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Melvich, UK

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

Also within 20 km of Melvich

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Dunes and beach at Melvich
Melvich. Photo: Hugh Venables, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Melvich

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

The spot faces N (2°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (182°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 6). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 13°C in July, 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. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Melvich, 1.8 km away (about 5 min by car).

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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From Chicago: about 18 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

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

    See flights ORD → INV · Skyscanner from about £370 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 2 h 15 from the airport to Melvich.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in MelvichAd

    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 Melvich (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 experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Melvich, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct33, too small4 ft9 shollow293kJwind from the south, 7 knots, offshore12°C
Mon 19Oct60, good8 ft11 shollow1,348kJwind from the south-south-east, 11 knots, offshore12°C
Tue 20Oct45, fair6 ft11 shollow727kJwind from the south-east, 19 knots, offshore12°C
Wed 21Oct36, fair5 ft10 shollow415kJwind from the south-east, 12 knots, offshore11°C
Thu 22Oct14, too small5 ft8 shollow224kJwind from the west-south-west, 14 knots10°C
Fri 23Oct8, too small4 ft8 smushy241kJwind from the east-north-east, 13 knots11°C
Sat 24Oct22, too small5 ft9 shollow396kJwind from the south-east, 2 knots, offshore9°C
Sun 25Oct16, too small5 ft10 shollow401kJwind from the south-west, 27 knots, offshore10°C
Mon 26Oct39, fair5 ft8 shollow298kJwind from the south, 8 knots, offshore9°C
Tue 27Oct27, too small4 ft9 shollow257kJwind from the south, 9 knots, offshore9°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 INV, changing at DUB, then 2h 15 by road. About 18h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Sandside

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 6 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 5 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Sandside

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to INV, changing at DUB, then 2h 15 by road. About 18h door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Melvich each day: Melvich, Sandside.

The trip from Melvich, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,100–£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.

Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to INV, estimated from distance and season, changing at DUB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£370–£765
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£1,100–£2,040

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

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