The Bowl
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
52Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 10 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 120kJ
- Wind
- NW 8 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Tue 3 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 184kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 shollow
- 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 128, poor
- Mon 252, fair
- Tue 349, fair
- Wed 473, good
- Thu 554, fair
- Fri 638, too small
- Sat 724, too small
- Sun 836, poor
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 1012, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 11 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
- Best Mar, Sep–Nov2 good days in 7
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 | 28, poor | 3 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 169kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 12 knots | 11°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 52, fair | 4 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 120kJ | wind from the north-west, 8 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 49, fair | 3 ft6 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 1 knot | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 73, good | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 184kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 7 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 36, poor | 6 ft7 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 299kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 10°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 845kJ | wind from the south-west, 9 knots | 8°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, poor | 5 ft10 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 380kJ | wind from the west, 20 knots | 7°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 00:25 +1.1 mLow 06:31 −1.0 mHigh 12:41 +1.2 mLow 19:24 −1.3 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:52 +0.8 mLow 07:47 −0.8 mHigh 14:05 +1.1 mLow 20:47 −1.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:30 +0.8 mLow 09:12 −0.8 mHigh 15:34 +1.1 mLow 22:06 −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
best Mar, Sep–Nov
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
- Mar2of 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
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 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 and its town
The Bowl 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.
More surf near here
5 places
- Brimms Ness 0.1 km away
- Thurso beach 7.8 km away
- Sewer Pipe 8.7 km away
- Thurso East 9.2 km away
- Sandside 9.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Bowl
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (337°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (157°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 8). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, September, October and November, with about 2 good days in 7; in June and July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Thurso, 8.5 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf 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$2,390 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
15 min by car · 28 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Thurso its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Melvich on Booking.com
30 min by car · 4 places to stay
- Beds in Dunnet on Booking.com
32 min by car · 6 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 05m
About 18h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → INV, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 2h 25m by road
Flights ORD → INV on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.