Machrihanish, on the Mull of Kintyre, has a beautiful two mile long beach with some good swell in the right conditions. Conditions vary quite a lot, so it is best to be prepared for all eventualities by taking both surfboards and windsurfing equipment along with you.

A weekend trip here take place in at the end of the autumn term and possibly for the extended Victoria Weekend (spring term).

Machrihanish also has its own weather station, no guessing what the weather is doing!

We usually sleep on the floor in the town hall along with Glasgow University, or camp in the garden of the pub, so this is a very cheap trip indeed. It can cost as little as Ł40.

From BeachWizard:

BREAK TYPE	beach
WAVE DIRECTION	various
IDEAL WIND	south easterly
IDEAL SWELL	north westerly
IDEAL TIDE	mid - high
HAZARDS	none
AVERAGE WATER TEMPS	4°C - 12°C
DIFFICULTY	beginner
RATING	3/5

reviews

This is a temperamental site, one minute it’s going off the next its flat. Surf forecasts are inaccurate a lot of the time, but when it is good its worth the wait. The friendly local crew are always around. If it’s maxed out at Westport try Machrihanish. See you in the water!

Ross McGregor, Campbeltown

If you get this beach with a good swell and offshore winds you can get good left and right setups along the beach. However, the winds are normally on or cross shore but there is nearly always some sort of swell. Drive is worth it alone.

Mark, Glasgow

From windsurf magazine online:

One of the best windsurfing beaches on mainland Britain. Solid Atlantic swells roll in at up to mast and a half high. Not for the feint hearted! The curved beach works well in SE through to SW winds. In the town of Machrihanish, the beach faces NE and can only be sailed cross shore with a SW wind. However, the middle of the beach provides the best sailing with SE or S winds. The North end of the beach can be rocky at low tide and the sand bars move a great deal depending on the winter storms, so beware of submerged rocks. The South and middle of the beach offer the best sailing. Rips are strong but with little or no tidal range and once you're on the beach, it's only a short walk to the launch area. In the summer, the beach is good for slalom and long boards but care must be taken due to some very strong currents just off-shore. As with any top surf spot, Machrihanish works best on an incoming tide so try to get hold of some tide tables before you make the journey.

Access can be difficult. From the town end in the south, you must have permission to cross the Golf Course with your vehicles. Access to the centre of the beach is found by driving past RAF Machrihanish. Past the base on the left hand side you will find a farm and with a small payment of one bottle of whiskey, you can gain access across the farmers fields. A 4x4 is definitely recommended.