EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part United Kingdom 7: which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part United Kingdom 7 is September: 76% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.6 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% | 25% | 70 | 6 °C | 0% | 89% | 7.4 † |
| February | 11% | 25% | 59 | 7 °C | 0% | 86% | 9.4 † |
| March | 24% | 25% | 61 | 8 °C | 0% | 72% | 11.6 |
| April | 47% | 26% | 51 | 11 °C | 0% | 44% | 14.2 |
| May | 64% | 28% | 62 | 13 °C | 0% | 15% | 16.5 |
| June | 73% | 27% | 66 | 16 °C | 0% | 1% | 17.8 |
| July | 68% | 32% | 82 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 17.3 |
| August | 70% | 30% | 83 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 15.2 |
| September | 76% | 24% | 65 | 16 °C | 0% | 1% | 12.7 |
| October | 61% | 29% | 93 | 12 °C | 0% | 14% | 10.2 † |
| November | 26% | 29% | 80 | 9 °C | 0% | 61% | 8.0 † |
| December | 12% | 27% | 84 | 7 °C | 0% | 81% | 6.7 † |
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 Edinburgh → Inverness, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Edinburgh → Inverness | Headwind > 15 km/h, Inverness → Edinburgh | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +2.3 | 15% | 23% | Edinburgh → Inverness |
| February | +2.4 | 16% | 24% | Edinburgh → Inverness |
| March | +0.9 | 18% | 20% | either |
| April | +0.3 | 17% | 16% | either |
| May | +0.6 | 16% | 16% | either |
| June | +0.8 | 13% | 15% | either |
| July | +1.3 | 12% | 15% | either |
| August | +1.7 | 12% | 18% | either |
| September | +1.6 | 15% | 20% | either |
| October | +2.5 | 14% | 22% | Edinburgh → Inverness |
| November | +1.7 | 15% | 20% | either |
| December | +2.6 | 14% | 22% | Edinburgh → Inverness |
Stages
The route is split into 4 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Edinburgh → Inverness in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Edinburgh → Dundee | 133 | September | +3.7 |
| 2. Dundee → Aberdeen | 138 | September | +7.7 |
| 3. Aberdeen → Buckie | 138 | September | +0.3 |
| 4. Buckie → Inverness | 112 | September | −7.1 |
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.