Needles, UK

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Freshwater Bay, 5 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: BOH (BOH), 22 km.

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

About Needles

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, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 10). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 9°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 19°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually February, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Freshwater Bay, 5 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: BOH (BOH), 22 km.

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

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 14 h 45 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to LHR, direct.
See flights ORD → LHR · Skyscanner from about £395 returnAd
Getting there. 2 h 25 from the airport to Needles.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Freshwater Bay, 5 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: BOH (BOH), 22 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Needles · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Needles · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Needles on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

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 experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Needles, each day
Day	Score for experts	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	2, too small	under 1 ft7 s	2kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 18 knots, offshore	14°C
Mon 19Oct	1, too small	1 ft4 shollow	2kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 13 knots	14°C
Tue 20Oct	7, too small	2 ft4 shollow	7kJ	wind from the north-east, 12 knots, offshore	14°C
Wed 21Oct	2, too small	2 ft7 smushy	33kJ	wind from the west, 32 knots	14°C
Thu 22Oct	7, too small	4 ft6 smushy	98kJ	wind from the west, 13 knots	14°C
Fri 23Oct	7, too small	5 ft10 smushy	476kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 32 knots	12°C
Sat 24Oct	2, too small	2 ft6 smushy	29kJ	wind from the west, 13 knots	14°C
Sun 25Oct	3, too small	3 ft7 smushy	90kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 24 knots	14°C
Mon 26Oct	2, too small	2 ft9 smushy	40kJ	wind from the west, 21 knots	14°C
Tue 27Oct	1, too small	1 ft11 smushy	12kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 30 knots	15°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 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight ORD to LHR, then 2h 25 by road. About 14h 45 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 11 of 80.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Direct flight ORD to LHR, then 2h 25 by road. About 14h 45 door to door

Rough cost

About £875–£1,675 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.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to LHR, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag	£395–£820
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	£100–£170
Total		£875–£1,675

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

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

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.