EuroVelo 2 - part Ireland: which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 2 - part Ireland is September: 74% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Galway → Sandymount meant an average tailwind of 5.4 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 | 16% | 24% | 79 | 8 °C | 0% | 75% | 8.0 † |
| February | 21% | 28% | 71 | 8 °C | 0% | 69% | 9.7 † |
| March | 36% | 29% | 70 | 10 °C | 0% | 51% | 11.7 |
| April | 62% | 29% | 60 | 12 °C | 0% | 18% | 13.9 |
| May | 69% | 31% | 71 | 15 °C | 0% | 2% | 15.9 |
| June | 69% | 31% | 78 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 17.0 |
| July | 66% | 34% | 85 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.5 |
| August | 69% | 31% | 89 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 14.8 |
| September | 74% | 26% | 77 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 69% | 28% | 87 | 14 °C | 0% | 5% | 10.4 † |
| November | 35% | 28% | 90 | 10 °C | 0% | 46% | 8.5 † |
| December | 18% | 28% | 92 | 8 °C | 0% | 67% | 7.5 † |
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 Galway → Sandymount, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Galway → Sandymount | Headwind > 15 km/h, Sandymount → Galway | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +7.2 | 3% | 26% | Galway → Sandymount |
| February | +5.9 | 6% | 26% | Galway → Sandymount |
| March | +3.7 | 8% | 22% | Galway → Sandymount |
| April | +1.5 | 9% | 15% | either |
| May | +3.3 | 7% | 19% | Galway → Sandymount |
| June | +4.2 | 3% | 18% | Galway → Sandymount |
| July | +6.6 | 1% | 19% | Galway → Sandymount |
| August | +7.6 | 2% | 25% | Galway → Sandymount |
| September | +5.4 | 3% | 21% | Galway → Sandymount |
| October | +4.2 | 5% | 19% | Galway → Sandymount |
| November | +5.8 | 3% | 21% | Galway → Sandymount |
| December | +7.0 | 2% | 25% | Galway → Sandymount |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | E | +6.4 |
| 25–50 | E | +5.4 |
| 50–76 | E | +6.1 |
| 76–101 | E | +5.8 |
| 101–132 | E | +6.1 |
| 132–158 | E | +5.1 |
| 158–183 | E | +4.0 |
| 183–209 | E | +5.0 |
| 209–229 | E | +4.8 |
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.