Staying Home Sucks, home
GCHQ Bude, seen from Widemouth Bay, with surfer in foreground
Widemouth Bay. Photo: Wizzlewick, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Widemouth Bay

Surf spot · UK

Is it worth the trip?

31Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 2 ft swell at 11 s, onshore wind, 15 kn (28 km/h)

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 26 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 ssoft
Energy
73kJ
Wind
ENE 11 kn
Temp
12°C

Tue 3 · 8 out of 100

Swell
1 ft15 scrumbling
Energy
40kJ
Wind
ENE 15 kn
Temp
12°C

Wed 4 · 43 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 ssoft
Energy
121kJ
Wind
E 15 kn
Temp
9°C

Thu 5 · 40 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 ssoft
Energy
71kJ
Wind
E 16 kn
Temp
11°C

Fri 6 · 22 out of 100

Swell
1 ft9 ssoft
Energy
26kJ
Wind
E 9 kn
Temp
10°C

Sat 7 · 29 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 ssoft
Energy
36kJ
Wind
ESE 4 kn
Temp
10°C

Sun 8 · 21 out of 100

Swell
1 ft8 ssoft
Energy
23kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
11°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 168, good
  2. Mon 226, too small
  3. Tue 38, too small
  4. Wed 443, too small
  5. Thu 540, too small
  6. Fri 622, too small
  7. Sat 729, too small
  8. Sun 821, too small
  9. Mon 912, too small
  10. Tue 109, 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.

Widemouth Bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Widemouth Bay, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov68, good3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)181kJwind from the north-east, 7 knots12°C
Mon 2Nov26, too small2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)73kJwind from the east-north-east, 11 knots12°C
Tue 3Nov8, too small1 ft15 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)40kJwind from the east-north-east, 15 knots12°C
Wed 4Nov43, too small2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)121kJwind from the east, 15 knots, offshore9°C
Thu 5Nov40, too small2 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)71kJwind from the east, 16 knots, offshore11°C
Fri 6Nov22, too small1 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)26kJwind from the east, 9 knots, offshore10°C
Sat 7Nov29, too small2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)36kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore10°C
Sun 8Nov21, too small1 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)23kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots11°C
Mon 9Nov12, too small1 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)7kJwind from the east, 9 knots, offshore10°C
Tue 10Nov9, too small1 ft3 smushy2 ft at break (est.)4kJwind from the north-west, 8 knots12°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 03:20 −2.4 mHigh 09:38 +2.6 mLow 16:03 −2.3 mHigh 22:16 +2.1 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 04:33 −2.0 mHigh 10:50 +2.3 mLow 17:26 −2.0 mHigh 23:36 +1.9 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 06:01 −1.8 mHigh 12:12 +2.1 mLow 18:53 −2.1 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 beginners: 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 Widemouth Bay

Widemouth Beach
Photo: Wayland Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The beach at Widemouth Bay
Photo: David Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Widemouth Bay

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

The spot faces NW (294°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (114°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 69). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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 Widemouth Bay, 1.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 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$1,310–US$2,410 each

about US$1,310–US$2,410 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 NQY, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$435–US$898
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$1,310–US$2,410

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

Closest

Widemouth Bay

2 min by car · 31 places to stay

about US$107/nightcountry average

See 31 places to stay in Widemouth Bay · Booking.com

About Widemouth Bay 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 16h 45m

About 16h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → NQY, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 10m by road

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