EuroVelo 2 - Capitals Route - part Irish Sea: which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 2 - Capitals Route - part Irish Sea is June: 75% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In June, riding Dublin → Holyhead meant an average tailwind of 5.2 km/h (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Also passes through Ireland
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19% | 28% | 92 | 8 °C | 0% | 67% | 8.0 † |
| February | 18% | 27% | 73 | 9 °C | 0% | 70% | 9.7 † |
| March | 34% | 26% | 73 | 10 °C | 0% | 53% | 11.7 |
| April | 61% | 27% | 57 | 12 °C | 0% | 20% | 13.9 |
| May | 73% | 26% | 65 | 15 °C | 0% | 2% | 15.8 |
| June | 75% | 25% | 69 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 17.0 |
| July | 70% | 29% | 73 | 19 °C | 1% | 0% | 16.5 |
| August | 68% | 31% | 77 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 14.8 |
| September | 72% | 28% | 89 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 70% | 28% | 104 | 14 °C | 0% | 3% | 10.4 † |
| November | 44% | 32% | 108 | 11 °C | 0% | 31% | 8.5 † |
| December | 26% | 32% | 113 | 9 °C | 0% | 54% | 7.5 † |
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 Dublin → Holyhead, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Dublin → Holyhead | Headwind > 15 km/h, Holyhead → Dublin | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +7.9 | 5% | 35% | Dublin → Holyhead |
| February | +5.9 | 8% | 29% | Dublin → Holyhead |
| March | +3.9 | 10% | 23% | Dublin → Holyhead |
| April | +2.3 | 10% | 14% | Dublin → Holyhead |
| May | +3.9 | 7% | 16% | Dublin → Holyhead |
| June | +5.2 | 3% | 15% | Dublin → Holyhead |
| July | +7.5 | 1% | 18% | Dublin → Holyhead |
| August | +8.0 | 2% | 23% | Dublin → Holyhead |
| September | +6.0 | 4% | 23% | Dublin → Holyhead |
| October | +5.5 | 7% | 26% | Dublin → Holyhead |
| November | +6.4 | 6% | 30% | Dublin → Holyhead |
| December | +8.3 | 5% | 36% | Dublin → Holyhead |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in June, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–100 | E | +5.5 |
| 100–113 | SE | +2.3 |
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.