Thurso East

Thurso · Scotland · United Kingdom

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Thurso East is a right-hand reef that breaks in front of Thurso Castle, at the mouth of the Thurso river. On its day it is a long, powerful wave with barrel sections, and it is often named among the best waves in Europe. It is the best-known surf spot in Scotland.

Level
Advanced
Break
Reef break, reef
Waves
Rights
Crowd
Busy
Season
autumn, winter, spring
Boards
A shortboard on normal days; a longer pintail of around 6'9"–7'0" helps on solid days.

When it works

✓ A solid 2–4 m north-west groundswell on a rising mid tide, with a south-easterly wind.

When it doesn't

✕ Westerly and northerly winds ruin it, and small swells do not reach the reef properly.

Watch out for

  • rocks
  • crowds
  • pollution

Best months

September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May

Local tips

The reef is flat slate rock and very shallow at low tide. The river brings brown, cold water into the line-up after rain, and in winter it can even carry ice. Be patient: the locals keep their own order in the line-up, so follow it.

Getting there

From Thurso, cross the river bridge and follow the road towards the castle; park by the farm buildings and walk across the field to the reef.

History

Thurso East hosted the first O'Neill Highland Open, a World Qualifying Series contest, in 2006. O'Neill held an international contest here every year until 2011, later called the Coldwater Classic.

Travel notes

How often it works
Works fairly often from autumn to spring, but it needs a proper north-west groundswell and a rare south-easterly wind to be at its best.
Crowd and vibe
It used to be shared by a few locals, but now it gets busy when it is good. The vibe stays cool as long as you play by the rules.
Camping and vans
Thurso Bay Caravan and Camping Park is about 1 km away across the river. Murkle Caravan Park is about 4 km east. Nearest campsite about 1 km away.
Facilities
All of Thurso's shops, cafés and pubs, plus a small surf shop by the harbour.
Water quality
Thurso beach, across the river mouth, is rated good by SEPA. The river can carry run-off after heavy rain.

Ideal conditions

Swell
WNW–N best, W–NNE works
Size
2–4 m offshore swell; starts at 1.2 m, holds to 5.5 m
Period
10 s minimum, best from 14 s
Wind
Offshore ESE–S; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid best, avoid low, on the rising tide
Faces
NNW (335°)

Live cam

No cam at this spot yet: the forecast and the guide are on the map.

In the guides

Nearby spots

All spots in Scotland · All spots

Sources