EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part United Kingdom 3: which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part United Kingdom 3 is September: 79% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Lincoln → Whitby meant an average tailwind of 2.3 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% | 60 | 7 °C | 0% | 84% | 7.9 † |
| February | 19% | 21% | 51 | 8 °C | 0% | 76% | 9.7 † |
| March | 35% | 21% | 51 | 9 °C | 0% | 57% | 11.7 |
| April | 55% | 22% | 42 | 12 °C | 0% | 34% | 13.9 |
| May | 69% | 25% | 59 | 15 °C | 0% | 8% | 15.9 |
| June | 72% | 28% | 70 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 17.1 |
| July | 71% | 29% | 76 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 16.6 |
| August | 74% | 26% | 72 | 20 °C | 0% | 0% | 14.8 |
| September | 79% | 21% | 57 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 73% | 23% | 68 | 14 °C | 0% | 5% | 10.4 † |
| November | 37% | 25% | 68 | 10 °C | 0% | 50% | 8.4 † |
| December | 16% | 22% | 68 | 8 °C | 0% | 75% | 7.4 † |
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 Lincoln → Whitby, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Lincoln → Whitby | Headwind > 15 km/h, Whitby → Lincoln | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +4.9 | 10% | 26% | Lincoln → Whitby |
| February | +4.5 | 12% | 26% | Lincoln → Whitby |
| March | +1.8 | 14% | 20% | either |
| April | 0.0 | 15% | 15% | either |
| May | −0.2 | 16% | 15% | either |
| June | +0.9 | 11% | 15% | either |
| July | +2.4 | 8% | 16% | Lincoln → Whitby |
| August | +3.1 | 10% | 20% | Lincoln → Whitby |
| September | +2.3 | 12% | 19% | Lincoln → Whitby |
| October | +4.9 | 10% | 26% | Lincoln → Whitby |
| November | +3.9 | 13% | 25% | Lincoln → Whitby |
| December | +6.1 | 8% | 28% | Lincoln → Whitby |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | NE | +6.0 |
| 25–51 | N | +4.3 |
| 51–77 | NW | −1.5 |
| 77–102 | N | +2.3 |
| 102–128 | N | +1.4 |
| 128–153 | NE | +5.8 |
| 153–180 | N | +4.3 |
| 180–205 | NW | −0.3 |
| 205–230 | NW | −0.3 |
| 230–240 | NW | −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.