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Black Middens, UK

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

Also within 20 km of Tynemouth

Watch this spot We email you when Black Middens is worth the trip.

Partie nord Herd Sand South Shields South Tyneside 5
Littlehaven Beach. Photo: Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Black Middens

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

The spot faces E (84°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (264°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.3 km out (1 in 125). 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 Tynemouth, 0.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.

Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to EDI, direct.

    See flights ORD → EDI · Skyscanner from about £375 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 3 h 05 from the airport to Black Middens.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in TynemouthAd

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

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

    See all places to stay in Tynemouth (ad) 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.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for beginner surfers at Black Middens, each day
DayScore for beginnersSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct33, poor3 ft6 smushy62kJwind from the north-north-west, 7 knots11°C
Mon 19Oct0, too big4 ft5 smushy73kJwind from the east, 11 knots14°C
Tue 20Oct5, poor3 ft6 smushy81kJwind from the south-east, 14 knots12°C
Wed 21Oct15, poor3 ft5 smushy47kJwind from the south, 5 knots12°C
Thu 22Oct21, too small1 ft5 smushy10kJwind from the south-west, 6 knots, offshore12°C
Fri 23Oct29, poor3 ft5 smushy43kJwind from the north-west, 8 knots, offshore11°C
Sat 24Oct53, good3 ft5 smushy28kJwind from the west, 11 knots, offshore10°C
Sun 25Oct16, too small1 ft5 smushy10kJwind from the west, 17 knots, offshore11°C
Mon 26Oct4, too smallunder 1 ft3 s0kJwind from the west-south-west, 15 knots, offshore14°C
Tue 27Oct15, poor3 ft5 smushy46kJwind from the south, 13 knots13°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 beginner surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to EDI, then 3h 05 by road. About 15h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 14 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Black Middens

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 3 ft at 5 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Black Middens

    Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 3 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Black Middens

    Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 3 ft at 5 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to EDI, then 3h 05 by road. About 15h door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Tynemouth each day: Black Middens, Tynemouth (Longsands).

The trip from Tynemouth, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,105–£2,055 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to EDI, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£375–£780
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£1,105–£2,055

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

Places to eat near Tynemouth

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

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