Staying Home Sucks, home
Barley Cove
Barleycove. Photo: Gordon Hatton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Barleycove

Surf spot · Ireland

Is it worth the trip?

10Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: too small (4 ft swell at 11 s), onshore wind, 16 kn (30 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 8 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 ssoft
Energy
152kJ
Wind
ENE 14 kn
Temp
13°C

Tue 3 · 9 out of 100

Swell
3 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
213kJ
Wind
ENE 13 kn
Temp
12°C

Wed 4 · 15 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 ssoft
Energy
313kJ
Wind
ENE 16 kn
Temp
12°C

Thu 5 · 10 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
150kJ
Wind
NE 16 kn
Temp
11°C

Fri 6 · 8 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 ssoft
Energy
79kJ
Wind
E 11 kn
Temp
11°C

Sat 7 · 7 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
102kJ
Wind
N 7 kn
Temp
10°C

Sun 8 · 3 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
22kJ
Wind
SSE 5 kn
Temp
10°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 140, too small
  2. Mon 28, too small
  3. Tue 39, too small
  4. Wed 415, too small
  5. Thu 510, too small
  6. Fri 68, too small
  7. Sat 77, too small
  8. Sun 83, too small
  9. Mon 917, too small
  10. Tue 1017, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 8–20 ftof swell
  • Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number

Barleycove does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Barleycove, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov40, too small6 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)537kJwind from the north-north-east, 13 knots, offshore13°C
Mon 2Nov8, too small3 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)152kJwind from the east-north-east, 14 knots13°C
Tue 3Nov9, too small3 ft13 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)213kJwind from the east-north-east, 13 knots12°C
Wed 4Nov15, too small4 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)313kJwind from the east-north-east, 16 knots, offshore12°C
Thu 5Nov10, too small3 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)150kJwind from the north-east, 16 knots, offshore11°C
Fri 6Nov8, too small2 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.)79kJwind from the east, 11 knots11°C
Sat 7Nov7, too small3 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)102kJwind from the north, 7 knots, offshore10°C
Sun 8Nov3, too small1 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)22kJwind from the south-south-east, 5 knots10°C
Mon 9Nov17, too small4 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)292kJwind from the north-north-east, 7 knots, offshore11°C
Tue 10Nov17, too small5 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)325kJwind from the west-north-west, 8 knots11°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Sun 1 NovLow 02:31 −1.0 mHigh 08:59 +1.1 mLow 15:13 −1.0 mHigh 21:43 +0.9 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 03:49 −0.8 mHigh 10:14 +1.0 mLow 16:36 −1.0 mHigh 23:02 +0.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 05:17 −0.8 mHigh 11:32 +1.0 mLow 17:59 −1.0 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: 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.

Photos of Barleycove

Barley Cove view
Photo: Einaz80, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Barley Cove
Photo: Dieglop, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Barleycove

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (193°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (13°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 8–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 54). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in August, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Ballydehob. Within 5 km we also list 2 wind sports spots.

Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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$1,300–US$2,390 each

about US$1,300–US$2,390 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to KIR, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$415–US$858
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$147–US$241
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$288–US$482
Food7 days eating outabout US$322–US$596
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$127–US$208
Totalabout US$1,300–US$2,390

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Ballydehob

Closest

Ballydehob

42 min by car · 3 places to stay

about US$107/nightcountry average

See 3 places to stay in Ballydehob · Booking.com

About Ballydehob its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Ballydehob, 24 km (about 45 min by car)

About US$107 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 18h

About 18h door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → KIR, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 2h 35m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.