Portballintrae, UK
No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Portrush, 7 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: LDY (LDY), 44 km.
Watch this spot We email you when Portballintrae is worth the trip.
About Portballintrae
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces NW (332°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (152°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 25). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 8°C in March, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 14°C in August, its warmest (4/3 wetsuit and boots). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Portrush, 7 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: LDY (LDY), 44 km.
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 15 h 35 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
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 returnAdGetting there. 3 h 45 from the airport to Portballintrae.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Portrush, 7 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: LDY (LDY), 44 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Portballintrae · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Portballintrae · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
Portballintrae on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 19Oct | 53, good | 4 ft11 scrumbling | 429kJ | wind from the east, 8 knots | 13°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 62, good | 5 ft11 scrumbling | 444kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 7, poor | 5 ft11 smushy | 466kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 21 knots | 10°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 57, good | 5 ft8 scrumbling | 266kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 7 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 2, too small | 1 ft9 smushy | 29kJ | wind from the north-west, 25 knots | 9°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 0, too big | 8 ft9 smushy | 941kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 14 knots | 10°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 0, too big | 8 ft12 smushy | 1,870kJ | wind from the west, 24 knots | 11°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 17, poor | 5 ft8 scrumbling | 355kJ | wind from the south-west, 15 knots | 12°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 29, poor | 4 ft8 smushy | 151kJ | offshorewind from the south, 11 knots, offshore | 11°C |
| Wed 28Oct | 0, poor | – | – | – | – |
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 today, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Direct flight ORD to DUB, then 3h 45 by road. About 15h 35 door to door
- Tue 20 OctSurf Portballintrae
Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 5 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.
- Wed 21 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 16 of 80.
- Thu 22 OctSurf Portballintrae
Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.
- Fri 23 OctRest day
Too small: 1 ft at best.
- Sat 24 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Direct flight ORD to DUB, then 3h 45 by road. About 15h 35 door to door
Rough cost
About £850–£1,625 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to DUB, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | £370–£770 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | £105–£175 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £240–£445 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £100–£170 |
| Total | £850–£1,625 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
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