The spur
Surf spot · UK
Is it worth the trip?
51Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 70kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 11°C
Wed 4 · 80 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 342kJ
- Wind
- SSE 2 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Thu 5 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 157kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Fri 6 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 10°C
Sat 7 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 55kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Sun 8 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 8°C
Mon 9 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 9°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 338, too small
- Wed 480, good
- Thu 567, good
- Fri 652, fair
- Sat 735, too small
- Sun 819, too small
- Mon 97, too small
- Tue 1013, too small
- Wed 1156, fair
The spot in five facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–13 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.
The spur 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 | 38, too small | 3 ft7 smushy | 70kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 11°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 80, good | 4 ft10 ssoft | 342kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 2 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 67, good | 3 ft9 ssoft | 157kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft9 ssoft | 99kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 10°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft | 55kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 8°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 19, too small | 1 ft7 smushy | 17kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 8°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft7 smushy | 4kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 10 knots, offshore | 9°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft | 29kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 8°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft8 smushy | 100kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 7 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 03:52 +0.7 mLow 09:28 −0.7 mHigh 15:51 +1.0 mLow 22:21 −1.4 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 05:11 +0.9 mLow 10:43 −0.8 mHigh 17:07 +1.2 mLow 23:26 −1.5 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 06:08 +1.1 mLow 11:44 −1.0 mHigh 18:06 +1.3 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 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, its town, photos
The spur 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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Photos of The spur
More surf near here
5 places
- Dunnet Bay 2 km away
- Thurso East 9.3 km away
- Sewer Pipe 9.8 km away
- Thurso beach 10.3 km away
- Brimms Ness 18.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The spur
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (303°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (123°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 850 m out (1 in 83). 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 13°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). The town to stay in is Dunnet, 2.4 km away (2 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
2 min by car · 6 places to stay
about US$107/nightcountry average
About Dunnet its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Thurso on Booking.com
13 min by car · 28 places to stay
- Beds in Melvich on Booking.com
42 min by car · 4 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.
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.