Woolacombe
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
17Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: too small (2 ft swell at 12 s), 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- ENE 15 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- ENE 15 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 30kJ
- Wind
- ENE 15 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Mon 9 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- ESE 16 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 225, too small
- Tue 313, too small
- Wed 433, too small
- Thu 521, too small
- Fri 611, too small
- Sat 712, too small
- Sun 89, too small
- Mon 95, too small
- Tue 1017, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind 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
Woolacombe 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 | 25, too small | 1 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 13 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 15 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 15 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 21, too small | 1 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 15 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft7 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the east, 9 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft8 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 9°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft4 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 16 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 17, too small | 1 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 14°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 NovLow 04:43 −2.2 mHigh 11:08 +2.5 mLow 17:35 −2.3 mHigh 23:53 +2.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:10 −2.0 mHigh 12:29 +2.4 mLow 19:03 −2.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:14 +2.1 mLow 07:35 −2.2 mHigh 13:45 +2.6 mLow 20:18 −2.6 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.
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
- Jun0of 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 Tue 3 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
Woolacombe 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
- Coombesgate Beach 0.9 km away
- Grunta (Morte Point) 1.2 km away
- Putsborough 3.1 km away
- Lee bay 3.8 km away
- Croyde 4.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Woolacombe
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (277°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (97°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 20). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 9°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 18°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Woolacombe, 0.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 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$2,430 each
about US$1,310–US$2,430 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 EXT, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$435–US$911 |
| 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$1,310–US$2,430 |
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 · 59 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Woolacombe its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mortehoe on Booking.com
about 5 min by car · 53 places to stay
- Beds in Lee on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 14 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 17h 20m
About 17h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → EXT, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 1h 50m by road
Flights ORD → EXT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.