EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part United Kingdom 6: which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part United Kingdom 6 is September: 77% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.9 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 | 7% | 22% | 66 | 6 °C | 0% | 89% | 7.6 † |
| February | 11% | 24% | 56 | 7 °C | 0% | 86% | 9.5 † |
| March | 24% | 21% | 55 | 8 °C | 0% | 72% | 11.7 |
| April | 48% | 21% | 42 | 10 °C | 0% | 45% | 14.1 |
| May | 66% | 25% | 54 | 13 °C | 0% | 13% | 16.2 |
| June | 74% | 25% | 63 | 16 °C | 0% | 1% | 17.5 |
| July | 69% | 31% | 80 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.9 |
| August | 71% | 29% | 80 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 15.0 |
| September | 77% | 23% | 61 | 16 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 66% | 26% | 80 | 13 °C | 0% | 10% | 10.3 † |
| November | 29% | 28% | 79 | 9 °C | 0% | 58% | 8.2 † |
| December | 14% | 26% | 79 | 7 °C | 0% | 79% | 7.1 † |
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 South Shields → Edinburgh, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, South Shields → Edinburgh | Headwind > 15 km/h, Edinburgh → South Shields | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2.6 | 22% | 14% | Edinburgh → South Shields |
| February | −1.3 | 21% | 16% | either |
| March | −1.7 | 20% | 13% | either |
| April | −0.6 | 17% | 13% | either |
| May | −0.6 | 16% | 12% | either |
| June | −0.4 | 13% | 9% | either |
| July | −1.1 | 14% | 9% | either |
| August | −1.3 | 16% | 10% | either |
| September | −1.9 | 19% | 11% | either |
| October | −0.4 | 18% | 16% | either |
| November | −1.7 | 21% | 15% | either |
| December | −1.7 | 19% | 13% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | NW | 0.0 |
| 25–50 | N | +2.8 |
| 50–76 | N | +2.7 |
| 76–101 | NW | +1.0 |
| 101–126 | NW | −1.6 |
| 126–151 | NW | −1.9 |
| 151–177 | NW | −1.6 |
| 177–203 | NW | −4.7 |
| 203–228 | W | −7.9 |
| 228–250 | W | −8.1 |
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.