Voie Verte des Vallées, stage 1: Bourges → La Châtre
On stage 1 (Bourges → La Châtre, 78 km) the best month is October: 76% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C; the wind barely favours either direction (2.0 km/h on average; ERA5 2006–2025, 9:00–18:00).
← Voie Verte des Vallées (Whole route)
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20% | 25% | 66 | 7 °C | 0% | 71% | 8.9 † |
| February | 35% | 25% | 53 | 9 °C | 0% | 54% | 10.2 † |
| March | 55% | 28% | 70 | 13 °C | 0% | 27% | 11.8 |
| April | 71% | 26% | 62 | 17 °C | 0% | 6% | 13.5 |
| May | 68% | 31% | 83 | 20 °C | 1% | 1% | 15.0 |
| June | 63% | 26% | 75 | 24 °C | 12% | 0% | 15.8 |
| July | 64% | 19% | 57 | 26 °C | 19% | 0% | 15.5 |
| August | 66% | 16% | 53 | 26 °C | 20% | 0% | 14.2 |
| September | 73% | 21% | 62 | 22 °C | 6% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 76% | 21% | 81 | 18 °C | 0% | 4% | 10.8 † |
| November | 46% | 28% | 70 | 12 °C | 0% | 35% | 9.3 † |
| December | 23% | 27% | 74 | 8 °C | 0% | 63% | 8.6 † |
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 Bourges → La Châtre, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Bourges → La Châtre | Headwind > 15 km/h, La Châtre → Bourges | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3.9 | 17% | 1% | La Châtre → Bourges |
| February | −3.2 | 15% | 3% | La Châtre → Bourges |
| March | −2.1 | 14% | 3% | La Châtre → Bourges |
| April | −0.2 | 8% | 3% | either |
| May | −1.2 | 9% | 4% | either |
| June | −1.2 | 7% | 2% | either |
| July | −2.7 | 9% | 1% | La Châtre → Bourges |
| August | −2.7 | 8% | 1% | La Châtre → Bourges |
| September | −1.2 | 7% | 2% | either |
| October | −2.0 | 9% | 1% | either |
| November | −3.9 | 14% | 1% | La Châtre → Bourges |
| December | −4.4 | 17% | 1% | La Châtre → Bourges |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–12 | SE | −1.1 |
| 12–37 | SW | −2.1 |
| 37–63 | SW | −2.9 |
| 63–78 | NW | −0.9 |
Other stages
- Bourges → La Châtre 78 km
- La Châtre → Chauvigny 126 km
- Chauvigny → La Crèche 119 km
- La Crèche → La Rochelle 121 km
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.