.jpg){kind=link}
Sandside
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
44Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 10 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 134kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tue 3 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 184kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 82kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 299kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 126, poor
- Mon 245, fair
- Tue 340, too small
- Wed 462, good
- Thu 543, too small
- Fri 629, too small
- Sat 724, too small
- Sun 841, poor
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 1011, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–13 ftof swell
- Water 11 °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 | 26, poor | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 169kJ | wind from the west, 13 knots | 11°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 45, fair | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | wind from the north-west, 9 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 40, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 62, good | 3 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 184kJ | offshorewind from the south, 5 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 43, too small | 3 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 82kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 7 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 41, poor | 6 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 299kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 8 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 845kJ | wind from the south-west, 10 knots | 9°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 11, poor | 5 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 380kJ | wind from the west, 22 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 NovHigh 00:16 +1.1 mLow 06:23 −1.0 mHigh 12:33 +1.3 mLow 19:16 −1.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:42 +0.8 mLow 07:39 −0.8 mHigh 13:55 +1.1 mLow 20:39 −1.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:19 +0.8 mLow 09:04 −0.8 mHigh 15:24 +1.1 mLow 21:58 −1.4 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 Mon 2 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
Sandside 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.
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 Sandside
More surf near here
4 places
- Melvich 6.7 km away
- Brimms Ness 9.4 km away
- The Bowl 9.5 km away
- Torrisdale Bay 27.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sandside
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (352°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (172°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 50). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 13°C in July, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Melvich, 8.2 km away (about 15 min by car).
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$2,390 each
about US$1,290–US$2,390 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 INV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$422–US$871 |
| 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$2,390 |
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
14 min by car · 4 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Melvich its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Thurso on Booking.com
27 min by car · 28 places to stay
- Beds in Bettyhill on Booking.com
45 min by car · 8 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 18h
About 18h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → INV, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 2h 15m by road
Flights ORD → INV on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.