EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part Nederland: which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part Nederland is June: 77% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In June, riding near Knokke-Heist → Bunde meant an average tailwind of 2.3 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 | 5% | 26% | 68 | 6 °C | 0% | 89% | 8.1 † |
| February | 10% | 25% | 56 | 6 °C | 0% | 86% | 9.8 † |
| March | 32% | 21% | 51 | 9 °C | 0% | 62% | 11.7 |
| April | 59% | 19% | 41 | 13 °C | 0% | 28% | 13.9 |
| May | 73% | 24% | 61 | 16 °C | 0% | 4% | 15.8 |
| June | 77% | 22% | 65 | 19 °C | 1% | 0% | 16.8 |
| July | 70% | 28% | 83 | 21 °C | 3% | 0% | 16.4 |
| August | 70% | 29% | 84 | 21 °C | 2% | 0% | 14.7 |
| September | 76% | 24% | 68 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 71% | 26% | 82 | 14 °C | 0% | 5% | 10.5 † |
| November | 35% | 29% | 72 | 10 °C | 0% | 48% | 8.6 † |
| December | 12% | 25% | 73 | 7 °C | 0% | 80% | 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 Bunde → near Knokke-Heist, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Bunde → near Knokke-Heist | Headwind > 15 km/h, near Knokke-Heist → Bunde | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7.6 | 34% | 8% | near Knokke-Heist → Bunde |
| February | −5.6 | 30% | 12% | near Knokke-Heist → Bunde |
| March | −3.0 | 24% | 14% | near Knokke-Heist → Bunde |
| April | −0.3 | 18% | 17% | either |
| May | −0.5 | 19% | 16% | either |
| June | −2.3 | 20% | 11% | near Knokke-Heist → Bunde |
| July | −5.2 | 25% | 6% | near Knokke-Heist → Bunde |
| August | −5.4 | 25% | 7% | near Knokke-Heist → Bunde |
| September | −4.3 | 24% | 9% | near Knokke-Heist → Bunde |
| October | −6.0 | 30% | 8% | near Knokke-Heist → Bunde |
| November | −6.6 | 31% | 8% | near Knokke-Heist → Bunde |
| December | −8.4 | 35% | 7% | near Knokke-Heist → Bunde |
Stages
The route is split into 5 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Bunde → near Knokke-Heist in June, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bunde → near Dokkum | 124 | September | −5.2 |
| 2. near Dokkum → Harlingen | 104 | June | −4.1 |
| 3. Harlingen → Beverwijk | 146 | June | −1.3 |
| 4. Beverwijk → Goedereede | 126 | June | −0.4 |
| 5. Goedereede → near Knokke-Heist | 116 | June | −1.0 |
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.