Cornwall LivingIssue #120
Paddling on through
Tucked away on the outskirts of Wadebridge, you’ll find a business focussed on supplying all you’ll need for a sporting experience on, or in, the water.
Imagine a beautiful blue ocean, waves gently breaking on one end of a golden sandy beach and building to sweeping rollers at the other. It’s a bright spring morning and you’re faced with a dilemma – to swim, to surf or to paddleboard? The choices seem endless. Whichever direction you decide to go they’ll all be better than the inertia that has marked our lives during the recent Covid lockdowns. The benefits of cold-water immersion have been demonstrated to help with mental and physical health – improved sleep, mindfulness, confidence, the reduction of stress response, blood circulation and rheumatism.
However, unless you’re a superhero, you’ll need the correct attire or kit to get the full benefits from any of these activities. Be it a simple pair of swimming shorts and rash vest, through to the most advanced fibreglass surfboard and everything else in-between. This is where MAD Water Sports can help. The team here know their foils from their foamies, and it would be odd if they didn’t, having been surfing and swimming off the north Cornwall coast for the past 20 years, along with running a successful outdoor activity centre. Ironically it was the onset of the pandemic that galvanised them into creating a retail outlet. They had to act quickly as they saw the take-up of their instructor-led courses drop off a cliff as new rules came into place. So, in 2020 a new business began trading, tentatively at first but as we emerged from the pandemic, the pace is picking up.
At their completely refurbished unit just outside Wadebridge you enter a spacious area replete with a new mezzanine level; decked out with a wide range of sustainable top-quality surfboards, paddleboards, bodyboards and a full range of paddles. There are also hydrofoils, wings, and foil boards, along with windsurfers, available to view and purchase in the shop. On the lower floor there are heaps of useful accessories, including quality wetsuits from several world-renowned manufacturers, change robes and dry bags.
Very consciously they have managed to create a unique shopping experience, where the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. Help and grounded advice is always on hand but not to the point where you will feel pressured.
Besides selling an extensive range of products they are also aware of the provenance of these items. They strive to ensure that they are sourced and supplied from companies who are keen to reduce plastic in their packaging, develop articles manufactured to ensure a long lifespan and, by monitoring all processes, reduce their carbon footprint.
So, whether you just want to hit the sea for the occasional swim or to take it to the next level, we suggest you head to MAD Water Sports to tap into a wealth of knowledge and ensure you purchase the correct kit for your waterborne adventure. You won’t be disappointed.
MAD WATER SPORTS LTD
