Inside the luxury resort aiming to make Scotland UK's surfing capital

Scotland’s first inland surfing resort will be the biggest of its kind across Europe and bring new opportunity for Olympic hopefuls, according to leading figures in the sport.

With a beachfront stretching for 250 metres, Long Shore Surf Resort will use cutting edge wave technology, developed by Wavegarden, and is capable of producing up to 1000 customisable waves per hour, from 52 software driven modules.

The project, due for completion in September 2024, will be situated in a former quarry near Edinburgh Airport and features luxury lodges, premium accommodation pods, restaurants, spa and shopping facilities.

But the lagoon will bring new training opportunities for surfers across the country hoping to climb the competition ranks.

Scotland’s team coach, Craig Sutherland, told STV News that the resort will be an “excellent training ground” for young surfers and give them the best opportunity to refine their skills consistently.

With the qualification process for next year’s Olympics very much underway the lagoon could play a key role in Scotland’s future surfers making it to the podium.

Scottish big wave professional surfing star and Red Bull athlete, Ben Larg, echoed these statement adding that he would be a “better” surfer now if he had something like the wave garden as a young grom.

Mr Larg said: “As a pro surfer this is incredible. Lost Shore is going to push up the level of Scottish surfing, bring so many more people to the sport, and, who knows, maybe get some Scots in the Team GB squad for the Olympics.

“It can be really difficult to access surfing in Scotland sometimes, but this is going to deliver reliable waves all the time. If I had access to this sort of facility when I was young, I would be such a better surfer now. That’s why Lost Shore will be so good for the next generation.”

Lost Shore Surf Resort as it currently looks, with foundations for the luxury lodges in the foreground. Supplied

During each session, surfers will be able to enjoy wave rides of up to 22 seconds, and with more than 20 different varieties of waves, there are opportunities for all abilities.

The surfing lagoon will be accessible to all levels of surfing from complete beginners to advanced.

They are commonly used by professionals with surfing legend Kelly Slater opening his own surf ranch which now features as a spot on the World Surf League.

Surfing attractions like Lost Resort have become incredibly popular across the world.

Sunset at a Wavegarden powered location at Praïa da Grama in Brazil (Credit: Wavegarden/Praïa da Grama) Lost Shore Surf Resort

Marc Crothall MBE, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, said: “This spectacular resort is going to be a real game changer for Scottish tourism. Not only will this attract people from all over the UK, but from right across the world.

“To have an asset like this just ten minutes from Edinburgh Airport and on the doorstep of an already world famous tourism destination is fantastic. These new pictures show what an incredible place this will be. I cannot wait to see it open in September.”

Andy Hadden, founder of Lost Shore Surf Resort, said: “It is so incredibly exciting for us to share these new images. Bringing the world’s first inland surfing resort to Scotland is such a huge addition to the world class tourism that we already have.

“To celebrate our new website, we are offering amazing value on our vouchers, allowing you to be one of the first to enjoy the resort at a fantastic discount. Get together with friends or start planning that family holiday, buying your experiences now at the best price they will ever be.”