Whitewater: a river with rapids
Is it worth the trip?
53Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: Wind 3 kn gusting 8, Air 9 °C, River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go
Tue 3 · 58 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 9°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Wed 4 · 51 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 6°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Thu 5 · 53 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 7°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Fri 6 · 52 out of 100
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 6°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sat 7 · 52 out of 100
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 6°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Sun 8 · 47 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 4°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Mon 9 · 46 out of 100
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 4°C
- Rain
- 0 mm
Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 258, fair
- Tue 358, fair
- Wed 451, fair
- Thu 553, fair
- Fri 652, fair
- Sat 752, fair
- Sun 847, fair
- Mon 946, fair
- Tue 1043, poor
- Wed 1147, fair
The spot in three facts
- Grade IIIits hardest rapid VI
- Moving waterthe water
- Best Jul–Aug6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Air | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 58, fair | 3 kn | 9kn | 9°C | 0.3 mm |
| Tue 3Nov | 58, fair | 3 kn | 8kn | 9°C | 0 mm |
| Wed 4Nov | 51, fair | 3 kn | 7kn | 6°C | 0 mm |
| Thu 5Nov | 53, fair | 6 kn | 12kn | 7°C | 0 mm |
| Fri 6Nov | 52, fair | 3 kn | 8kn | 6°C | 0 mm |
| Sat 7Nov | 52, fair | 6 kn | 11kn | 6°C | 0 mm |
| Sun 8Nov | 47, fair | 2 kn | 6kn | 4°C | 0 mm |
| Mon 9Nov | 46, fair | 2 kn | 5kn | 4°C | 0 mm |
| Tue 10Nov | 43, poor | 4 kn | 8kn | 2°C | 1.8 mm |
| Wed 11Nov | 47, fair | 6 kn | 19kn | 5°C | 0 mm |
Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Jul–Aug
Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for grade III paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May4of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.
Map
put-in, take-out, its town
Oykel on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More kayaking near here
1 place
- Inver 25.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Oykel
A river section on the Oykel, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade III, its hardest rapid VI, on the international scale. Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade. No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map. For grade III paddlers the best months are usually July and August, with about 6 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Lochinver.
- River Oykel
- Grade Grade III, its hardest rapid VI, on the international scale.
- Who it suits Suits grade III paddlers and up, by its grade.
- Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
- Schools, hire No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map.
Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,390–US$2,590 each
about US$1,390–US$2,590 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to EDI, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$422–US$884 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$234 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$322–US$543 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$583 |
| Kayak hire | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$188–US$348 |
| Total | about US$1,390–US$2,590 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Lochinver
about 50 min by car · 23 places to stay
about US$121/nightcountry average
About Lochinver its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$121 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 16h 30m
About 16h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → EDI, direct, then 4h 35m by road
Flights ORD → EDI on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
On the water
Kayak trips and courses in Lochinver · GetYourGuideKayak hire in Lochinver · GetYourGuide
River level
River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.
Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby
No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 50 km.
Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits