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Aberystwyth Beach - panoramio
North Beach, 1 km away. Photo: Keith Ruffles, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Trap - Aberystwyth

Surf spot · UK

Is it worth the trip?

3Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: too small (1 ft swell at 11 s), 3 hours of offshore wind

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 2 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft14 s
Energy
5kJ
Wind
ENE 10 kn
Temp
10°C

Wed 4 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft11 shollow
Energy
15kJ
Wind
ENE 12 kn
Temp
10°C

Thu 5 · 4 out of 100

Swell
1 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
7kJ
Wind
E 13 kn
Temp
8°C

Fri 6 · 2 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft9 s
Energy
2kJ
Wind
ESE 11 kn
Temp
9°C

Sat 7 · 2 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft8 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
SSW 1 kn
Temp
8°C

Sun 8 · 2 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft9 s
Energy
1kJ
Wind
SE 1 kn
Temp
8°C

Mon 9 · 1 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft4 s
Energy
0kJ
Wind
E 12 kn
Temp
7°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 23, too small
  2. Tue 32, too small
  3. Wed 47, too small
  4. Thu 54, too small
  5. Fri 62, too small
  6. Sat 72, too small
  7. Sun 82, too small
  8. Mon 91, too small
  9. Tue 103, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at The Trap - Aberystwyth, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov3, too small1 ft9 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.)6kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots10°C
Tue 3Nov2, too smallunder 1 ft14 s1 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the east-north-east, 10 knots10°C
Wed 4Nov7, too small1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.)15kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots, offshore10°C
Thu 5Nov4, too small1 ft10 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.)7kJwind from the east, 13 knots, offshore8°C
Fri 6Nov2, too smallunder 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.)2kJwind from the east-south-east, 11 knots, offshore9°C
Sat 7Nov2, too smallunder 1 ft8 s1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the south-south-west, 1 knot8°C
Sun 8Nov2, too smallunder 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.)1kJwind from the south-east, 1 knot, offshore8°C
Mon 9Nov1, too smallunder 1 ft4 sunder 1 ft at break (est.)0kJwind from the east, 12 knots, offshore7°C
Tue 10Nov3, too small1 ft8 smushy1 ft at break (est.)8kJwind from the south-south-east, 4 knots11°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 00:50 +1.2 mLow 07:59 −0.9 mHigh 13:18 +1.4 mLow 20:57 −1.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:05 +1.0 mLow 09:23 −1.0 mHigh 14:34 +1.4 mLow 22:09 −1.5 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 03:23 +1.1 mLow 10:31 −1.2 mHigh 15:48 +1.5 mLow 23:08 −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

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: 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 The Trap - Aberystwyth

Waves off Aberystwyth harbour bar
Photo: Nigel Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Majestic Sweep of the Bay
Photo: Deborah Tilley, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Aberystwyth - panoramio (45)
Photo: Tanya Dedyukhina, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About The Trap - Aberystwyth

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces W (286°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (106°). 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 550 m out (1 in 56). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 8°C in January, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 18°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Aberystwyth, 0.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot.

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$1,290–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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to DUB, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$422–US$878
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$141–US$234
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$281–US$469
Food7 days eating outabout US$315–US$583
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$134–US$228
Totalabout 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

Closest

Aberystwyth

about 5 min by car · 59 places to stay

about US$107/nightcountry average

See 59 places to stay in Aberystwyth · Booking.com

About Aberystwyth its beds, food and every spot near it

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 20m

About 15h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → DUB, direct, then 3h 30m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.