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Brandon Bay, Ireland

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

Also within 20 km of Castlegregory

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

About Brandon Bay

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

The spot faces NE (35°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (215°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 35). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 9°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in July, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Castlegregory, 9.7 km away (about 20 min by car).

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 16 h 30 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 05 from the airport to Brandon Bay.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in CastlegregoryAd

    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 Castlegregory · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Castlegregory · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Brandon Bay on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Brandon Bay does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct143 ft10 scrumbling137kJ12°C
Mon 19Oct486 ft11 scrumbling988kJ10°C
Tue 20Oct195 ft10 scrumbling535kJ11°C
Wed 21Oct399 ft10 ssoft1,473kJ11°C
Thu 22Oct318 ft9 ssoft1,031kJ10°C
Fri 23Oct247 ft10 ssoft972kJ10°C
Sat 24Oct638 ft10 ssoft1,201kJ14°C
Sun 25Oct578 ft12 scrumbling1,959kJ12°C
Mon 26Oct6211 ft9 ssoft1,742kJ13°C
Tue 27Oct257 ft9 ssoft780kJ11°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 KIR, changing at DUB, then 1h 05 by road. About 16h 30 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Gary William Point

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 7 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Brandon Bay

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 9 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Brandon Bay

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 8 ft at 9 s, wind 8 kn (14 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 26 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Brandon Bay

    Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 8 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to KIR, changing at DUB, then 1h 05 by road. About 16h 30 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Castlegregory each day: Brandon Bay, Gary William Point, Sandy Bay-Maharees.

The trip from Castlegregory, 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 Castlegregory

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.