
Barleycove
Surf spot · Ireland
Is it worth the trip?
10Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: too small (4 ft swell at 11 s), onshore wind, 16 kn (29 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 152kJ
- Wind
- ENE 14 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Tue 3 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 85kJ
- Wind
- NE 14 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Wed 4 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 313kJ
- Wind
- NE 16 kn
- Temp
- 12°C
Thu 5 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 150kJ
- Wind
- NE 18 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 71kJ
- Wind
- ENE 14 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 102kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sun 8 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 140, too small
- Mon 28, too small
- Tue 39, too small
- Wed 416, too small
- Thu 59, too small
- Fri 68, too small
- Sat 77, too small
- Sun 84, too small
- Mon 96, too small
- Tue 1026, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 8–20 ftof swell
- Water 12 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
Full forecast
every day, every number
Barleycove does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 40, too small | 6 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 537kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 13 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 8, too small | 3 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 152kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 14 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 85kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 14 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 16, too small | 4 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 313kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 16 knots, offshore | 12°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 9, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 18 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 71kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 14 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 7, too small | 3 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 102kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 10°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 6, too small | 4 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 292kJ | wind from the east, 25 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, too small | 5 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 325kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 18 knots, offshore | 12°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 02:31 −1.0 mHigh 08:59 +1.1 mLow 15:13 −1.0 mHigh 21:43 +0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:49 −0.8 mHigh 10:14 +1.0 mLow 16:36 −1.0 mHigh 23:02 +0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:17 −0.8 mHigh 11:32 +1.0 mLow 17:59 −1.0 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.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Barleycove 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Barleycove


About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Barleycove
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (193°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (13°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 8–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 54). 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 16°C in August, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Ballydehob. Within 5 km we also list 2 wind sports spots.
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$1,300–US$2,390 each
about US$1,300–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 KIR, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$415–US$858 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$147–US$241 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$288–US$482 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$322–US$596 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$127–US$208 |
| Total | about US$1,300–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: Ballydehob
42 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Ballydehob its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Ballydehob, 24 km (about 45 min by car)
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
About 18h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KIR, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 2h 35m by road
Flights ORD → KIR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.