United Kingdom · Atlantic Europe
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Create Profile →Current conditions refresh every 3 hours when the cron runs. Hourly data updates every 30 minutes. The 7-day forecast, luck factor, and packing notes are all pre-computed at the same time.
We compare the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Bamburgh. The delta tells you whether conditions are shaping up better, worse, or about the same as a typical early July.
We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.
Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).
Honestly, no. Every break has tide windows, swell directions and reef contours that a global model cannot see. Treat the score as a starting point, then check a local cam.
The best week for surf at Bamburgh is the week of 23 November (score 3/5) with low crowds.
Barely any swell. Not much to work with today. Short-period wind swell: expect weak, crumbly faces. Heavy offshore making for difficult paddle-outs but textbook faces. Best conditions early morning before the sea breeze arrives. Not enough swell to get this spot firing properly.
Heads up: jellyfish: high.
Indicators derived from forecast data, not official warnings. Always check local lifeguard or official advice.
The air here is 90% cleaner than the average comparison city right now.
Significantly cleaner air than a typical city. Ideal for outdoor exercise with minimal respiratory strain.
Not a pollutant. Ozone is naturally higher at altitude and near the coast, and lower in cities where traffic exhaust breaks it down. High readings here typically indicate clean air. Can cause short-term airway irritation during intense exercise but is not linked to the long-term health risks of particulate pollution.
Additive health score: each pollutant contributes points relative to its WHO 2021 guideline and long-term health impact (PM2.5 9, NO₂ 5, O₃ 3, PM10 2, SO₂ 1 at WHO limits). Data via Open-Meteo. City markers show live readings. Red line marks the WHO guideline. Updated 21:00
Moderate water clarity: ~6m visibility
Updated 10:34
Local knowledge and community tips for Bamburgh
Bamburgh is a vast, wild beach break beneath one of England's most dramatic castles. The sand stretches for miles along the Northumberland coast, with shifting banks creating multiple peaks that move around week to week. It faces east-northeast into the North Sea, picking up wind swells from autumn through spring. The water is brutally cold year-round and the setting feels genuinely remote, even though the village is just behind the dunes.
You need a solid northerly or north-easterly swell, which typically comes from intense North Sea low-pressure systems between September and March. A south-westerly wind blows offshore here and cleans things up nicely. The waves are short-period and punchy rather than long, rolling groundswell. Best at chest to head high; above that it tends to close out across the bay.
The peaks shift constantly with the sandbanks, so walk the beach and watch for 10 minutes before paddling out. The section in front of the main castle car park often has a defined channel. Look for the deeper water between peaks and use it to paddle out without fighting the whitewater.
The cold is the biggest danger. Water temperatures drop to 5 or 6 degrees in winter, so a quality 5/4mm wetsuit, boots, gloves and hood are essential. Strong lateral currents run along the beach and can drift you several hundred metres during a session. The beach is exposed to weather with no shelter, and conditions can deteriorate rapidly.
The main car park sits directly behind the beach near the castle. It is pay-and-display and can fill up in summer with tourists, though in surf season you will have no trouble. From the car park it is a short walk over the dunes to the sand.
Almost non-existent. Even on good days you will rarely share a peak with more than a handful of surfers. The cold, the remoteness, and the fickle nature of North Sea swell keeps numbers very low. Weekends might bring a few locals from Alnwick or Newcastle but nothing approaching crowded.
Check the swell direction carefully. Due east swells often close out, while a more northerly angle wraps in much cleaner. The banks near the rocks at the north end of the beach sometimes produce a more defined left. Bring a flask of something hot for after your session because the wind chill on this coast is savage.
Surf at Bamburgh
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Daily scores over the last 12 months at Bamburgh
Based on historical weekly averages
Conditions at Bamburgh tend to be best between 05:00 to 08:00 in July.
Average score during this window: 23/100
See timing scores, school holiday busyness, and lift pass pricing to find the best time to book.
View Best Time to Go →Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.
The timing score combines two signals: historical conditions quality (how good the skiing or surfing typically is in a given week, based on 5 years of weather data) and crowd pressure (how many of this destination's feeder markets have school holidays that week).
Crowd pressure is weighted by each feeder country's share of visitors. If 40% of a resort's visitors come from France and France is on holiday, that contributes 0.40 to the crowd pressure score. Crowds can reduce the timing score by up to 35%, ensuring conditions still matter most.
Scores: 5 = great conditions with low crowds (the sweet spot). 4 = great conditions with moderate crowds, or good conditions with low crowds. 3 = average. 2 = below average conditions or very crowded. 1 = poor conditions or peak holiday chaos.
Last 31 days of logged conditions.
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