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Freshwater West, UK

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

Also within 20 km of Milford Haven

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

Access path to Freshwater West beach
Freshwater West. Photo: Steve Fareham, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Freshwater West

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

The spot faces SW (231°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (51°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 55). 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 17°C in August, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and April, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Milford Haven, 7.4 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 18 h 10 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. 2 h 40 from the airport to Freshwater West, 172 km.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Milford HavenAd

    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 Milford Haven (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 intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Freshwater West, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct22, too small2 ft8 smushy29kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore13°C
Mon 19Oct13, too small2 ft8 smushy33kJwind from the east, 13 knots, offshore13°C
Tue 20Oct32, too small2 ft10 scrumbling109kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots13°C
Wed 21Oct16, poor4 ft8 smushy213kJwind from the west-north-west, 28 knots13°C
Thu 22Oct17, poor6 ft7 smushy247kJwind from the west-south-west, 11 knots14°C
Fri 23Oct9, poor6 ft10 smushy604kJwind from the west-north-west, 34 knots11°C
Sat 24Oct15, poor5 ft8 smushy298kJwind from the west, 14 knots14°C
Sun 25Oct15, poor4 ft10 smushy255kJwind from the west-south-west, 16 knots14°C
Mon 26Oct9, poor5 ft9 smushy437kJwind from the west-south-west, 19 knots15°C
Tue 27Oct13, poor3 ft12 smushy270kJwind from the west-south-west, 29 knots14°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 2h 40 by road. About 18h 10 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Freshwater West

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 2 ft at 10 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 17 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 24 of 80.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

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

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 17 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to CWL, changing at DUB, then 2h 40 by road. About 18h 10 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Milford Haven each day: frainslake sands, Fresh Water West, Freshwater West.

The trip from Milford Haven, 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.

Rough cost per person for this trip
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 Milford Haven

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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