Thurso beach
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
56Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 79kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 315kJ
- Wind
- SSW 1 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 157kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sat 7 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 shollow
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Mon 9 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 183kJ
- Wind
- S 7 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 245, fair
- Tue 351, fair
- Wed 472, good
- Thu 561, good
- Fri 648, fair
- Sat 744, too small
- Sun 818, too small
- Mon 963, good
- Tue 1069, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Beginner +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.
Thurso beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 45, fair | 4 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 165kJ | wind from the north-west, 6 knots | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 51, fair | 3 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 79kJ | offshorewind from the south, 4 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 72, good | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 315kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 1 knot, offshore | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 61, good | 3 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 157kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 9°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft8 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft6 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 7°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 63, good | 4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 183kJ | offshorewind from the south, 7 knots, offshore | 7°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 69, good | 4 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 1 knot, offshore | 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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:57 +0.8 mLow 07:50 −0.8 mHigh 14:09 +1.1 mLow 20:52 −1.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:33 +0.8 mLow 09:17 −0.7 mHigh 15:38 +1.1 mLow 22:12 −1.4 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 04:51 +1.0 mLow 10:34 −0.9 mHigh 16:52 +1.3 mLow 23:17 −1.6 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 and its town
Thurso beach 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
- Sewer Pipe 1.8 km away
- Thurso East 1.8 km away
- The Bowl 7.8 km away
- Brimms Ness 7.9 km away
- Dunnet Bay 9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Thurso beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (13°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (193°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). 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 August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Thurso, 1.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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
about 5 min by car · 28 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Thurso its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Dunnet on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 6 places to stay
- Beds in Melvich on Booking.com
about 45 min by car · 4 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.