Nearby Rosses Point 27 km · straight-line distance
On the clock
07:00 · 16:00
There is no daily cycle to plan around. The wind is frontal, so it can be blowing hard at 07:00 or fill in at 16:00, and it backs or veers with the system rather than with the clock.
The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.
The wind
locals call it Atlantic frontal systems
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
synoptic
fills in: There is no daily cycle to plan around. The wind is frontal, so it can be blowing hard at 07:00 or fill in at 16:00, and it backs or veers with the system rather than with the clock.
Typical strength
Long-run observations on the Bundoran beach next door average 11 kt across the year, so most days here are not sessions. The wind that counts arrives with an Atlantic front: indicatively 15-25 kt, and winter systems run well above that.
Also on record
11
The quiver, in words
Nothing local is published. For 75-85 kg the frontal days that make this rideable sit around 9-12 m, dropping to 7-8 m once a system pushes past 25 kt, and smaller again if you are working the shorebreak. Indicative, not a measured local band.
Direction to shore
The strand faces northwest into open Atlantic. Southwest arrives cross-onshore along the sand, west and northwest come straight in and bring the swell with them, and southeast blows offshore off the cliffs behind. Southwest through northwest is the sector riders use.
Dominant direction
Southwest. The working sector runs southwest through west to northwest; southeast is the offshore direction, which is the one that cleans up the surf rather than the one you ride.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month67
- Feb, riders' month82
- Mar63
- Apr62
- May48
- Jun50
- Jul55
- Aug67
- Sep, riders' month43
- Oct, riders' month78
- Nov, riders' month67
- Dec, riders' month68
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 15Jan9°
- 16Feb8°
- 13Mar8°
- 13Apr10°
- 11May13°
- 12Jun16°
- 11Jul16°
- 13Aug16°
- 12Sep16°
- 14Oct14°
- 14Nov12°
- 15Dec10°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 67% | 14.8 kt | SSW | 6.4°C | 8.6°C |
| Feb | 82% | 16.2 kt | SW | 7.6°C | 8.4°C |
| Mar | 63% | 12.8 kt | SE | 7.4°C | 8.3°C |
| Apr | 62% | 12.8 kt | WSW | 9.3°C | 9.8°C |
| May | 48% | 11.1 kt | NNW | 12.6°C | 13.2°C |
| Jun | 50% | 11.5 kt | WNW | 14.4°C | 15.8°C |
| Jul | 55% | 11.4 kt | W | 14.7°C | 16.3°C |
| Aug | 67% | 12.6 kt | SW | 15.4°C | 16.4°C |
| Sep | 43% | 11.6 kt | NNW | 14.1°C | 16°C |
| Oct | 78% | 13.9 kt | SW | 11.9°C | 13.8°C |
| Nov | 67% | 13.7 kt | S | 8.9°C | 11.8°C |
| Dec | 68% | 15 kt | SW | 6.8°C | 10.1°C |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024
The water
Type
exposed Atlantic beach break / waves
Tides
Surf reportedly works at all tide stages, though low to mid or a pushing high tide is the stated preference elsewhere. How the tide affects kiting here is unconfirmed.
Temperature
13-17°C summer · 8-10°C winter
Wetsuit
4/3 mm with boots in late summer; 5/4 mm or 6/5/4 mm with gloves, 5 mm booties and hood in late winter
Currents
Rip currents and undercurrents are repeatedly reported, especially near the cliffs.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
3 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: large beach, but effective launch space depends on tide, surf, cliffs, walkers and surfers
Somewhere else
Rosses Point, 27 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Long sandy beach north of Bundoran; exact kite launch zone unconfirmed.
Space
large beach, but effective launch space depends on tide, surf, cliffs, walkers and surfers
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Do not read 2 km of sand as a beginner beach; the rips sit near the cliff end.
- Stay off the cliff end and out of any channel where the water is darker and running out.
- Talk to the Bundoran surf crowd or one of the schools before you rig, especially on a big-swell day.
- Bring 5/4 mm or 6/5/4 mm with gloves, 5 mm booties and a hood in late winter; 4/3 mm with boots does late summer.
- Keep Rossnowlagh or a flatter northwest beach as the fallback when Tullan is too exposed.
- There is no lifeguard here in any month, so tell someone ashore what you are doing before you go afloat.
- If something goes wrong the number is 112 or 999, asking for the Coast Guard; the lifeboat crew are volunteers and they are paged, not phoned directly.
- Jet skis are banned off this beach and everything else is held to 5 knots within 100 m of where it launched.
Getting there
Airport
Donegal Airport (CFN) or Ireland West Airport Knock (NOC)
Route
Tullan Strand is at Bundoran on the N15. A rental car is the practical option for kite gear; Bundoran is also served by regional buses from larger towns.
Transfer
about 75-110 minutes by car from Donegal Airport or Ireland West Airport Knock, depending on route and traffic
Cost level
medium
Staying
Surf lodges, hotels, guesthouses and holiday rentals in Bundoran, with more options around Rossnowlagh, Ballyshannon and Sligo.
No-wind days
Surf lessons, Bundoran seafront, Rougey Walk, Fairy Bridges and Wishing Chair, Waterworld Bundoran, Donegal coastal touring, golf and nearby Rossnowlagh.
Photos
FAQ
Is Tullan Strand suitable for beginners?
No, official tourism sources call it unsafe for swimming, and rip currents near the cliffs make it experienced-rider terrain.
What is the wind like at Tullan Strand?
Kite listings describe the beach as exposed to southwest and west winds, with a year-round average around 9.5 knots.
When is the best time to kite Tullan Strand?
Autumn and winter, roughly September through February, are generally cleaner for Atlantic surf.
What are the main hazards?
Rip currents and undercurrents near the cliffs, crowding with surfers when swell is good, and cold Atlantic water year-round.
Last updated: August 2026