Valga - Narva cycle route: which way and when to ride
The best month for Valga - Narva cycle route is September: 73% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Valga → Sillamäe meant an average tailwind of 3.3 km/h (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% | 21% | 49 | -2 °C | 0% | 100% | 7.0 † |
| February | 0% | 18% | 37 | -2 °C | 0% | 100% | 9.2 † |
| March | 5% | 16% | 36 | 3 °C | 0% | 95% | 11.6 |
| April | 34% | 22% | 40 | 9 °C | 0% | 62% | 14.3 |
| May | 68% | 23% | 53 | 16 °C | 0% | 13% | 16.8 |
| June | 71% | 28% | 75 | 20 °C | 1% | 1% | 18.4 |
| July | 66% | 32% | 75 | 22 °C | 2% | 0% | 17.7 |
| August | 67% | 33% | 87 | 21 °C | 1% | 0% | 15.4 |
| September | 73% | 23% | 52 | 16 °C | 0% | 5% | 12.7 |
| October | 33% | 25% | 65 | 9 °C | 0% | 56% | 10.1 † |
| November | 3% | 22% | 56 | 4 °C | 0% | 96% | 7.6 † |
| December | 0% | 22% | 51 | 0 °C | 0% | 100% | 6.3 † |
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 Valga → Sillamäe, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Valga → Sillamäe | Headwind > 15 km/h, Sillamäe → Valga | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +4.2 | 5% | 20% | Valga → Sillamäe |
| February | +3.4 | 5% | 16% | Valga → Sillamäe |
| March | +3.0 | 6% | 16% | Valga → Sillamäe |
| April | +1.2 | 8% | 12% | either |
| May | +0.7 | 7% | 9% | either |
| June | +2.1 | 6% | 12% | Valga → Sillamäe |
| July | +1.8 | 5% | 10% | either |
| August | +2.9 | 4% | 12% | Valga → Sillamäe |
| September | +3.3 | 5% | 16% | Valga → Sillamäe |
| October | +4.5 | 6% | 19% | Valga → Sillamäe |
| November | +5.0 | 5% | 20% | Valga → Sillamäe |
| December | +5.6 | 5% | 23% | Valga → Sillamäe |
Stages
The route is split into 4 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Valga → Sillamäe in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Valga → Tartu | 124 | September | +3.4 |
| 2. Tartu → near Avinurme | 109 | September | +2.7 |
| 3. near Avinurme → Jõhvi | 107 | September | +3.8 |
| 4. Jõhvi → Sillamäe | 68 | June | +3.3 |
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.