore. We’re going to have the Wave Project [a surf therapy charity] there from Day One. Read more

And will people with disabilities be able to access the pool?

JM: Yes, we’re also partnering with Inclusive Surfing Scotland, who offer adaptive surfing for people with disabilities. For a family to book a disability surf session with us – we want that to feel as easy and as normal as anybody else booking a surf session.” Read more

Clockwise from top left: 'Wave' self-catering accommodation at Lost Shore; food by Five March of Glasgow; 'Wave' interior; The Wave at Lost Shore | Lost Shore

Will I be able to stay overnight at Lost Shore?

Andy Roger, CEO: “Yes, on the hilltop above the wave pool there will be 31 three and four-bedroom lodges, each with a kitchen, lounge area and dining area. Then, down by the waterside, there will be three more types of accommodation, all designed by a company called Armadilla based just south of Edinburgh. The smallest will be the Pods, intended for one or two people. Then there will be two different kinds of accommodation designed to sleep four – Curves and Waves.” Read more

Where will I be able to get a bite to eat?

AR: “[Edinburgh agency] Rogue Village will source the independent kitchens that will come in and work with us. Two of the kitchens will change every three months and one of the kitchens will change every 12 months. That means that, if you come to visit Lost Shore in the fourth quarter of this year, you’ll have three different food offerings to choose from, but if you come back in January only one of those will still be there. Of the first two kitchens coming in on three-month rotations, one is Five March from the West End of Glasgow, a small-plate concept with a real focus on Scottish ingredients, the other is Rafa’s, also from Glasgow, specialising in tacos and burritos. We’ve also signed a 12-month agreement with [pizza chain] Civerinos. They are predominantly in Edinburgh, so they will be well known to a lot of the Edinburgh market.” Read more

And will there be a bar?

AR: “Yes, the fourth pod within the food and beverage space is the bar, and we’ll run that ourselves. We’ve appointed our own food and beverage manager, who has joined us from Panda & Sons [on Edinburgh’s Queen Street], which made the World’s 50 Best Bars list last year. We’re also working with Pilot brewery, and they are currently brewing a Lost Shore lager.” Read more

Andy Hadden, founder of Lost Shore Surf Resort | Courtesy of Lost Shore

How will Lost Shore benefit Scotland’s top surfers?

Andy Hadden, founder of Lost Shore: “Unlike in the ocean, it will be possible for surfers to ride the same wave over and over again, allowing coaches to get really detailed and nuanced about the exact movements they’re making.”

And how will the pool help beginners and intermediates?

AH: Coaching will be available for beginners and intermediates, too, both individually and in groups. And the better you get, the adventure only gets bigger, because you can start looking around the coast and things really open up. That’s one of the things I’m most excited about seeing - people starting out on their own surfing journeys.”

For more information on Lost Shore, including how to book surf sessions, visit www.lostshore.com

WATCH: The Lost Shore surf resort will usher in an exciting new chapter in the history of Scottish surfing. However, Scotland’s surfing community can trace its roots all the way back to the 1960s. In the short film Hooked, Scottish surf pioneers Andy Bennetts, Ian Wishart and Bill Batten share their memories of the early days.