EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail (Estonia): which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 13 – Iron Curtain Trail (Estonia) is June: 76% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In June the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.6 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0% | 19% | 49 | -1 °C | 0% | 100% | 6.9 † |
| February | 0% | 18% | 37 | -1 °C | 0% | 100% | 9.2 † |
| March | 3% | 16% | 34 | 3 °C | 0% | 97% | 11.6 |
| April | 28% | 17% | 36 | 8 °C | 0% | 70% | 14.4 |
| May | 68% | 18% | 42 | 14 °C | 0% | 18% | 16.9 |
| June | 76% | 23% | 65 | 19 °C | 0% | 1% | 18.4 |
| July | 71% | 28% | 73 | 21 °C | 1% | 0% | 17.8 |
| August | 70% | 30% | 88 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 15.4 |
| September | 74% | 24% | 62 | 16 °C | 0% | 3% | 12.7 |
| October | 39% | 26% | 69 | 10 °C | 0% | 46% | 10.1 † |
| November | 5% | 22% | 56 | 5 °C | 0% | 93% | 7.6 † |
| December | 0% | 21% | 51 | 2 °C | 0% | 100% | 6.2 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind Narva → Ikla, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Narva → Ikla | Headwind > 15 km/h, Ikla → Narva | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.0 | 21% | 13% | either |
| February | −1.7 | 18% | 11% | either |
| March | −1.8 | 19% | 13% | either |
| April | −1.1 | 16% | 12% | either |
| May | −0.9 | 14% | 11% | either |
| June | −1.6 | 16% | 11% | either |
| July | −1.2 | 14% | 11% | either |
| August | −1.6 | 16% | 11% | either |
| September | −1.9 | 19% | 12% | either |
| October | −2.2 | 21% | 14% | Ikla → Narva |
| November | −2.3 | 21% | 13% | Ikla → Narva |
| December | −2.7 | 23% | 13% | Ikla → Narva |
Stages
The route is split into 9 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Narva → Ikla in June, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Narva → Kunda | 122 | June | −4.3 |
| 2. Kunda → Loksa | 102 | June | −4.1 |
| 3. Loksa → Haabersti | 96 | June | −4.7 |
| 4. Haabersti → Haapsalu | 148 | June | −4.1 |
| 5. Haapsalu → near Käina | 116 | June | −3.7 |
| 6. near Käina → near Kuressaare | 116 | June | −3.5 |
| 7. near Kuressaare → Orissaare | 117 | June | +5.2 |
| 8. Orissaare → Pärnu | 154 | June | +4.7 |
| 9. Pärnu → Ikla | 69 | September | −1.8 |
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.
OpenStreetMap · Waymarked Trails · Start / Finish: www.visitestonia.com