Harry James-Mills is scrolling through some pictures on his phone, taken at sunrise as he stood on his paddleboard in the middle of Tor Bay. The light is bouncing off the calm sea as he heads towards the horizon.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” he says. “Isn’t it amazing? People who live next to the water forget that they can be a part of that, this beautiful thing that nature has given us.”
Harry and business partner Sean White are passionate paddleboarders. Together, they have turned their love for the open water into a thriving lifestyle brand, which has now landed in Torquay.
Wesup, overlooking the town’s harbour, is a place where people can learn to stand up paddleboard before relaxing in the cool clubhouse with a decent coffee/cake and a catch up with friends. Non-paddleboarders can come here and do the coffee and cake part.
Yoga classes, documentary nights and DJ events are also held in the café and ‘energy space’, which includes a fantastic glass room, overlooking the busy waterfront.
Torquay sure looks great from up here. And I’m all for new perspectives on my hometown – it’s not all buckets and spades and so-called faded glory, you know.
“We want this to be seen as a sanctuary for locals,” says Sean. “When spring and summer happen here, it’s busy. Locals tend to retreat to the hills and leave the town to the tourists.
This story is from the July 2020 edition of Devon Life.
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This story is from the July 2020 edition of Devon Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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