The Wave: from pipe dream to reality

As the waves crash gently into shore, framed against a backdrop of rolling hills, it feels a million miles away from the bustle of Bristol.

In fact, this countryside location is barely a stone’s throw away from Cribbs Causeway and the epicentre of a multi-million-pound project to create an inland surf lake, the first of its kind in the world and a long-term dream of founder Nick Hounsfield.

Arriving at Washingpool Farm in Easter Compton on a damp Monday morning, a small cluster of residents are gathered in raincoats for a behind-the-scenes look at the highly-anticipated new attraction.

A trio of golf buggies soon arrives to transport visitors down the 800-metre track to The Wave.

11-year-old Marshall Janson rides one of the first public waves with longboard champion Ben Skinner on Friday. Photo thanks to Adam Gasson/PA Wire

Finally open to the public from Friday, October 25, the £25m project has been years in the making and was borne out of an ambition to make the benefits of surfing and being outdoors accessible to more people.

It is a timely project as surfing will be included in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for the first time ever and The Wave team has been working in partnership with Surfing England for the last two years. There are already plans to build a £40m inland surfing destination in London based on the Bristol model.

Back in Easter Compton, the UK’s adaptive surf team – who compete around the globe – have been in the water to test the waves and give feedback on accessibility.

Final landscaping is still taking place across the vast site, which will feature wildflower meadows, nature trails, a children’s play area and some 16,000 trees once complete.

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The short buggy ride comes to a stop at the entrance to a large, wooden building. A colourful longboard is mounted above the glass doors, inscribed with the words ‘all surfers this way’.

The tantalising smell of food wafts from the café and bar area to the left of the airy building, while to the right, racks of surfwear and paraphernalia are on display.

But the focal point is the view through long windows at the front, where the 180-metre long blue lake stretches out into the distance.

The Wave can accommodate surfers of all levels

The clubhouse has a shop and cafe/ bar area

The Wave Garden’s cutting-edge technology is housed in a vast spaceship-like dome

A long pier divides the vast swath of water, leading to a spaceship-like area that houses the Wave Garden’s cutting-edge technology that can generate up to 1,000 waves per hour, ranging from 1.7ft to 6.5ft in height.

In the final days before The Wave officially opens, team members greet every new visitor with a warm smile, anxiously asking their thoughts on the set-up. Everyone, from the operations director to the welcome staff, are rooting for the project to be a success.

“I’m going for my first surf this afternoon,” says one of the shuttle drivers, excitedly asking how the waves were. Having been on-site at The Wave for the last five months, he says he can’t wait to start welcoming the first visitors.

All the gear is provided at The Wave

Inside, beyond the welcome desk lies a purpose-built wet room, in which surfers can collect all the gear and board ready to hit the waves.

A one-hour surf session costs £40-45 for an adult and £30-35 for a child, depending on the time of year and day of the week, while an hour and a half surf lesson costs £55-60 for an adult and £45-50 for a child.

All prices include everything needed to surf, including wetsuit, wetsuit boots and surfboards. The idea is that surfers don’t need to bring any of their own gear with them in a bid to encourage people to use public transport, walk or cycle to the attraction.

The Wave team prides itself on promoting sustainability and inclusivity, but the costs must surely pose a significant barrier to many?

Project bosses argue the attraction has to be financially viable, but say they are putting in place initiatives in a bid to ensure the venue is widely accessible, including a schools group discount, of up to 50 per cent off per child.

They are in the process of setting up The Wave Foundation, a charitable trust that will allow them to source funding to enable marginalised groups to access the attraction on a regular basis. They are also in talks with grassroots organisations about working together.

The group of 20 people who got to ride the first public waves on Friday were selected from more than 350 nominations of ‘everyday heroes’.

Nick Hounsfield (front, left) says he is grateful and privileged to be a part of the project

Speaking to Bristol24/7 just ahead of the grand opening, Hounsfield said: “We are entering such an incredible phase in the journey, as we prepare to show the world what we have been creating. I’m unbelievably proud of our team who have worked so hard to get to this point and helped turn a real pipe dream into reality.

“I’m finding it hard to compute my emotions right now, as the lines between dream and reality seem completely blurred! I feel incredibly privileged and grateful to be part of this, as well as excited about the potential we have to bring greater health and happiness to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.”

Beginners, intermediate and pro surfers can all make the most of the waves

Surf lake stats and facts:

• The 180-metre lake is built within a 75-acre site.
• 16,00 trees, 570 metres of new hedgerow and 13.5 acres of wildflower meadowland will be planted.
• The lake uses six million litres of water (A high-tech on-site water treatment plant keeps waters clear and clean. This involves filtration, UV treatment and a very small dose of chlorine to bring it up to drinking water quality).
• The Wave will employee between 95 and 100 people.
• The Wave Garden technology can produce up to 1000 waves an hour – around a wave every 10 seconds
• 25 safari tents will be opening next spring.

The Wave is built within a 75-acre site

Read more: First waves revealed at Bristol’s inland surfing lake