La Torche, France
No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Penmarch, 3 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: BES (BES), 68 km.
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About La Torche
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces W (277°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (97°). It is exposed 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 800 m out (1 in 78). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 18°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 2 good days in 7; in July, about 0. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Penmarch, 3 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: BES (BES), 68 km. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 3 wind sports 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 17 h 35 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to BES, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB).
See flights ORD → BES · Skyscanner from about £390 returnAdGetting there. 1 h 45 from the airport to La Torche, 104 km.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Penmarch, 3 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: BES (BES), 68 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in La Torche · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in La Torche · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
La Torche on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 15, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft | 109kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 19Oct | 21, too small | 3 ft13 ssoft | 251kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 33, too small | 5 ft11 ssoft | 457kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 1 knot | 15°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 13, poor | 9 ft10 smushy | 1,380kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 17 knots | 14°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 5, poor | 8 ft9 smushy | 1,036kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 21 knots | 15°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 7, poor | 7 ft13 smushy | 1,723kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 22 knots | 13°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 23, poor | 8 ft9 smushy | 850kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 13 knots | 15°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 16, poor | 8 ft9 smushy | 945kJ | wind from the west, 15 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 16, poor | 7 ft9 smushy | 657kJ | wind from the south-west, 14 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 4, poor | 9 ft9 smushy | 1,437kJ | wind from the south-west, 16 knots | 16°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 expert surfers. Change dates
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Fly ORD to BES, changing at DUB, then 1h 45 by road. About 17h 35 door to door
- Tue 20 OctRest day
Too small: 5 ft at best.
- Wed 21 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 13 of 80.
- Thu 22 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 14 of 80.
- Fri 23 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 20 of 80.
- Sat 24 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 28 of 80.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Fly ORD to BES, changing at DUB, then 1h 45 by road. About 17h 35 door to door
Rough cost
About £855–£1,640 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to BES, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | £390–£810 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | £105–£175 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £240–£445 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £85–£145 |
| Total | £855–£1,640 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
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