Sandwood Bay
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
63Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 9 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 63kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 384kJ
- Wind
- NNW 0 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Thu 5 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 161kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Fri 6 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 117kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Sat 7 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 79kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Sun 8 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Mon 9 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 173kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 261, good
- Tue 341, too small
- Wed 474, good
- Thu 575, good
- Fri 667, good
- Sat 750, fair
- Sun 826, too small
- Mon 959, fair
- Tue 1045, fair
- Wed 1176, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind 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
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 61, good | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 202kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 10°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 41, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 74, good | 5 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 384kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 0 knots | 9°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 75, good | 3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 161kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 67, good | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 117kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 7°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 238kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 9°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 76, good | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 242kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 9°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 00:38 +1.0 mLow 06:42 −1.0 mHigh 12:57 +1.2 mLow 19:37 −1.4 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:16 +0.9 mLow 08:06 −0.9 mHigh 14:28 +1.2 mLow 20:56 −1.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:36 +1.1 mLow 09:21 −1.1 mHigh 15:43 +1.4 mLow 22:01 −1.7 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
Sandwood Bay 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 Sandwood Bay
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sandwood Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (317°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (137°). 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 600 m out (1 in 61). 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 14°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Kinlochbervie, 9.4 km away (about 20 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: 2 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 20 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Kinlochbervie its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Durness on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 12 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 10m
About 18h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → INV, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 2h 30m by road
Flights ORD → INV on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.