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St Margarets Bay, UK

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

Also within 20 km of Kingsdown

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

Dog On St. Margaret's Bay Beach
St Margarets Bay. Photo: TedQuackenbush, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About St Margarets Bay

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

The spot faces SE (122°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (302°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–7 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 31). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 8°C in February, its coldest month (5/4 or 6/5, hood, boots and gloves), and 18°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Kingsdown, 4.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 15 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to LHR, direct.

    See flights ORD → LHR · Skyscanner from about £395 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 2 h 35 from the airport to St Margarets Bay.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in KingsdownAd

    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 Kingsdown · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Kingsdown · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

St Margarets Bay on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct142 ft7 smushy23kJ12°C
Mon 19Oct332 ft5 smushy21kJ13°C
Tue 20Oct183 ft5 smushy31kJ14°C
Wed 21Oct201 ft5 smushy7kJ14°C
Thu 22Oct153 ft6 smushy59kJ14°C
Fri 23Oct53 ft6 smushy72kJ12°C
Sat 24Oct402 ft6 smushy26kJ12°C
Sun 25Oct281 ft6 smushy10kJ14°C
Mon 26Oct182 ft7 smushy37kJ17°C
Tue 27Oct2under 1 ft6 s1kJ17°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 beginner surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to LHR, then 2h 35 by road. About 15h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 30 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Kingsdown

    Best 16:00 to 19:00 local time: 2 ft at 3 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Kingsdown

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 31 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf St Margarets Bay

    Best 13:00 to 16:00 local time: 2 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to LHR, then 2h 35 by road. About 15h door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Kingsdown each day: Kingsdown, St Margarets Bay.

The trip from Kingsdown, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,125–£2,095 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 LHR, estimated from distance and season, 3 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£395–£820
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£1,125–£2,095

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

Places to eat near Kingsdown

  • Castle Fish BarFish and chips · 1.8 km from the centreFood hygiene 5 of 5, Jul 2025

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.