EuroVelo 1 - Atlantic Coast Route - part United Kingdom 2: which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 1 - Atlantic Coast Route - part United Kingdom 2 is September: 74% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.2 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 | 15% | 28% | 92 | 8 °C | 0% | 73% | 8.3 † |
| February | 18% | 27% | 76 | 8 °C | 0% | 72% | 9.9 † |
| March | 35% | 28% | 73 | 10 °C | 0% | 53% | 11.7 |
| April | 64% | 24% | 56 | 12 °C | 0% | 19% | 13.8 |
| May | 71% | 28% | 74 | 15 °C | 0% | 2% | 15.6 |
| June | 72% | 28% | 74 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.6 |
| July | 70% | 30% | 81 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.2 |
| August | 70% | 29% | 83 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 14.6 |
| September | 74% | 26% | 78 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 69% | 29% | 101 | 14 °C | 0% | 3% | 10.6 † |
| November | 44% | 32% | 105 | 11 °C | 0% | 31% | 8.8 † |
| December | 23% | 31% | 108 | 9 °C | 0% | 57% | 7.9 † |
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 Fishguard → Plymouth, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Fishguard → Plymouth | Headwind > 15 km/h, Plymouth → Fishguard | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −0.1 | 19% | 18% | either |
| February | −0.5 | 21% | 19% | either |
| March | −0.1 | 19% | 18% | either |
| April | +0.1 | 16% | 15% | either |
| May | +0.6 | 15% | 16% | either |
| June | +0.6 | 13% | 14% | either |
| July | +0.6 | 15% | 16% | either |
| August | +0.6 | 16% | 18% | either |
| September | +0.2 | 16% | 16% | either |
| October | −1.0 | 19% | 16% | either |
| November | −0.1 | 19% | 18% | either |
| December | −0.6 | 21% | 19% | either |
Stages
The route is split into 6 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Fishguard → Plymouth in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Fishguard → Saundersfoot | 110 | June | +1.0 |
| 2. Saundersfoot → Swansea | 112 | September | +4.0 |
| 3. Swansea → Newport | 108 | June | +6.0 |
| 4. Newport → Street | 122 | September | −0.2 |
| 5. Street → Barnstaple | 143 | September | −5.2 |
| 6. Barnstaple → Plymouth | 136 | September | −2.1 |
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.