Not so long ago, I was someone who loved hearing about other people’s adventures and whilst I might wistfully wonder about having one myself, I never actually thought I would. That was until one bleak Saturday evening in November, having been surfing in the chilly North Sea earlier that day and my dreams of riding waves like a California surf-dude seemed as far away as ever, I decided that if that’s what I wanted to do, then I should just go and do it. And so, within days, I had handed in my notice at work, bought a ticket to San Diego and headed to the beaches of Southern California to learn to ride waves and have my own adventure.

Once out there, I got involved in many unexpected exploits – rediscovering the joy (and pain) of skateboarding, driving trucks for a local food bank, horse-riding part of the Pacific Crest Trail and a 3,500 West Coast road trip. So much so, that rather than being the defining part of the adventure, the surfing became the thread which enabled and linked all the elements of the trip.