The strangles
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
34Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 2 ft swell at 12 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 78kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Tue 3 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- ENE 13 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 127kJ
- Wind
- ENE 14 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Thu 5 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- E 15 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Fri 6 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- SE 1 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 173, good
- Mon 232, too small
- Tue 39, too small
- Wed 451, fair
- Thu 538, too small
- Fri 624, too small
- Sat 729, too small
- Sun 822, too small
- Mon 911, too small
- Tue 1012, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 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.
The strangles does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 73, good | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 223kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 12°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 78kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 13 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 51, fair | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 127kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 14 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the east, 15 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 24, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 22, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 1 knot, offshore | 9°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft7 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 15 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 13°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 03:17 −2.3 mHigh 09:33 +2.5 mLow 16:00 −2.2 mHigh 22:11 +2.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 04:30 −1.9 mHigh 10:45 +2.2 mLow 17:23 −2.0 mHigh 23:30 +1.8 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:58 −1.8 mHigh 12:07 +2.1 mLow 18:50 −2.0 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 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 strangles on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Rusey beach - Pengold 1.3 km away
- Pengold 1.4 km away
- Tremoutha Haven (Unmaxibles) 1.6 km away
- Crackington Haven 2 km away
- Milbrook 6.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The strangles
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (293°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (113°). 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 50 m out (1 in 7). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 10°C in January, 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 Boscastle, 5.6 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 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$1,250–US$2,320 each
about US$1,250–US$2,320 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$87–US$147 |
| 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$1,250–US$2,320 |
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 · 13 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Crackington Haven its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Boscastle on Booking.com
10 min by car · 32 places to stay
- Beds in Poundstock on Booking.com
15 min by car · 13 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 30m
About 16h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → NQY, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h by road
Flights ORD → NQY on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.