Lost Shore Surf Resort near Edinburgh is Europe’s largest wave pool and there are few better places to learn this exhilarating sport

The sun splashes off the lagoon and I shield my eyes to see the wave rushing up behind me. I’m lying on my big foam surfboard in perfect position as it arrives. “Three big paddle strokes to catch the wave,” is what my instructor, Owen, had told me. I do just that, pop up and voilà: I’m surfing, arms out, gliding, grinning, sailing, slipping, falling flat on my face, hard into the water.

I stand back up, unable to suppress a seismic smile and shake myself off like a wet dog. Owen gives me a high five and a few tips on my dodgy footwork, and I paddle back out to try again.