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Tullan Strand, Ireland

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

Also within 20 km of Bundoran

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

Tullan Strand, Donegal
Tullan Strand. Photo: Rossographer, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Tullan Strand

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

The spot faces W (288°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (108°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 800 m out (1 in 81). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 9°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in August, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February, March and November, with about 2 good days in 7; in June, July and August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Bundoran, 2.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Dublin Airport (DUB), direct. About 26 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → DUB · Skyscanner from about £370 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 3 h 10 from the airport to Tullan Strand, 210 km.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in BundoranAd

    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 Bundoran (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 Tullan Strand, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct53, good4 ft9 ssoft203kJwind from the south-south-west, 5 knots12°C
Mon 19Oct41, fair5 ft11 ssoft488kJwind from the east, 5 knots, offshore12°C
Tue 20Oct47, fair5 ft10 ssoft381kJwind from the south-east, 12 knots, offshore13°C
Wed 21Oct9, poor6 ft10 smushy576kJwind from the west-north-west, 17 knots11°C
Thu 22Oct51, good6 ft9 ssoft419kJwind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore12°C
Fri 23Oct16, poor4 ft9 smushy272kJwind from the west-north-west, 25 knots11°C
Sat 24Oct0, too big7 ft9 ssoft860kJwind from the south, 11 knots12°C
Sun 25Oct8, too small2 ft14 smushy154kJwind from the west, 23 knots12°C
Mon 26Oct0, too big8 ft10 smushy1,045kJwind from the west-south-west, 25 knots13°C
Tue 27Oct25, poor3 ft10 ssoft170kJwind from the south-south-west, 13 knots10°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

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

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Bundoran

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 20 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Tullan Strand

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 6 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 18 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

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

The plan picks the best of 6 spots near Bundoran each day: Black spot, Bundoran, Pampa, Tullaghan left, Tullaghan right, Tullan Strand.

The trip from Bundoran, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,115–£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.

Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to DUB, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£370–£770
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£1,115–£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 Bundoran

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

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