EuroVelo 1 – Atlantic Coast Route (Portugal), stage 1: Valença → Matosinhos
On stage 1 (Valença → Matosinhos, 126 km) the best month is July: 90% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C, and riding Valença → Matosinhos meant an average tailwind of 7.1 km/h (ERA5 2006–2025, 9:00–18:00).
← EuroVelo 1 – Atlantic Coast Route (Portugal) (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 | 62% | 33% | 198 | 13 °C | 0% | 8% | 9.5 † |
| February | 68% | 30% | 152 | 14 °C | 0% | 5% | 10.5 † |
| March | 69% | 31% | 159 | 15 °C | 0% | 0% | 11.8 |
| April | 68% | 32% | 138 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 13.3 |
| May | 76% | 24% | 100 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 14.5 |
| June | 82% | 17% | 58 | 21 °C | 1% | 0% | 15.2 |
| July | 90% | 6% | 23 | 23 °C | 4% | 0% | 14.9 |
| August | 89% | 8% | 25 | 24 °C | 4% | 0% | 13.8 |
| September | 83% | 17% | 76 | 23 °C | 1% | 0% | 12.4 |
| October | 69% | 31% | 217 | 20 °C | 0% | 0% | 11.0 |
| November | 64% | 36% | 209 | 16 °C | 0% | 1% | 9.8 † |
| December | 66% | 32% | 201 | 14 °C | 0% | 4% | 9.2 † |
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 Valença → Matosinhos, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Valença → Matosinhos | Headwind > 15 km/h, Matosinhos → Valença | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −0.8 | 15% | 11% | either |
| February | −0.5 | 15% | 13% | either |
| March | +1.0 | 14% | 15% | either |
| April | +1.3 | 11% | 12% | either |
| May | +4.0 | 8% | 19% | Valença → Matosinhos |
| June | +5.0 | 6% | 18% | Valença → Matosinhos |
| July | +7.1 | 3% | 24% | Valença → Matosinhos |
| August | +6.9 | 3% | 22% | Valença → Matosinhos |
| September | +3.0 | 6% | 12% | Valença → Matosinhos |
| October | −1.9 | 17% | 6% | either |
| November | −0.2 | 15% | 12% | either |
| December | −2.5 | 17% | 8% | Matosinhos → Valença |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in July, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | SW | +0.4 |
| 25–50 | S | +6.1 |
| 50–76 | S | +10.2 |
| 76–83 | S | +10.6 |
| 83–108 | S | +10.7 |
| 108–126 | S | +7.3 |
Other stages
- Valença → Matosinhos 126 km
- Matosinhos → Gafanha da Encarnação 94 km
- Gafanha da Encarnação → Vieira de Leiria 134 km
- Vieira de Leiria → Lourinhã 128 km
- Lourinhã → Lisbon 142 km
- Lisbon → Sines 103 km
- Sines → Aljezur 114 km
- Aljezur → Albufeira 120 km
- Albufeira → Vila Real de Santo António 124 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.