"Take us to the nearest place there's surf......"
It all started back in the eighties, when two brothers travelling the world looking for waves arrived in the UK. They landed in London and decided to get straight on a train to the sea, asking the man at the ticket office to "Take us to the nearest place there's surf."
The ticket guy suggested that Penzance was a good place to start, so they boarded a train bound for Cornwall and have never looked back.
Angus and Ross loved the life in Cornwall and spent their days surfing and their nights in the local pub, but they soon grew short on funds. Picking daffodils was okay, but they both felt they needed an artistic outlet and a way to make enough money to keep travelling and surfing.
They decided to put their artistic talents to work. Making a printing screen from scraps begged, borrowed and salvaged they developed a highly advanced blackout system using tape, nails and a Salvation Army rug. They started printing original, surf inspired designs on tshirts and selling them from the back of their Austin Allegro and named their new brand Saltrock, after their favourite surf break back home in South Africa.
The designs took off. The look was so distinctive and original that the brothers soon gained a core following of south west surfers who became fiercely loyal to their style, and it wasnt long before they couldnt keep up with demand.
Angus and Ross were soon so busy that business was starting to eat into their surfing time. One day they saw a random clip on TV about North Devon which set their imaginations alight and their feet itching. They packed their kit and headed off up the coast to Croyde.
As soon as they arrived they knew they'd come home. Everything about North Devon; the surf, the landscape and the community was perfect for the brothers and for Saltrock. They started selling Saltrock tshirts straight away, and that first night they went to The Thatch for a drink and met a group of guys that night that are still their best friends and part of the Saltrock family today.
Despite the surf community wanting to keep Saltrock sacred, the word spread and Saltrock soon became a well known North Devon brand. The brothers soon teamed up with the irrepressible Carl Priscott whose energy and enthusiasm helped the company to expand and move into new premises in Braunton near Croyde, right in the heart of the North Devon surfing community. Continued success meant the brand was soon recognised nationally, and then internationally.
Today the Saltrock family is stronger than ever, sharing the surfing ideal with the people from the surfing community and those outside with the same values and attitudes.
Still run by the original team, we design for the lifestyle we love - fun, creativity and laughter is the lifeblood of Saltrock. We love the British coastline and all it has to offer, were passionate about having the freedom to express ourselves and we surf till the sun goes down (when we get the chance!).
Saltrock is a true British success story proving that with imagination, a great team and a strong will to succeed, anything is possible.