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Bournemouth, UK

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

Also within 20 km of Bournemouth

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

About Bournemouth

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

The spot faces SE (153°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (333°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 71). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 9°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 18°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Bournemouth, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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 LHR, direct.

    See flights ORD → LHR · Skyscanner from about £395 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 2 h 35 from the airport to Bournemouth.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in BournemouthAd

    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 Bournemouth (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 Bournemouth, each day
DayScore for beginnersSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct3, too smallunder 1 ft7 s2kJwind from the north, 10 knots, offshore14°C
Mon 19Oct3, too small1 ft4 smushy1kJwind from the east-south-east, 9 knots14°C
Tue 20Oct17, too small2 ft4 smushy6kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots12°C
Wed 21Oct10, too small2 ft7 smushy41kJwind from the west, 18 knots12°C
Thu 22Oct25, poor3 ft6 smushy56kJwind from the west-south-west, 7 knots14°C
Fri 23Oct11, too small2 ft9 ssoft81kJwind from the west-north-west, 22 knots, offshore10°C
Sat 24Oct13, too small2 ft6 smushy28kJwind from the west-south-west, 6 knots14°C
Sun 25Oct17, poor3 ft7 smushy85kJwind from the west-north-west, 14 knots13°C
Mon 26Oct11, too small2 ft8 ssoft39kJwind from the west-south-west, 11 knots13°C
Tue 27Oct5, too small1 ft11 scrumbling20kJwind from the west-south-west, 17 knots15°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 LHR, then 2h 35 by road. About 15h 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 20 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Bournemouth

    Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, wind 7 kn (14 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

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

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Southbourne

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 2 ft at 6 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to LHR, then 2h 35 by road. About 15h door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near Bournemouth each day: Boscombe Pier, Bournemouth, Bournemouth Pier, Southbourne.

The trip from Bournemouth, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,125–£2,095 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 LHR, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£395–£820
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£1,125–£2,095

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

Places to eat near Bournemouth

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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