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Watergate Bay, UK

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

Also within 20 km of Newquay

All 30 on Newquay's map

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

Newquayhill
Newquay, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Kicior99, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Watergate Bay

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

The spot faces NW (295°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (115°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 10°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 17°C in August, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 2 good days in 7; in July and August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Newquay, 5.1 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots.

Water about 15°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 16 h 05 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to NQY, changing at Dublin Airport (DUB).

    See flights ORD → NQY · Skyscanner from about £380 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 35 min from the airport to Watergate Bay, 11 km.

    By bus: Go Cornwall Bus. Time from the operators and travel guides, checked by hand.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in NewquayAd

    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 Newquay · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Newquay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Watergate Bay on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct102 ft8 shollow60kJ13°C
Mon 19Oct253 ft12 shollow304kJ12°C
Tue 20Oct254 ft10 shollow314kJ14°C
Wed 21Oct156 ft10 smushy792kJ12°C
Thu 22Oct369 ft8 smushy892kJ14°C
Fri 23Oct187 ft11 smushy1,038kJ12°C
Sat 24Oct228 ft8 smushy623kJ14°C
Sun 25Oct52 ft10 smushy97kJ14°C
Mon 26Oct139 ft9 smushy1,089kJ16°C
Tue 27Oct75 ft11 smushy444kJ14°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

    Fly ORD to NQY, changing at DUB, then 35 min by road (or about 55 min by bus, direct, 12 a day). About 16h 05 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 18 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Whipsiderry

    Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 8 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 19 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Fistral

    Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 8 ft at 8 s, wind 15 kn (27 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to NQY, changing at DUB, then 35 min by road (or about 55 min by bus, direct, 12 a day). About 16h 05 door to door

The plan picks the best of 12 spots near Newquay each day: Diggorys, Fistral, Great Western, Lusty Glaze, Penhale, The Cribber, Tolcarne, The Wedge, Towan, Watergate, Watergate Bay, Whipsiderry, Zorbas Reef.

The trip from Newquay, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,020–£1,920 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 NQY, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£380–£795
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£25
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£1,020–£1,920

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

Places to eat near Newquay

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.