Lucy Campbell: Queen of The Cold
Think surfing’s all about sunny beaches and golden tans? Meet Lucy Campbell, the UK’s seven-time Women’s National Surfing Champion, who’s making waves in freezing British waters.
By Glorious
When you picture a surfer, you probably imagine sun-kissed skin, golden sands, and clear blue waters—perhaps even a postcard-perfect beach in Hawaii. But Lucy Campbell, the UK’s seven-time Women’s National Surfing Champion, has a slightly different backdrop in mind. Think freezing car parks, sideways rain, and the kind of cold that makes your bones ache. Despite the often harsh conditions of British surfing, Lucy’s passion for the sport remains unshakable.
Lucy’s journey into surfing began in Devon, where she grew up idolising her two older brothers. “They were just the coolest thing ever to me while I was growing up, I mean, they’re still pretty cool…,” she says with a smile. “My Dad and eldest brother started surfing when we moved to the Northern Coast of Devon, and once I was a strong enough swimmer, they finally started taking me with them. I just loved the chance to splash about in the water for hours.” It wasn’t long before the thrill of riding waves hooked her, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Lucy’s rise to becoming a seven-time national champion has been anything but easy. The pressures of maintaining her title, coupled with the demands of exploring new surfing challenges, are intense. But for Lucy, that’s part of the appeal. “A big reason I love surfing is it gives me the opportunity to continually push myself,” she explains. “Whether it’s nailing a new combination of manoeuvres, competition strategies, or testing myself with bigger, heavier waves, I still get the same buzz as I did when I started out.”
The British winter is notoriously unforgiving, especially for surfers. Imagine getting ready in a car park where the temperature is hovering around -1°C, with 30 mph winds howling around you. Yet, Lucy’s motivation never falters. “I feel like surfing is seen as a summer sport—it’s a touch more glamorous in a thin wetsuit or bikini in the sunshine,” she laughs. “But the reality is you’re often getting ready in freezing conditions. The UK surfers have to be amongst some of the most motivated in the world!” Despite the cold and harsh conditions, Lucy finds getting out amongst the elements energising. “It’s super cheesy, I know, but it’s just you and nature. Trust me, you get to feel its full force!”.
To stay motivated, Lucy employs a few tricks. “I try to make things as easy as possible,” she reveals. “I bring all the warm layers, play a playlist of my favourite cheesy songs, try to make sure my wetsuit is dry or at least warm before getting changed, and bring a hot water bottle with plenty of hot chocolate for afterwards!”. These little rituals help her embrace the elements, no matter how brutal they may be.
Lucy’s connection with nature goes beyond just riding waves. She’s a passionate advocate for sustainability, driven by the stark reality of what she’s witnessed during her time in the water. “I feel so lucky that I get to see seals, dolphins, turtles, rays, sometimes even whales up close,” she says. “But it’s not all idyllic marine encounters.” She’s witnessed the flip side of this, including the “whole lot of plastic pollution and getting sick from poor water quality.” “The amount of rubbish that gets left on the beaches on summer days in the UK is heartbreaking.”
One experience that stands out was visiting the Maldives, a place often described as paradise. “Almost every island we went to had a knee-high tideline of plastic bottles and rubbish wrapping around the whole white sandy island. It was shocking.” These experiences have shaped her approach to sustainability, both personally and in her surfing career. “I’m far from perfect, but I do my best where I can,” she says. “It’s not about everyone doing sustainability perfectly; it’s about all of us having a crack and getting it wrong from time to time.”
Lucy’s commitment to sustainability manifests in small, manageable steps. “I buy most of my clothing from sites like Depop and keep an eye on Facebook Marketplace for homewares. I’ve switched to a more sustainable bank, cut back on meat, and when I do buy meat or dairy, it’s from sustainable sources,” she says. “I opt for refillable wherever I can—hand soaps, cleaning products, etc. I always bring my refillable coffee cup, tote bags, and bottles, and I make recycling as easy for myself as possible.” She also offsets the carbon from her frequent travel through a membership that supports reforestation projects. “And any equipment I don’t use anymore, I pass or sell on.”
sustainability
But surfing isn’t just about braving the cold and fighting for a cleaner planet. For Lucy, it’s also about finding balance, which is where yoga comes in. “Yoga is one of those things that I’ll be totally in love with for months and then leave it for a little while, only to question why I ever stopped when I get back to it,” she admits. Yoga aids in recovery and injury prevention, but it’s more than just physical. “I think it helps proprioception massively too,” she adds. “With surfing, you have to focus on so many different parts of the body at the same time as reading what’s going on in front of you and adapting to it. I think yoga is incredible for that mind-body connection.”
Besides yoga, Lucy also incorporates strength and conditioning into her training, with a focus this year on building explosive strength. “It’s been heavy lifts and plyometrics for me!” she says. When the waves are flat, Lucy doesn’t just sit around waiting for better conditions. She’s an adventurer at heart and loves trying out other sports. “I’m up for anything!”, she says. “When the waves are flat, I love climbing, touch tennis, SUPing, running, or hiking.”
The mental aspect of surfing, particularly in competitions, is just as crucial as the physical. Lucy shares a mantra she picked up recently: “Calmness is a weapon.” It’s a philosophy she’s been working on harnessing this season. “There is so much that’s out of your control in surfing. Sometimes the ocean just won’t play ball, which I guess is a fantastic life lesson in only focusing on what you can control,” she reflects. To maintain focus and confidence, Lucy practises breathwork and journaling. She’s also been studying an Open University course on female physiology in sport to better understand how her menstrual cycle affects her performance. “I’m sure many people reading this will relate to a dip in mental clarity, coordination, and confidence through certain stages of their cycle.”
Surfing as a professional is a whole different ball game compared to surfing as a hobby. “Time pressure is the main difference,” Lucy explains. “When we ‘free surf’ we can be out for hours, picking off the best waves. But in competition, you only get 20-25 minutes, so you have to play your tactics right.” There’s also the fun of experimenting with different boards in free surfing, something that’s more restricted in competition. “In competition, it’s usually done on a ‘thruster’—three fins on the board—but it’s so fun to ride boards with two or even one fin. There’s no pressure, no set way to surf to maximise your score… Just playtime!”.
Despite her extensive travels, Lucy’s bucket list is far from empty. Believe it or not, she’s never surfed in Hawaii, which, as she puts it, “feels like sacrilege for a surfer to say!” But her top three favourite surf destinations include Indonesia, El Salvador, and, unsurprisingly, the Maldives. “Indonesia for its consistent waves, El Salvador for the amazing long waves and colourful country, and The Maldives; pure paradise!”.
Given her busy travel schedule, it’s no surprise that Lucy cherishes time spent with loved ones. When asked about her ideal dinner party guests, she laughs and shares, “Part of me wants to just say my friends and family because I don’t get to spend much time with them.” However, there’s one guest she’d eagerly invite: “I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to have David Attenborough at the table,” she says. To keep the atmosphere light-hearted, she’d also invite a comedian.,“The best nights leave you with sore abs from laughing so hard!”
Cherishes
As for the future, Lucy’s goals are clear. “The ultimate goal is to make it to the next Olympics and to hopefully show young girls and women along the way that there are so many sports out there,” she says passionately. “I want to prove exercise doesn’t have to be monotonous; it can feel playful—we definitely lose touch with this growing up.” And with sustainability, Lucy hopes to reach even more people. “I want to show them what I see on a daily basis, to help people to want to protect this beaut’ of a planet that we live on!”.
Lucy Campbell isn’t just riding waves; she’s making them. Whether it’s in her dedication to surfing, her advocacy for sustainability, or her commitment to inspiring others, Lucy is carving a path that’s as bold and unique as the waves she rides. And if her infectious enthusiasm is anything to go by, she’s only just getting started!
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