Go fly a kite
And send yourself soaring across the North Sea
[ NORWICH ]
ENGLAND’S COASTLINE CAN BE PATCHY FOR STAND-UP SURFING, but it is perfect for kitesurfing – a spectacular and increasingly popular sport which uses giant kites to pull boarders along.
Hunstanton, an hour and a half’s drive from Norwich airport, is the sport’s UK hotspot, mostly thanks to the area’s serendipitous geography. It is the ideal spot for beginners to try this intimidating sport in safety. “Our beaches are so tidal here,” says Steve Murfet of Hunstanton Watersports. “And when the tide goes out, we’re left with wide open beaches and south-westerly winds that make it perfect for learning. If anything goes wrong, you just get blown back on to the beach!”
Hunstanton Watersports offers a one-day taster session for £90. “We introduce you to the basics with a trainer kite so you can get used to the feeling, and then take you out on the water.”
If this all sounds a little too sedate, perhaps it is best to head there for the annual Lifestyles Extreme Sports and Culture Festival (9-11 July). Expect live bands, demonstrations of other ‘street sports’, round three of the National Kitesurfing Championships and, we’ll wager, plenty of tattoos and camouflage cargo shorts. Matt Barr
www.lifestylesfestival.co.uk
www.hunstantonwatersports.com
