Thorntonloch
A quiet East Lothian wave beach south of Torness, with more swell than Belhaven.
Loading the week's forecast…
● Spot · shaded: the wind directions that work here. It is not a riding area or a permitted kite zone. Two fingers to move the map.
Location & launch
Know before you go.
- Launch
- Sand and shingle beach south of Torness, with a caravan park behind.
- Wind
- N · NNE · NE · ENE · E · ESE · SE · SSE winds work here.
The shaded area shows the wind directions recorded as working here. It is not a permitted kite zone or a safe launch boundary. Check local signs.
Local rules, hazards & spot guide
Need to know
The things that catch people out here.
- Torness power station is immediately north with a permanent exclusion zone around the cooling water outfall. Stay south.
- Picks up more swell than Belhaven, which is why the wave riders come here.
- Quiet, with a caravan park behind and not much else.
Conditions
- Best
- Works
- Offshore
- Works in
- N, NNE, NE, ENE, E, ESE, SE, SSE
- Best in
- N, NNE, ESE, SE
- Offshore (careful)
- SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW
- Wind quality
- clean
- Water
- Waves
- Depth
- mixed
- Best tide
- Mid tide
- Spring range
- 4.9 m
- Beginner
- Workable
- Intermediate
- Good
- Advanced
- Good
Hazards
Most serious first. The level is in words as well as colour.
- medium
rocks Rock at both ends of the beach.
- low
military Torness nuclear power station is immediately north with a permanent exclusion zone around its outfall.
Access & rules
- Launch
- Sand and shingle beach south of Torness, with a caravan park behind.
- Permit
- Not required
- Insurance
- Third-party liability expected
- Tuition
- Permitted
- Facilities
- toilets
Parking
- Thorntonloch beach car park
free
Safety
Who is around if it goes wrong. None of it makes the water safe.
- Lifeguards
- None
- RNLI
- Dunbar RNLI
- Nearest A&E
- Borders General Hospital, Melrose (~45 min)
- Water quality
- Designated bathing water — good
The spot
Thorntonloch sits just south of Torness power station on the East Lothian coast. It is quieter than Belhaven and picks up noticeably more swell, which is why the region's wave riders make the extra fifteen minutes' drive.
Stay south of the power station — there is a permanent exclusion zone around its cooling water outfall. Rock sits at both ends of the beach, and facilities amount to a free car park and a caravan site.
Nearby alternatives
Other launches around East Lothian, with different conditions.
- Belhaven Bay
Edinburgh's home spot — clean sand, a river-mouth flat and forty minutes from the city.
- Longniddry
Shallow, sheltered Forth water twenty-five minutes from Edinburgh.
Sources
Where this record came from, and how confident we are in it.
- Windfinder — Thorntonloch
Checked 2026-09-07 · coordinates, wind
- Big Salty windsurf guide (archived) — Thorntonloch
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
Verify locally. Coordinates 55.9624, -2.3984. Conditions, access arrangements and beach rules change; check them on the day before you rely on anything on this page.