Rossnowlagh
Surf spot · Ireland
Is it worth the trip?
51Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 8 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 110kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 ssoft
- Energy
- 43kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Wed 4 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 139kJ
- Wind
- E 8 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 69kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 6°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 180, good
- Mon 268, good
- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 464, good
- Thu 545, fair
- Fri 636, too small
- Sat 737, too small
- Sun 848, fair
- Mon 946, fair
- Tue 1056, fair
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 80, good | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 239kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 11°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 68, good | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft14 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 43kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 64, good | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 139kJ | offshorewind from the east, 8 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 45, fair | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | offshorewind from the east, 6 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 48, fair | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 6°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 46, fair | 5 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 430kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 7°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 56, fair | 5 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 362kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 8°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 NovLow 03:20 −1.1 mHigh 09:54 +1.4 mLow 16:26 −1.1 mHigh 22:43 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:31 −0.9 mHigh 11:13 +1.3 mLow 17:54 −1.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:14 +0.6 mLow 05:57 −0.8 mHigh 12:36 +1.3 mLow 19:18 −1.2 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 beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 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
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Rossnowlagh 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Rossnowlagh
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More surf near here
5 places
- Murvagh 6.4 km away
- Tullan Strand 7.2 km away
- Bundoran 9.7 km away
- Pampa 10.7 km away
- Black spot 11.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Rossnowlagh
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (266°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (86°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.8 km out (1 in 175). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 9°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in August, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Rossnowlagh, 0 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 12°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$1,310–US$2,410 each
about US$1,310–US$2,410 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 DUB, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$422–US$878 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$241 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$288–US$482 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$596 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$127–US$208 |
| Total | about US$1,310–US$2,410 |
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
1 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Rossnowlagh its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Bundoran on Booking.com
17 min by car · 39 places to stay
- Beds in Tullaghan on Booking.com
22 min by car · 3 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 15h 05m
About 15h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DUB, direct, then 3h 15m by road
By bus: Bus Éireann, TFI Local Link Donegal Sligo Leitrim. Time from the published timetables, on a weekday.
Flights ORD → DUB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.