"One day we were dreaming of the things that made us happiest in life ... "

5 years ago our friend Anna Glowinski, bicycle whizz, fashion designer and Cycle Show presenter on the tellybox, asked if we wanted to go 'cycle surfing' in France. She had seen someone in the US selling cycle mules for surfboards and wanted to give them a go .. 'hello yes' we said and off we all went on our first ever cycle surf trip ..

Fast forward a year and we were ready to go with our first ever Big Friday Cycle Surfari, now amazingly in its 5th year!  The Cycle Surfari is our annual cycle from Hossegor to Lacanau, up the South West coast of France. Think shady cycle paths through the pine forests & French villages, glassy waves surfed at dawn, hearty meals cooked on the camp stove, sleeping under canvas and stars, mile after mile of golden sand, sunburnt noses, sandy feet and salty hair, off the grid, good company and good times!

"One day we were dreaming of the things that make us happiest in life, the great outdoors, cycling, surfing, camping, friends. Big Friday took on the challenge of a totally new-concept holiday in which participants cycle up the West Coast of France using surf trailers to carry their boards. The joy of this is that every day there was a new beach to discover, including some beaches that aren’t accessible by car. It meant that every day was spent soaking up the sun and the fresh air and Big Friday’s impeccable customer service provided a meal at the camp site, ready cooked with tents up by the time you arrive! It’s a glorious, glorious, unique holiday event." Anna Glowinski, Best Day Ever Creative

Anna in camp on our first ever Big Friday Cycle Surfari in 2010

Anna G led her own successful women's cycle brand for the past 5 years but recently left to launch her own creative agency .. although we deeply loved her stylish cycle tights, we can't help but be a little bit pleased she is going to be dreaming up big ideas for a living!  Good luck with your new venture Anna!

NEW DATES: Cycle Surf in France

Due to popular demand we have added an extra cycle surf for this september, still a couple of spaces left on the first week (31 Aug - 7 Sept) but now you can choose to head back the other way with us as well .. we'll be headed Lacanau to Hossegor by peddle and paddle from 8 - 15 September!

This is the ultimate summer adventure, surfing great waves, sleeping under the stars to the sound of the ocean, peddling through sleepy French villages, meeting new people, eating good food .. enjoying the outdoors!

Check out all the info here

Surfari Fever

Train, airplane, taxi, car and driver, moped, chicken bus, high speed ferry, water taxi, feet and arms ..  all of the above have propelled us from home to Bali to the island idyll of Nusa Lembongan, to countless amazing surf breaks and then back again.      When we are in Costa Rica we are all about 4 wheel drives, quad bikes, ferries, tiny propeller planes, motor boats, mopeds, bicycles .. and of course feet and arms .. always paddling!          

Its good to go and immerse yourself in one place, and we do alot of that, most of the week long surf camps that we run are fixed in one place, even if we do drive around a bit each day to make sure we are finding you the best surf.  In the last few years though we realised that if we were going on a surf holiday ourselves, only had a few weeks to spare,  and were jetting half way around the world .. we would want to see more!   Sure we want to surf great waves every day, ideally in bikinis, and with some beers and cocktails at sunset for good measure, but we also want to explore, see more of the country we are visiting ..    so we created our surfari trips and our surfari fever has taken hold and now spread to take in Bali, Costa Rica and France.

Bali Surfari - A 10 day surfari based initially in Canggu to take in some of the best breaks on Bali, we then head to Lembongan for  tropical paradise and waves that we can only get to on small white boats with brightly coloured stabilisers ..   When not surfing we can mainly be found drinking from coconuts and eating variations of nasi goreng before a dip in the infinity pool, a motorcycle jaunt to the seaweed fields and a sunset Yoga session. Yew!

Costa Rica Road Trip -  The word 'road' is significant in this Surfari as the road (or lack of one) will be a glaringly obvious feature of the trip.  We will be 4 wheel driving up pot holed hill and down pot holed dale to get to our 3 destinations on this trip, not to mention through rivers (don't be alarmed when we walk through to check the height) and even across the beach at one stage. We will be rewarded with blissful waves, burritos the size of our heads, the best avocados in the world, plenty of hammock time and a laid back beach life that will make you want to give up the 9-5 pronto! 

France Cycle Surfari -  This epic adventure is all on two wheels, while your luggage will have the luxury of travelling by van to your next destination, you and your surfboard and day pack will be pedalling all the way from Hossegor to Lacanau along beautifully kept cycle paths in the pine forests of Aquitaine. Through little french villages, past refreshing lakes and to the finest surf breaks of south west France we go, fuelled by feasts cooked up on the campfire by our Big Friday chef.  

Peddle and Paddle

Hurray the Big Friday Cycle Surf is back for 2012!  Dates for your diary are:
1st - 8th September 2012
We'll be sharing all the details as soon as the trip is online and open for bookings.