EuroVelo 2 – Capitals Route (United Kingdom): which way and when to ride
The best month for EuroVelo 2 – Capitals Route (United Kingdom) is September: 75% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Holyhead → Harwich meant an average tailwind of 2.5 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% | 25% | 83 | 7 °C | 0% | 81% | 8.2 † |
| February | 17% | 26% | 69 | 8 °C | 0% | 76% | 9.8 † |
| March | 36% | 27% | 66 | 10 °C | 0% | 55% | 11.7 |
| April | 62% | 26% | 52 | 13 °C | 0% | 22% | 13.8 |
| May | 68% | 30% | 72 | 16 °C | 0% | 4% | 15.7 |
| June | 73% | 26% | 71 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.7 |
| July | 70% | 29% | 76 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 16.3 |
| August | 70% | 29% | 76 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 14.6 |
| September | 75% | 25% | 70 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 69% | 27% | 88 | 14 °C | 0% | 5% | 10.5 † |
| November | 38% | 28% | 91 | 10 °C | 0% | 44% | 8.7 † |
| December | 18% | 28% | 94 | 8 °C | 0% | 68% | 7.8 † |
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 Holyhead → Harwich, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Holyhead → Harwich | Headwind > 15 km/h, Harwich → Holyhead | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +3.7 | 8% | 20% | Holyhead → Harwich |
| February | +2.4 | 11% | 19% | Holyhead → Harwich |
| March | +1.4 | 12% | 16% | either |
| April | +0.1 | 11% | 12% | either |
| May | +1.3 | 9% | 14% | either |
| June | +2.0 | 7% | 13% | Holyhead → Harwich |
| July | +4.1 | 5% | 16% | Holyhead → Harwich |
| August | +4.0 | 6% | 17% | Holyhead → Harwich |
| September | +2.5 | 7% | 15% | Holyhead → Harwich |
| October | +1.8 | 10% | 15% | either |
| November | +3.0 | 8% | 17% | Holyhead → Harwich |
| December | +3.5 | 8% | 20% | Holyhead → Harwich |
Stages
The route is split into 7 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Holyhead → Harwich in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Holyhead → Porthmadog | 110 | June | +1.0 |
| 2. Porthmadog → Llanidloes | 112 | June | +0.2 |
| 3. Llanidloes → Abergavenny | 122 | September | +0.3 |
| 4. Abergavenny → Trowbridge | 116 | September | +1.6 |
| 5. Trowbridge → Reading | 112 | September | +5.1 |
| 6. Reading → London | 102 | September | +4.2 |
| 7. London → Harwich | 182 | September | +4.4 |
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.
OpenStreetMap · Waymarked Trails · Start / Finish: en.eurovelo.com