Véloroute du canal des Ardennes: which way and when to ride
The best month for Véloroute du canal des Ardennes is September: 78% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Berry-au-Bac → Dom-le-Mesnil meant an average tailwind of 2.1 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 | 5% | 30% | 88 | 6 °C | 0% | 85% | 8.6 † |
| February | 18% | 27% | 71 | 7 °C | 0% | 73% | 10.0 † |
| March | 48% | 26% | 70 | 11 °C | 0% | 41% | 11.7 |
| April | 67% | 25% | 51 | 15 °C | 0% | 14% | 13.7 |
| May | 69% | 30% | 74 | 19 °C | 0% | 2% | 15.3 |
| June | 69% | 26% | 71 | 22 °C | 5% | 0% | 16.3 |
| July | 67% | 23% | 66 | 24 °C | 10% | 0% | 15.9 |
| August | 68% | 23% | 70 | 24 °C | 10% | 0% | 14.4 |
| September | 78% | 20% | 61 | 20 °C | 2% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 72% | 23% | 81 | 15 °C | 0% | 7% | 10.7 † |
| November | 32% | 28% | 78 | 10 °C | 0% | 52% | 9.0 † |
| December | 10% | 30% | 98 | 7 °C | 0% | 79% | 8.2 † |
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 Berry-au-Bac → Dom-le-Mesnil, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Berry-au-Bac → Dom-le-Mesnil | Headwind > 15 km/h, Dom-le-Mesnil → Berry-au-Bac | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +4.8 | 4% | 20% | Berry-au-Bac → Dom-le-Mesnil |
| February | +3.6 | 7% | 20% | Berry-au-Bac → Dom-le-Mesnil |
| March | +2.0 | 8% | 17% | either |
| April | +0.3 | 7% | 10% | either |
| May | +1.8 | 6% | 12% | either |
| June | +2.1 | 4% | 10% | Berry-au-Bac → Dom-le-Mesnil |
| July | +4.6 | 2% | 16% | Berry-au-Bac → Dom-le-Mesnil |
| August | +4.6 | 2% | 13% | Berry-au-Bac → Dom-le-Mesnil |
| September | +2.1 | 5% | 11% | Berry-au-Bac → Dom-le-Mesnil |
| October | +2.8 | 5% | 14% | Berry-au-Bac → Dom-le-Mesnil |
| November | +4.1 | 3% | 17% | Berry-au-Bac → Dom-le-Mesnil |
| December | +5.0 | 3% | 20% | Berry-au-Bac → Dom-le-Mesnil |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | NE | +2.4 |
| 25–51 | E | +1.8 |
| 51–76 | E | +2.1 |
| 76–102 | N | +2.0 |
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.