The Göta Canal trail: which way and when to ride
The best month for The Göta Canal trail is September: 78% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.8 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 | 0% | 18% | 47 | 1 °C | 0% | 100% | 7.0 † |
| February | 1% | 15% | 34 | 1 °C | 0% | 99% | 9.2 † |
| March | 11% | 15% | 34 | 5 °C | 0% | 88% | 11.6 |
| April | 45% | 15% | 32 | 10 °C | 0% | 52% | 14.3 |
| May | 71% | 24% | 54 | 15 °C | 0% | 11% | 16.8 |
| June | 72% | 27% | 70 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 18.3 |
| July | 70% | 29% | 86 | 21 °C | 2% | 0% | 17.7 |
| August | 66% | 33% | 89 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 15.4 |
| September | 78% | 21% | 59 | 16 °C | 0% | 1% | 12.7 |
| October | 46% | 21% | 66 | 10 °C | 0% | 41% | 10.1 † |
| November | 8% | 20% | 51 | 6 °C | 0% | 89% | 7.7 † |
| December | 1% | 18% | 47 | 2 °C | 0% | 99% | 6.3 † |
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 near Mariestad → Söderköping, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, near Mariestad → Söderköping | Headwind > 15 km/h, Söderköping → near Mariestad | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +2.0 | 7% | 13% | either |
| February | +1.7 | 6% | 10% | either |
| March | +2.5 | 5% | 13% | near Mariestad → Söderköping |
| April | +1.9 | 5% | 12% | either |
| May | +0.8 | 5% | 8% | either |
| June | +2.5 | 4% | 11% | near Mariestad → Söderköping |
| July | +2.4 | 3% | 10% | near Mariestad → Söderköping |
| August | +1.9 | 3% | 9% | either |
| September | +1.8 | 5% | 12% | either |
| October | +1.9 | 7% | 11% | either |
| November | +1.3 | 6% | 10% | either |
| December | +2.9 | 4% | 12% | near Mariestad → Söderköping |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | S | −2.2 |
| 25–50 | SE | +0.5 |
| 50–76 | E | +2.4 |
| 76–91 | SE | 0.0 |
| 91–116 | E | +3.6 |
| 116–142 | SE | +1.3 |
| 142–167 | NE | +4.0 |
| 167–192 | E | +3.4 |
| 192–207 | E | +2.8 |
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.