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Philorth. Photo: ED McIntosh, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Philorth

Surf spot · UK

Is it worth the trip?

11Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: too small (1 ft swell at 8 s), 3 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft3 smushy
Energy
1kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
11°C

Wed 4 · 6 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft4 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
SSW 2 kn
Temp
11°C

Thu 5 · 4 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft9 s
Energy
2kJ
Wind
SE 6 kn
Temp
10°C

Fri 6 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft7 s
Energy
3kJ
Wind
SSE 4 kn
Temp
10°C

Sat 7 · 10 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 smushy
Energy
8kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
10°C

Sun 8 · 11 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
7kJ
Wind
S 7 kn
Temp
10°C

Mon 9 · 18 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
13kJ
Wind
S 8 kn
Temp
7°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 211, too small
  2. Tue 39, too small
  3. Wed 46, too small
  4. Thu 54, too small
  5. Fri 67, too small
  6. Sat 710, too small
  7. Sun 811, too small
  8. Mon 918, too small
  9. Tue 1023, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
  • Offshore: SWwind 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
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Philorth, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov11, too small2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.)7kJwind from the west-north-west, 12 knots11°C
Tue 3Nov9, too small1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the east, 4 knots11°C
Wed 4Nov6, too smallunder 1 ft4 s1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots, offshore11°C
Thu 5Nov4, too smallunder 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the south-east, 6 knots10°C
Fri 6Nov7, too small1 ft7 s1 ft at break (est.)3kJwind from the south-south-east, 4 knots10°C
Sat 7Nov10, too small1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the east, 4 knots10°C
Sun 8Nov11, too small1 ft9 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.)7kJwind from the south, 7 knots, offshore10°C
Mon 9Nov18, too small1 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)13kJwind from the south, 8 knots, offshore7°C
Tue 10Nov23, too small2 ft4 smushy1 ft at break (est.)21kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots9°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 05:32 +0.9 mLow 11:31 −0.7 mHigh 17:38 +1.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 00:25 −1.2 mHigh 06:58 +0.8 mLow 12:56 −0.6 mHigh 18:59 +1.0 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 01:43 −1.3 mHigh 08:14 +0.9 mLow 14:10 −0.8 mHigh 20:11 +1.1 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 and its town

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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Philorth

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

The spot faces NE (36°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (216°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 71). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 7°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 14°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Fraserburgh, 0.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots and 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to EDI, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$422–US$884
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$2,400

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

Where to stay: 3 towns

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Fraserburgh

about 5 min by car · 5 places to stay

about US$107/nightcountry average

See 5 places to stay in Fraserburgh · Booking.com

About Fraserburgh 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 15h 50m

About 15h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → EDI, direct, then 3h 55m by road

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