Staying Home Sucks, home
A slabby shore at Whale's Back, Brims
Brimms Ness. Photo: Alan Reid, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Brimms Ness

Surf spot · UK

Is it worth the trip?

59Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 46 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 shollow
Energy
53kJ
Wind
S 4 kn
Temp
11°C

Wed 4 · 79 out of 100

Swell
4 ft10 shollow
Energy
226kJ
Wind
SSW 3 kn
Temp
10°C

Thu 5 · 57 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 shollow
Energy
110kJ
Wind
SSE 2 kn
Temp
10°C

Fri 6 · 45 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 shollow
Energy
71kJ
Wind
ESE 2 kn
Temp
9°C

Sat 7 · 41 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 shollow
Energy
60kJ
Wind
ESE 4 kn
Temp
9°C

Sun 8 · 28 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 shollow
Energy
23kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
7°C

Mon 9 · 77 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 shollow
Energy
167kJ
Wind
S 7 kn
Temp
7°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 257, fair
  2. Tue 346, fair
  3. Wed 479, good
  4. Thu 557, fair
  5. Fri 645, fair
  6. Sat 741, too small
  7. Sun 828, too small
  8. Mon 977, good
  9. Tue 1077, good

The spot in six facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 11 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
  • Best Mar, Sep–Nov2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Brimms Ness does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Brimms Ness, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov57, fair4 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.)118kJwind from the north-west, 6 knots11°C
Tue 3Nov46, fair3 ft7 shollow3 ft at break (est.)53kJwind from the south, 4 knots, offshore11°C
Wed 4Nov79, good4 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)226kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots10°C
Thu 5Nov57, fair3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.)110kJwind from the south-south-east, 2 knots, offshore10°C
Fri 6Nov45, fair2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.)71kJwind from the east-south-east, 2 knots, offshore9°C
Sat 7Nov41, too small2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.)60kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots9°C
Sun 8Nov28, too small2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.)23kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots7°C
Mon 9Nov77, good4 ft7 shollow5 ft at break (est.)167kJwind from the south, 7 knots, offshore7°C
Tue 10Nov77, good4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.)173kJwind from the south-south-east, 7 knots, offshore7°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

  • Mon 2 NovHigh 01:52 +0.8 mLow 07:47 −0.8 mHigh 14:05 +1.1 mLow 20:47 −1.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 03:30 +0.8 mLow 09:12 −0.8 mHigh 15:34 +1.1 mLow 22:06 −1.4 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 04:48 +1.0 mLow 10:29 −0.9 mHigh 16:48 +1.3 mLow 23:11 −1.6 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 Brimms Ness

Coast line near Mains of Brims Farm
Photo: John Ferguson, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Brimms Ness

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

The spot faces NW (337°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (157°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 8). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 13°C in July, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, September, October and November, with about 2 good days in 7; in June and July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Thurso, 8.6 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 11°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$1,290–US$2,390 each

about US$1,290–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 INV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$422–US$871
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$141–US$234
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$281–US$469
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$583
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$134–US$228
Totalabout US$1,290–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: 3 towns

Closest

Thurso

about 15 min by car · 28 places to stay

about US$107/nightcountry average

See 28 places to stay in Thurso · Booking.com

About Thurso its beds, food and every spot near it

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 05m

About 18h 05m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → INV, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 2h 25m by road

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