Folkestone East Cliff Reef
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
6Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: too small (1 ft swell at 4 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft6 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- NNE 13 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tue 3 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- NE 12 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- E 19 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- E 11 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Fri 6 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 smushy
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 smushy
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- WNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 14, too small
- Mon 22, too small
- Tue 33, too small
- Wed 41, too small
- Thu 55, too small
- Fri 611, too small
- Sat 76, too small
- Sun 87, too small
- Mon 92, too small
- Tue 1014, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 11°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 13 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 1, too small | 1 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the east, 19 knots | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 5, too small | 2 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the east, 11 knots | 9°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft3 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 1 knot | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft3 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 9 knots | 10°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 11°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 NovHigh 03:11 +2.8 mLow 10:03 −2.4 mHigh 15:41 +2.7 mLow 22:40 −2.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:12 +2.4 mLow 11:19 −2.2 mHigh 16:46 +2.3 mLow 23:58 −2.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:20 +2.1 mLow 12:37 −2.2 mHigh 18:00 +2.0 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
Folkestone East Cliff Reef on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Folkestone East Cliff Reef
More surf near here
4 places
- Folkestone East Cliff Sands 1.5 km away
- Folkestone Wear Bay 1.8 km away
- St Margarets Bay 15.6 km away
- Kingsdown 18.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Folkestone East Cliff Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (129°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (309°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 43). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 19°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Folkestone, 1.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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$1,320–US$2,440 each
about US$1,320–US$2,440 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 LHR, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$449–US$925 |
| 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$1,320–US$2,440 |
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
2 min by car · 38 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Folkestone its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Dover on Booking.com
17 min by car · 47 places to stay
- Beds in Kingsdown on Booking.com
33 min by car · 10 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 14h 50m
About 14h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LHR, direct, then 2h 25m by road
Flights ORD → LHR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.