Porthcothan
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
33Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 12 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 70kJ
- Wind
- NE 18 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 161kJ
- Wind
- ENE 17 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- ENE 16 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- SE 8 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Sat 7 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Mon 9 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- ESE 19 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 222, too small
- Tue 311, too small
- Wed 462, good
- Thu 542, too small
- Fri 627, too small
- Sat 728, too small
- Sun 818, too small
- Mon 95, too small
- Tue 1024, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the north-east, 14 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | wind from the north-east, 18 knots | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 62, good | 3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 161kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 17 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 16 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 27, too small | 1 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 19 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 14°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 04:21 −1.8 mHigh 10:32 +2.0 mLow 17:14 −1.9 mHigh 23:17 +1.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:48 −1.7 mHigh 11:54 +1.9 mLow 18:40 −1.9 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:40 +1.7 mLow 07:09 −1.8 mHigh 13:11 +2.1 mLow 19:50 −2.2 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
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 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
Porthcothan 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 Porthcothan
More surf near here
5 places
- Treyarnon 2.1 km away
- Constantine Reef 2.2 km away
- Diggorys 2.2 km away
- Whaley beach 2.2 km away
- Constantine 2.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Porthcothan
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (284°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (104°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 14). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in July, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Padstow, 6.6 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 12 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$1,230–US$2,280 each
about US$1,230–US$2,280 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 NQY, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$435–US$898 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$67–US$107 |
| 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$1,230–US$2,280 |
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
3 min by car · 27 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Treyarnon its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Harlyn on Booking.com
6 min by car · 28 places to stay
- Beds in Trevone on Booking.com
8 min by car · 21 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 16h 25m
About 16h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → NQY, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 55 min by road
Flights ORD → NQY on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.