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Roker pier, UK

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

Also within 20 km of Sunderland

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

Wearmouth bridge
Sunderland, the nearest town, 1 km away. Photo: The JPS, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Roker pier

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

The spot faces E (71°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (251°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.4 km out (1 in 143). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 7°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 15°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and April, with about 1 good days in 7; in June, July and August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sunderland, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 12°C: 4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 15 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to EDI, direct.

    See flights ORD → EDI · Skyscanner from about £375 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 3 h 15 from the airport to Roker pier.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in SunderlandAd

    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 Sunderland · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Sunderland · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct143 ft8 ssoft102kJ11°C
Mon 19Oct165 ft5 smushy107kJ14°C
Tue 20Oct104 ft6 smushy84kJ12°C
Wed 21Oct275 ft6 smushy169kJ12°C
Thu 22Oct71 ft6 smushy11kJ12°C
Fri 23Oct194 ft5 smushy73kJ11°C
Sat 24Oct163 ft5 smushy32kJ9°C
Sun 25Oct51 ft6 smushy9kJ12°C
Mon 26Oct1under 1 ft3 s0kJ14°C
Tue 27Oct53 ft5 smushy48kJ13°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

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to EDI, then 3h 15 by road. About 15h 10 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 35 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 1 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to EDI, then 3h 15 by road. About 15h 10 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Sunderland each day: Roker pier, Seaburn.

The trip from Sunderland, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,105–£2,055 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 EDI, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£375–£780
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£1,105–£2,055

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

Places to eat near Sunderland

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.