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Boiler Reef, UK

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

Also within 20 km of Slade

All 18 on Slade's map

Watch this spot We email you when Boiler Reef is worth the trip.

Wave-cut platform
Boiler Reef. Photo: Alan Hughes, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Boiler Reef

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

The spot faces S (193°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (13°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 58). 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 18°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Slade, 2.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 16 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to CWL, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB). About 7 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → CWL · Skyscanner from about £385 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 25 from the airport to Boiler Reef.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in SladeAd

    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 Slade · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Slade · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Boiler Reef on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct202 ft8 smushy32kJ13°C
Mon 19Oct81 ft14 shollow36kJ13°C
Tue 20Oct362 ft10 scrumbling102kJ13°C
Wed 21Oct194 ft8 ssoft203kJ12°C
Thu 22Oct07 ft7 smushy450kJ14°C
Fri 23Oct08 ft10 ssoft1,318kJ11°C
Sat 24Oct215 ft8 ssoft324kJ14°C
Sun 25Oct122 ft8 ssoft46kJ13°C
Mon 26Oct45 ft9 smushy433kJ15°C
Tue 27Oct52 ft12 smushy87kJ14°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

    Fly ORD to CWL, changing at DUB, then 1h 25 by road. About 16h 55 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 28 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

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

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 19 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 33 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to CWL, changing at DUB, then 1h 25 by road. About 16h 55 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Slade each day: Boiler Reef, Horton, Slade.

The trip from Slade, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,115–£2,075 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 CWL, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£385–£800
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£1,115–£2,075

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

Places to eat near Slade

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.