EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part United Kingdom 8: which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 12 - North Sea Cycle Route - part United Kingdom 8 is June: 64% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In June the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.1 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 | 4% | 35% | 99 | 6 °C | 0% | 92% | 7.1 † |
| February | 7% | 34% | 79 | 7 °C | 0% | 89% | 9.3 † |
| March | 17% | 34% | 78 | 8 °C | 0% | 79% | 11.6 |
| April | 38% | 35% | 68 | 10 °C | 0% | 51% | 14.3 |
| May | 51% | 37% | 83 | 13 °C | 0% | 24% | 16.7 |
| June | 64% | 34% | 72 | 15 °C | 0% | 4% | 18.2 |
| July | 60% | 40% | 88 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 17.5 |
| August | 62% | 38% | 99 | 16 °C | 0% | 0% | 15.3 |
| September | 63% | 36% | 91 | 15 °C | 0% | 3% | 12.7 |
| October | 50% | 39% | 114 | 12 °C | 0% | 22% | 10.1 † |
| November | 18% | 36% | 94 | 8 °C | 0% | 69% | 7.7 † |
| December | 8% | 37% | 109 | 6 °C | 0% | 84% | 6.5 † |
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 Inverness → Thurso, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Inverness → Thurso | Headwind > 15 km/h, Thurso → Inverness | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +6.7 | 5% | 24% | Inverness → Thurso |
| February | +6.0 | 6% | 24% | Inverness → Thurso |
| March | +4.5 | 9% | 22% | Inverness → Thurso |
| April | +1.8 | 11% | 16% | either |
| May | +1.1 | 10% | 14% | either |
| June | +1.1 | 9% | 13% | either |
| July | +1.9 | 7% | 14% | either |
| August | +3.0 | 6% | 17% | Inverness → Thurso |
| September | +4.7 | 6% | 20% | Inverness → Thurso |
| October | +4.8 | 8% | 21% | Inverness → Thurso |
| November | +4.3 | 7% | 18% | Inverness → Thurso |
| December | +6.2 | 5% | 21% | Inverness → Thurso |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in June, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | NW | −0.7 |
| 25–50 | NE | +2.9 |
| 50–76 | NW | −0.7 |
| 76–101 | NW | +0.3 |
| 101–127 | N | +0.2 |
| 127–153 | N | +2.0 |
| 153–178 | NE | +1.4 |
| 178–203 | E | +2.6 |
| 203–229 | E | +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.