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Ballycastle Beach, UK

Stay in Ballycastle: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Watch this spot We email you when Ballycastle Beach is worth the trip.

Beach at Ballycastle
Ballycastle Beach. Photo: Kenneth Allen, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Ballycastle Beach

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces N (5°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (185°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 22). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 8°C in March, 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 Ballycastle, 1 km away (about 5 min by car).

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 15 h 35 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Dublin Airport (DUB), direct. About 26 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → DUB · Skyscanner from about £370 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 3 h 45 from the airport to Ballycastle Beach.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in BallycastleAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Ballycastle · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Ballycastle · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Ballycastle Beach on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct313 ft7 smushy70kJ12°C
Mon 19Oct444 ft11 shollow330kJ12°C
Tue 20Oct644 ft11 shollow372kJ13°C
Wed 21Oct06 ft10 scrumbling646kJ10°C
Thu 22Oct555 ft9 scrumbling283kJ11°C
Fri 23Oct154 ft9 smushy284kJ9°C
Sat 24Oct07 ft9 scrumbling746kJ8°C
Sun 25Oct154 ft13 shollow398kJ10°C
Mon 26Oct010 ft10 scrumbling1,809kJ11°C
Tue 27Oct383 ft8 scrumbling134kJ10°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to DUB, then 3h 45 by road. About 15h 35 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Ballycastle Beach

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 4 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Ballycastle Beach

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 16 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to DUB, then 3h 45 by road. About 15h 35 door to door

The trip from Ballycastle, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,100–£2,045 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to DUB, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£370–£770
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£105–£175
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£250–£420
Food7 days eating out£240–£445
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£100–£170
Total£1,100–£2,045

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Ballycastle

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation; food hygiene ratings from the Food Standards Agency (Open Government Licence). Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.