Sandwood Bay
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
63Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 9 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Tue 3 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 80kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 403kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Thu 5 · 80 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 184kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Fri 6 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 112kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sat 7 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Sun 8 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 27kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Mon 9 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 133kJ
- Wind
- SSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 7°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 351, fair
- Wed 472, good
- Thu 580, good
- Fri 665, good
- Sat 742, too small
- Sun 832, too small
- Mon 961, good
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 1124, poor
- Thu 120, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 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.
Sandwood Bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 51, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | offshorewind from the east, 2 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 72, good | 5 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 403kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 8°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 80, good | 4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 184kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 65, good | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 112kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 27kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 7°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 61, good | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 133kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 9 knots | 7°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 476kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 11 knots | 7°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 24, poor | 4 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 209kJ | wind from the north, 11 knots | 2°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 823kJ | wind from the north-west, 7 knots | 5°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
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:16 +0.9 mLow 08:06 −0.9 mHigh 14:28 +1.2 mLow 20:56 −1.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:36 +1.1 mLow 09:21 −1.1 mHigh 15:43 +1.4 mLow 22:01 −1.7 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 04:36 +1.3 mLow 10:23 −1.3 mHigh 16:41 +1.6 mLow 22:54 −1.9 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
Sandwood Bay 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.
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 Sandwood Bay
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sandwood Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (317°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (137°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 61). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 14°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Kinlochbervie, 9.4 km away (11 min by car).
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 2 November 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$423–US$872 |
| 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$2,390 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
11 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Kinlochbervie its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Durness on Booking.com
35 min by car · 12 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 18h 10m
About 18h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → INV, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 2h 30m by road
Flights ORD → INV 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.