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s the Beach Boys once sang 'Surfin' is the only life, the only way for me. Now surf…' We couldn’t have put it better ourselves, and reckon once you’ve felt the thrill of catching a wave, there’s every chance you’ll start harmonising about your love of surf.

When it comes to surfing destinations, you can forget the long-haul flights to Australia and Indonesia, because Cornwall has some of the world’s best surfing beaches. From Polzeath’s trend-setting shoreline to the beautiful Sennen Cove, you’re spoilt for choice.

Now trust us, surfing is not as easy as it looks but then nothing this fun should come without some effort. First things first, enrol in one of Cornwall’s surf schools to get those basic skills down. The surf school at Newquay’s Fistral Beach, the epicentre of UK surfing, has the added bonus of being on the beach so there’s no lugging your board through town.

Once you’ve got the basics, then all that’s left to do is paddle out, watch the swell for the tell tale signs of a big wave and then leap into action like Kelly Slater.

It’ll take a few attempts, but when you finally catch a wave, and connect with nature, it’s a buzz that will have you screaming dude, radical, cowabunga and all the surf slang you can remember.