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Sandside, UK

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

Also within 20 km of Melvich

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

Sandside Harbour and slipway (geograph 2569148)
Sandside. Photo: Bob Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Sandside

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

The spot faces N (352°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (172°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 50). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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, 8.2 km away (about 15 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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Book the trip

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 20 from the airport to Sandside.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  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 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 Melvich · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Melvich · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Sandside on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Sandside does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct674 ft9 ssoft284kJ12°C
Mon 19Oct186 ft11 ssoft640kJ12°C
Tue 20Oct186 ft11 ssoft643kJ12°C
Wed 21Oct574 ft10 ssoft385kJ11°C
Thu 22Oct234 ft7 smushy196kJ10°C
Fri 23Oct194 ft8 smushy231kJ11°C
Sat 24Oct285 ft9 ssoft386kJ9°C
Sun 25Oct115 ft10 ssoft369kJ10°C
Mon 26Oct584 ft8 ssoft233kJ8°C
Tue 27Oct554 ft9 ssoft257kJ9°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

    Fly ORD to INV, changing at DUB, then 2h 20 by road. About 18h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Sandside

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 6 ft at 11 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Sandside

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Sandside

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 4 ft at 7 s, wind 13 kn (24 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 29 of 80.

  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 20 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.

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.

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

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