Edinburgh Microadventures

I joined Finisterre because I wanted to work for a brand that is doing its bit to help protect our planet. It's amazing to work for a company striving to lessen its impact on the environment and specifically in protecting our oceans. My connection to the sea is through surfing. When I was younger, I used to be afraid of the sea and how vast it is. Whilst on a trip to France I gave surfing a go, and after the very first session I was hooked. The best thing about surfing for me is the confidence it gave me in the sea. I am no longer afraid of the ocean, instead now it is somewhere I find calm - especially when sitting out on a board looking out towards the horizon.

Working at Finisterre has allowed me to connect with so many like-minded people; whether it be through talking to customers in store on a daily basis or when we have our in store events with musicians, conservationists or professional surfers and film makers. What I love most about Finisterre is the sense of community around the stores.

A great day out near us in Edinburgh would be a trip down to Belhaven Bay to our friends down at Coast 2 Coast. They offer both Stand Up Paddle Lessons and Surfing lessons, as well as coasteering adventures and even surf trips to the islands on the West Coast. They have all the equipment that you need, so all you need to bring is yourself.

Belhaven Bay is a nice big beach located in the John Muir Country Park which is frequented by all different types of water users, from surfers to sea kayakers. It is a great place to get into water sports and if you are lucky you might be joined by some of the local wildlife!

The Pentland Hills just outside of Edinburgh is a Regional Park with a stunning range of medium size hills to wander all the way from the Edinburgh City Bypass down to Carlops.

The area is a mixture of publicly owned land and private land, some of which is used for farming. There are a number of reservoirs where people spend time wild swimming and Stand Up paddle boarding with Threipmuir being the most widely used spot. It is a great place to get out and escape to the outdoors on the doorstep of Edinburgh.

A short walk from the city centre is Edinburgh’s resident 'extinct volcano'. Arthur's Seat is a nice hike and provides excellent views of the city. Alongside the hike, Salsbury Crags is right next to Arthurs Seat, which has some different climbing routes including some sport climbs and bouldering. A hike to the top of both Arthurs Seat and Salsbury Crags is popular with tourists all year round and is a must for anyone visiting Edinburgh. It is also popular with locals at New Year where many people take a trip up to get the best views of the New Year Firework display from Edinburgh Castle.