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Red Strand, Ireland

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

Also within 20 km of Clonakilty

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

Dirk Bay beach
Red Strand. Photo: Gordon Hatton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Red Strand

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

The spot faces S (190°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (10°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 31). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 10°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in July, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and November, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Clonakilty, 8.8 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 17 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to KIR, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB). About 14 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → KIR · Skyscanner from about £365 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 45 from the airport to Red Strand.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in ClonakiltyAd

    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 Clonakilty · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Clonakilty · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Red Strand on Google Maps · Directions

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct152 ft6 smushy19kJ13°C
Mon 19Oct443 ft10 scrumbling181kJ10°C
Tue 20Oct103 ft8 smushy128kJ13°C
Wed 21Oct135 ft8 scrumbling355kJ12°C
Thu 22Oct45 ft8 smushy386kJ13°C
Fri 23Oct07 ft9 scrumbling710kJ10°C
Sat 24Oct73 ft8 smushy139kJ15°C
Sun 25Oct304 ft8 smushy151kJ13°C
Mon 26Oct75 ft8 smushy324kJ14°C
Tue 27Oct94 ft9 smushy220kJ11°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 KIR, changing at DUB, then 1h 45 by road. About 17h 10 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 12 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Langer ville

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Inchydoney

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Langer ville

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 11 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to KIR, changing at DUB, then 1h 45 by road. About 17h 10 door to door

The plan picks the best of 5 spots near Clonakilty each day: Donomore Reefs, Dunworley, Inchydoney, Langer ville, Red Strand.

The trip from Clonakilty, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,110–£2,040 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 KIR, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£365–£755
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£110–£180
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£260–£430
Food7 days eating out£245–£455
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£95–£155
Total£1,110–£2,040

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

Places to eat near Clonakilty

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. 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.