Slovenian Way of St. James - Gorenjska Branch: which way and when to ride
The best month for Slovenian Way of St. James - Gorenjska Branch is October: 67% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In October the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.8 km/h along the route (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 | 1% | 17% | 76 | 3 °C | 0% | 99% | 9.0 † |
| February | 10% | 21% | 87 | 5 °C | 0% | 90% | 10.3 † |
| March | 36% | 25% | 95 | 9 °C | 0% | 59% | 11.8 |
| April | 55% | 36% | 98 | 14 °C | 0% | 21% | 13.5 |
| May | 52% | 48% | 149 | 18 °C | 0% | 4% | 15.0 |
| June | 54% | 44% | 132 | 22 °C | 2% | 0% | 15.8 |
| July | 52% | 43% | 138 | 24 °C | 6% | 0% | 15.4 |
| August | 57% | 38% | 147 | 24 °C | 6% | 0% | 14.2 |
| September | 66% | 33% | 152 | 19 °C | 0% | 1% | 12.5 |
| October | 67% | 22% | 120 | 14 °C | 0% | 16% | 10.8 † |
| November | 23% | 24% | 132 | 8 °C | 0% | 69% | 9.3 † |
| December | 1% | 18% | 90 | 3 °C | 0% | 98% | 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 Ljubljana → Camporosso in Valcanale, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Ljubljana → Camporosso in Valcanale | Headwind > 15 km/h, Camporosso in Valcanale → Ljubljana | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −0.9 | 0% | 0% | either |
| February | −0.1 | 0% | 0% | either |
| March | +0.5 | 0% | 0% | either |
| April | +1.1 | 0% | 0% | either |
| May | +1.2 | 0% | 0% | either |
| June | +1.5 | 0% | 0% | either |
| July | +1.7 | 0% | 0% | either |
| August | +2.3 | 0% | 0% | Ljubljana → Camporosso in Valcanale |
| September | +1.7 | 0% | 0% | either |
| October | +0.8 | 0% | 0% | either |
| November | −0.1 | 0% | 0% | either |
| December | −1.2 | 0% | 0% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in October, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–26 | NW | +0.9 |
| 26–51 | NW | +0.9 |
| 51–76 | NW | +1.0 |
| 76–101 | NW | +0.9 |
| 101–127 | NW | +0.7 |
| 127–152 | W | +0.5 |
| 152–157 | W | +0.8 |
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.