Hartley Reef
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
25Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 2 ft swell at 4 s
Tue 3 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 30kJ
- Wind
- E 12 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Fri 6 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- E 11 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 8kJ
- Wind
- NE 11 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sun 8 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 15kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Mon 9 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 26kJ
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 239, poor
- Tue 329, poor
- Wed 425, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 623, too small
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 834, too small
- Mon 920, too small
- Tue 1028, too small
- Wed 1127, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 11 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 39, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 46kJ | wind from the north, 12 knots | 11°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 29, poor | 3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 9 knots | 11°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | wind from the east, 12 knots | 11°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 23, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the east, 11 knots | 11°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 10°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 15kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 10°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 26kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 7°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:24 −1.6 mHigh 08:48 +1.2 mLow 14:55 −1.0 mHigh 21:00 +1.4 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:46 −1.6 mHigh 10:13 +1.2 mLow 16:20 −0.9 mHigh 22:21 +1.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:05 −1.7 mHigh 11:30 +1.3 mLow 17:34 −1.1 mHigh 23:33 +1.5 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
- May0of 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, its town, photos
Hartley Reef on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Hartley Reef
More surf near here
5 places
- Tynemouth (Longsands) 4.7 km away
- Black Middens 6.2 km away
- South Shields 7.6 km away
- Blyth Beach 7.8 km away
- Seaburn 15.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Hartley Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (75°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (255°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 91). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 7°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 15°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Whitley Bay, 2.7 km away (6 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot, 1 wind sports spot and 1 kayak spot.
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$2,400 each
about US$1,290–US$2,400 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to EDI, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$423–US$886 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$141–US$235 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$282–US$470 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$315–US$584 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$134–US$228 |
| Total | about US$1,290–US$2,400 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
6 min by car · 50 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Whitley Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Tynemouth on Booking.com
12 min by car · 35 places to stay
- Beds in Blyth on Booking.com
12 min by car · 7 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 14h 55m
About 14h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → EDI, direct, then 3h by road
Flights ORD → EDI on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
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.