The thing about getting older is that less surprises you. But when something does happen, that makes you suddenly grin from ear to ear and whoop inside, it feels all the more thrilling.

I have to be honest, but when I was invited to try cable wakeboarding at Foxlake Adventures in East Lothian I imagined it would be a bit tame. I have water-skiied and wakeboarded before and while I enjoyed the activities, they didn’t appeal as pursuits that I would like to take up as a hobby.

There were various reasons, including being too cold in the (Scottish) water, too sore on the back, too unpredictable (when being pulled along by an awkward speed boat) and over too soon.

Cable wakeboarding is quite different.

The water in man-made Foxlake is quite warm. In a 5mm wetsuit it felt pleasant even in May. The overhead cable aspect also adds an easy-to-get-learn aspect to the sport. With an instructor on the shore controlling the speed and direction of the cable, it’s possible to have a one-to-one lesson and learn the basics of the sport very quickly.

Each time I returned to the instructor end of the lake I was give new instructions and ideas to think about. The instructor could easily see what I was doing right and wrong and help me to progress.

Within 10 minutes I was happily riding the water, steering and turning. Five more minutes and I could successfully make a 180-degree turn at the end of the lake and pull off a full circuit.

Apparently I am a quick learner and some people take a few sessions to achieve the end-turns but I found it straightforward.

I was up for learning how to jump on the mad-looking obstacles but this would be what I would learn next time.

What surprised me the most was just how much fun it is to cable wakeboard. When the instructor increased the speed at which I rode my grin became wider.  Every time I mastered a turn or a curve to the right or left I felt an inner whoop of joy.

I might be 46 but wakeboarding made me feel like a child enjoying some playtime.

See Foxlake Adventures.