WHY I LOVE RUNNING MY BUSINESS IN THE HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS…
IONA MCLACHLAN Surf instructor and co-founder of North Coast Watersports Iona McLachlan and Finn MacDonald set up North Coast Watersports in the spring of 2019, following eight months of travelling and surfing around the world. Originally from Thurso, Iona is the current Scottish Ladies Surf Champion. Offering surf lessons, paddle boarding, equipment hire and ‘SWELL Weekend’ surf retreats, Iona and Finn are catering to an ever-growing market of locals and visitors.
Finn MacDonald and Iona McLachlan, North Coast Watersports
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WHY IS NORTH COAST WATERSPORTS BASED IN CAITHNESS? For surfing, I can honestly say that the Caithness coast is an equal contender to the likes of Hawaii and Australia. I started writing our business plan while working at a surf school in New Zealand. I think I was missing home a little, and I could see that there was enormous potential for a surf school on Scotland’s north coast. It’s got the waves and beaches, but doesn’t have the crowds that you find in other parts of the world. We won a grant from the Caithness Business Fund to buy our equipment and started from there. WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS IN CAITHNESS? I grew up in Caithness, but the wild beauty of the place never fails to impress. There’s a lovely, close-knit community of surfers here, supported by the local surf club. I’ve run a few after-school surf lessons with local primary school children, and in the future I’d love to get surfing on to Thurso High School’s PE curriculum. We’re at such an exciting stage; I really do feel like anything is possible.
