Runswick Bay
North East England · United Kingdom
Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Runswick Bay (wave height, swell, wind, tide and a 0–10 rating for every hour of the next 16 days) are only shown on SurfCams. They change every hour, so this text doesn’t contain them. To check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/runswick-bay.
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Runswick Bay is a small bay below a village of red-roofed cottages on the North Yorkshire coast. The main wave is a right that breaks over reef at the edge of the bay.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Break
- Reef break, reef
- Waves
- Rights
- Crowd
- Quiet
- Season
- autumn, winter, spring
- Boards
- A shortboard or fish.
When it works
✓ A 1–2 m north swell with a south-westerly wind.
When it doesn't
✕ Easterly winds blow into the bay, and the reef is shallow at low tide.
Watch out for
- rocks
Best months
October, November, December, January, February, March, April
Local tips
Watch for submerged rocks on the reef, and check the tide before paddling out.
Getting there
Turn off the A174 where Runswick Bay is signed. Drive down the steep road and use the car park where it ends.
Travel notes
- How often it works
- Fairly consistent on north swells in winter.
- Crowd and vibe
- Rarely crowded.
- Camping and vans
- Runswick Bay Caravan and Camping Park is about 1 km away. Nearest campsite about 1 km away.
- Facilities
- Car park, café, pub and toilets by the beach.
- Water quality
- Runswick Bay is rated good in the 2025 English classification.
Ideal conditions
- Swell
- N–NE best, NW–E works
- Size
- 1.2–2.2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.8 m, holds to 3 m
- Period
- 8 s minimum, best from 11 s
- Wind
- Offshore SW–WNW; handles onshore up to 15 km/h
- Tide
- mid best, avoid low
- Faces
- NE (40°)
Live cam
No cam at this spot yet: the forecast and the guide are on the map.
Nearby spots
- Staithes 4.6 km · Expert
- Sandsend 5.8 km · Intermediate
- Whitby – West Cliff 8.8 km · Beginner
- Saltburn 16 km · Beginner
- Robin Hood's Bay 17 km · Intermediate
- Scarborough – North Bay 35 km · Intermediate