The Bowl
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
19Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 80kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 261kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 42kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Sun 8 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- SE 9 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Mon 9 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 39, too small
- Wed 435, too small
- Thu 523, too small
- Fri 620, too small
- Sat 713, too small
- Sun 84, too small
- Mon 98, too small
- Tue 106, too small
- Wed 1123, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 11 °C4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves
- Best Mar, Sep–Nov2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 35, too small | 4 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 261kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 23, too small | 3 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 9°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 11 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | offshorewind from the south, 7 knots, offshore | 8°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 23, too small | 3 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 82kJ | offshorewind from the south, 6 knots, offshore | 8°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 03:30 +0.8 mLow 09:12 −0.8 mHigh 15:34 +1.1 mLow 22:06 −1.4 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 04:48 +1.0 mLow 10:29 −0.9 mHigh 16:48 +1.3 mLow 23:11 −1.6 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 05:46 +1.2 mLow 11:30 −1.1 mHigh 17:47 +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
best Mar, Sep–Nov
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
- Mar2of 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
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Wed 4 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
The Bowl on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Brimms Ness 0.1 km away
- Thurso beach 7.8 km away
- Sewer Pipe 8.7 km away
- Thurso East 9.2 km away
- Sandside 9.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Bowl
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (337°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (157°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 8). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 13°C in July, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, September, October and November, with about 2 good days in 7; in June and July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Thurso, 8.5 km away (13 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf 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$2,390 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: 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
13 min by car · 28 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Thurso its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Melvich on Booking.com
27 min by car · 4 places to stay
- Beds in Dunnet on Booking.com
28 min by car · 6 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 05m
About 18h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → INV, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB), then 2h 25m 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.
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.