UK Travel Consultant | Surf Writer | Lifelong ExplorerAbout the Book
About the Book
Heading South: Searching for Something
A Surf Trail Through Britain, Ireland and North Africa — Before the Crowds Arrived
Heading South: Searching for Something is Keith West’s first-hand account of surfing’s early years in Britain and along the well-worn winter trail south — Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal and Morocco — told through the friendships, misadventures, and unforgettable waves that defined that era.
Part travel memoir, part social history, the book captures a period when surfing was still a curiosity in Britain: no forecasts, no crowds, no certainty — just a van, a board, and a willingness to drive toward a rumour of good waves.
Memoir Surfing Travel 1960s–70s
About the Book
A Different Era of Surfing, Told from the Inside
“We were young and oh, so keen… experimenting, learning by trial and mostly error.”
— Keith West
Spanning twenty chapters, Heading South follows Keith and his circle of friends — including his long-time surfing companion Terry, a council draftsman who slept in his parents’ garage surrounded by boards and seashells — as they chase waves from the south coast of England to the point breaks of Morocco.
It’s a story built from real memory rather than polished nostalgia: freezing dawn paddle-outs, van life on a shoestring, run-ins with the police during the era of the Dangerous Drugs Act, and the camaraderie of a small community discovering something new together. Along the way, the book traces how surfing itself changed — from a niche, almost secretive pastime into the forecast-driven, technology-assisted sport it is today, and reflects candidly on what’s been gained, and lost, along the way.
Twenty Chapters, One Long Search
+———————————–+———————————–+ | The Early Days | Life on the Road | | | | | Discovering surfing in 1960s | Van life, campsites, and | | Britain, and the friendships | close calls across the surf | | that grew from a shared | trail through France, Spain, | | obsession | Portugal and Morocco | +———————————–+———————————–+ | The Search | Coming Home | | | | | Years spent hunting down | Reflections on settling down, | | empty breaks across Europe | growing older, and watching | | and North Africa, long | a once-secret pastime become | | before anyone else knew | a global industry | | where to look | | +———————————–+———————————–+
Also explored throughout the book: the evolution of surfing from a fringe pastime to a technology-driven global sport, the pull of the open road, the changing face of coastal Britain and Europe, and a reflective postscript written from the present day on what’s changed — and what hasn’t.
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