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Folkestone East Cliff Sands, UK

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

Also within 20 km of Folkestone

Watch this spot We email you when Folkestone East Cliff Sands is worth the trip.

Folkestone, Wear Bay
Folkestone East Cliff Sands. Photo: Helmut Zozmann, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Folkestone East Cliff Sands

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

The spot faces SE (143°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (323°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 800 m out (1 in 79). 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 19°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Folkestone, 2.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 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 14 h 50 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 25 from the airport to Folkestone East Cliff Sands.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in FolkestoneAd

    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 Folkestone · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Folkestone · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Folkestone East Cliff Sands on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct92 ft6 smushy17kJ10°C
Mon 19Oct72 ft5 smushy11kJ13°C
Tue 20Oct162 ft4 smushy20kJ13°C
Wed 21Oct122 ft4 smushy16kJ12°C
Thu 22Oct314 ft6 smushy90kJ14°C
Fri 23Oct105 ft6 smushy216kJ11°C
Sat 24Oct132 ft6 smushy28kJ11°C
Sun 25Oct81 ft7 smushy18kJ14°C
Mon 26Oct92 ft7 smushy57kJ16°C
Tue 27Oct11 ft5 smushy3kJ16°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 LHR, then 2h 25 by road. About 14h 50 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 25 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

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

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Folkestone Wear Bay

    Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 9 kn (16 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

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

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to LHR, then 2h 25 by road. About 14h 50 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Folkestone each day: Folkestone East Cliff Reef, Folkestone East Cliff Sands, Folkestone Wear Bay.

The trip from Folkestone, 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.

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 Folkestone

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.