EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part United Kingdom 1: which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part United Kingdom 1 is September: 81% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Colchester → Norwich meant an average tailwind of 3.5 km/h (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 | 11% | 21% | 56 | 7 °C | 0% | 82% | 8.2 † |
| February | 16% | 22% | 52 | 7 °C | 0% | 80% | 9.8 † |
| March | 34% | 20% | 45 | 9 °C | 0% | 60% | 11.7 |
| April | 62% | 18% | 34 | 12 °C | 0% | 28% | 13.8 |
| May | 73% | 24% | 57 | 15 °C | 0% | 4% | 15.7 |
| June | 79% | 21% | 57 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.8 |
| July | 75% | 25% | 64 | 21 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.3 |
| August | 77% | 23% | 68 | 20 °C | 0% | 0% | 14.7 |
| September | 81% | 19% | 52 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 75% | 23% | 70 | 15 °C | 0% | 3% | 10.5 † |
| November | 46% | 22% | 64 | 11 °C | 0% | 40% | 8.7 † |
| December | 19% | 21% | 63 | 8 °C | 0% | 70% | 7.7 † |
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 Colchester → Norwich, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Colchester → Norwich | Headwind > 15 km/h, Norwich → Colchester | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +5.9 | 10% | 30% | Colchester → Norwich |
| February | +4.9 | 14% | 29% | Colchester → Norwich |
| March | +2.2 | 16% | 23% | Colchester → Norwich |
| April | +0.2 | 17% | 18% | either |
| May | +0.7 | 16% | 18% | either |
| June | +2.3 | 12% | 19% | Colchester → Norwich |
| July | +5.0 | 7% | 24% | Colchester → Norwich |
| August | +5.2 | 9% | 26% | Colchester → Norwich |
| September | +3.5 | 11% | 23% | Colchester → Norwich |
| October | +5.6 | 10% | 30% | Colchester → Norwich |
| November | +5.6 | 12% | 30% | Colchester → Norwich |
| December | +7.2 | 10% | 34% | Colchester → Norwich |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | N | +4.4 |
| 25–50 | E | +5.2 |
| 50–75 | N | +5.0 |
| 75–101 | NE | +5.1 |
| 101–126 | N | +4.5 |
| 126–151 | N | +1.7 |
| 151–171 | NW | −2.7 |
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.