Coldingham Bay
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
20Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: too small (2 ft swell at 4 s)
Tue 3 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 7kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- E 8 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- E 8 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft3 shollow
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Mon 9 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 234, too small
- Tue 328, too small
- Wed 416, too small
- Thu 512, too small
- Fri 616, too small
- Sat 719, too small
- Sun 825, too small
- Mon 911, too small
- Tue 1019, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 11 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
Full forecast
every day, every number
Coldingham Bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft4 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 8 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft4 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft4 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft4 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the east, 8 knots | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft4 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the east, 8 knots | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 19, too small | 1 ft4 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft3 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | wind from the north-west, 5 knots | 8°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft8 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 7°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft4 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 knots | 9°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 NovLow 01:25 −1.6 mHigh 08:04 +1.2 mLow 13:55 −1.0 mHigh 20:15 +1.4 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:46 −1.6 mHigh 09:27 +1.2 mLow 15:19 −0.9 mHigh 21:34 +1.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:07 −1.7 mHigh 10:40 +1.3 mLow 16:36 −1.0 mHigh 22:45 +1.5 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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Coldingham Bay on Google Maps · Directions
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 Coldingham Bay
More surf near here
1 place
- Pease Bay 13 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Coldingham Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (69°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (249°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 10). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 7°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 15°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Coldingham, 2.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports 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$2,400 each
about US$1,290–US$2,400 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
| 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$281–US$469 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$583 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$228 |
| Total | about US$1,290–US$2,400 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
about 5 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Coldingham its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Cockburnspath on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 7 places to stay
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 13h 35m
About 13h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → EDI, direct, then 1h 40m by road
Flights ORD → EDI on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.