Pilgerroute: which way and when to ride
The best month for Pilgerroute is September: 78% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Aachen → Flensburg meant an average tailwind of 3.0 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% | 28% | 74 | 5 °C | 0% | 89% | 8.2 † |
| February | 12% | 25% | 59 | 6 °C | 0% | 83% | 9.8 † |
| March | 35% | 25% | 56 | 9 °C | 0% | 57% | 11.7 |
| April | 63% | 24% | 47 | 14 °C | 0% | 22% | 13.8 |
| May | 71% | 28% | 68 | 18 °C | 0% | 3% | 15.7 |
| June | 71% | 27% | 72 | 21 °C | 3% | 0% | 16.8 |
| July | 62% | 31% | 84 | 23 °C | 9% | 0% | 16.3 |
| August | 64% | 30% | 81 | 23 °C | 6% | 0% | 14.7 |
| September | 78% | 21% | 59 | 19 °C | 1% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 67% | 25% | 72 | 14 °C | 0% | 11% | 10.5 † |
| November | 29% | 25% | 65 | 9 °C | 0% | 60% | 8.6 † |
| December | 9% | 27% | 73 | 6 °C | 0% | 85% | 7.7 † |
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 Aachen → Flensburg, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Aachen → Flensburg | Headwind > 15 km/h, Flensburg → Aachen | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +5.2 | 3% | 20% | Aachen → Flensburg |
| February | +4.1 | 5% | 18% | Aachen → Flensburg |
| March | +2.2 | 6% | 13% | Aachen → Flensburg |
| April | +0.4 | 6% | 9% | either |
| May | +0.6 | 5% | 9% | either |
| June | +1.4 | 3% | 9% | either |
| July | +2.9 | 3% | 10% | Aachen → Flensburg |
| August | +3.5 | 2% | 10% | Aachen → Flensburg |
| September | +3.0 | 3% | 12% | Aachen → Flensburg |
| October | +4.6 | 3% | 16% | Aachen → Flensburg |
| November | +5.2 | 3% | 17% | Aachen → Flensburg |
| December | +6.0 | 3% | 21% | Aachen → Flensburg |
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 Aachen → Flensburg in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Aachen → Bonn | 137 | September | +2.9 |
| 2. Bonn → Duisburg | 121 | September | +1.0 |
| 3. Duisburg → Lüdinghausen | 123 | September | +3.4 |
| 4. Lüdinghausen → Osnabrück | 122 | September | +4.6 |
| 5. Osnabrück → Goldenstedt | 113 | September | +4.0 |
| 6. Goldenstedt → Zeven | 118 | September | +4.7 |
| 7. Zeven → Wedel | 112 | September | +2.6 |
| 8. Wedel → Rendsburg | 130 | September | +2.4 |
| 9. Rendsburg → Flensburg | 96 | September | +1.7 |
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.