Vänerleden: clockwise or anticlockwise, and when to ride
The best month for Vänerleden is September: 75% of days were dry in riding hours with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either way round — under 2 km/h on average (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
This route is a loop: the two directions are clockwise and anticlockwise.
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0% | 21% | 59 | 1 °C | 0% | 100% | 6.9 † |
| February | 0% | 17% | 44 | 1 °C | 0% | 100% | 9.2 † |
| March | 6% | 15% | 39 | 4 °C | 0% | 94% | 11.6 |
| April | 36% | 16% | 36 | 9 °C | 0% | 62% | 14.4 |
| May | 69% | 23% | 61 | 14 °C | 0% | 13% | 16.9 |
| June | 74% | 26% | 77 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 18.4 |
| July | 69% | 31% | 101 | 21 °C | 0% | 0% | 17.8 |
| August | 65% | 35% | 105 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 15.4 |
| September | 75% | 25% | 73 | 16 °C | 0% | 1% | 12.7 |
| October | 43% | 24% | 76 | 10 °C | 0% | 43% | 10.1 † |
| November | 6% | 22% | 61 | 5 °C | 0% | 90% | 7.6 † |
| December | 1% | 22% | 60 | 2 °C | 0% | 99% | 6.2 † |
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, clockwise, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, clockwise | Headwind > 15 km/h, anticlockwise | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −0.5 | 13% | 11% | either |
| February | −0.5 | 11% | 9% | either |
| March | −0.4 | 11% | 9% | either |
| April | −0.3 | 9% | 7% | either |
| May | −0.3 | 9% | 7% | either |
| June | −0.2 | 9% | 7% | either |
| July | −0.3 | 9% | 7% | either |
| August | −0.4 | 10% | 8% | either |
| September | −0.4 | 12% | 10% | either |
| October | −0.3 | 13% | 11% | either |
| November | −0.4 | 14% | 12% | either |
| December | −0.5 | 13% | 11% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | E | +2.3 |
| 25–50 | E | +0.9 |
| 50–76 | S | −4.8 |
| 76–101 | S | −4.2 |
| 101–126 | SE | −2.5 |
| 126–151 | SW | −5.8 |
| 151–176 | S | −3.2 |
| 176–202 | W | −4.0 |
| 202–227 | W | −4.3 |
| 227–252 | SW | −5.7 |
| 252–277 | W | −3.3 |
| 277–302 | SW | −5.4 |
| 302–328 | SW | −4.5 |
| 328–353 | NW | +1.0 |
| 353–378 | NE | +5.2 |
| 378–403 | N | +3.1 |
| 403–428 | NW | +2.4 |
| 428–453 | N | +4.2 |
| 453–478 | NE | +3.7 |
| 478–503 | NE | +3.7 |
| 503–528 | NE | +4.1 |
| 528–554 | N | +3.1 |
| 554–579 | NE | +2.9 |
| 579–604 | E | +0.2 |
| 604–625 | E | +1.9 |
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.