Hadrian's Cycleway: which way and when to ride
The best month for Hadrian's Cycleway is September: 70% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Ravenglass → South Shields meant an average tailwind of 6.0 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 | 5% | 28% | 101 | 6 °C | 0% | 91% | 7.8 † |
| February | 8% | 31% | 85 | 7 °C | 0% | 89% | 9.6 † |
| March | 22% | 29% | 76 | 8 °C | 0% | 72% | 11.7 |
| April | 51% | 28% | 57 | 11 °C | 0% | 37% | 14.0 |
| May | 64% | 32% | 74 | 14 °C | 0% | 8% | 16.1 |
| June | 69% | 31% | 81 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 17.3 |
| July | 63% | 37% | 101 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.8 |
| August | 64% | 36% | 106 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 14.9 |
| September | 70% | 30% | 89 | 16 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 61% | 32% | 108 | 13 °C | 0% | 10% | 10.3 † |
| November | 24% | 32% | 107 | 9 °C | 0% | 59% | 8.3 † |
| December | 9% | 34% | 120 | 7 °C | 0% | 81% | 7.2 † |
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 Ravenglass → South Shields, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Ravenglass → South Shields | Headwind > 15 km/h, South Shields → Ravenglass | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +8.3 | 4% | 31% | Ravenglass → South Shields |
| February | +7.2 | 7% | 31% | Ravenglass → South Shields |
| March | +5.2 | 10% | 28% | Ravenglass → South Shields |
| April | +2.3 | 12% | 20% | Ravenglass → South Shields |
| May | +3.1 | 10% | 21% | Ravenglass → South Shields |
| June | +4.5 | 5% | 21% | Ravenglass → South Shields |
| July | +6.6 | 3% | 25% | Ravenglass → South Shields |
| August | +7.6 | 3% | 29% | Ravenglass → South Shields |
| September | +6.0 | 5% | 26% | Ravenglass → South Shields |
| October | +6.3 | 6% | 28% | Ravenglass → South Shields |
| November | +5.9 | 6% | 25% | Ravenglass → South Shields |
| December | +8.2 | 4% | 31% | Ravenglass → South Shields |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 | NW | +0.8 |
| 3–28 | N | +2.7 |
| 28–54 | N | +7.2 |
| 54–79 | NE | +7.0 |
| 79–104 | N | +6.0 |
| 104–129 | E | +4.6 |
| 129–155 | NE | +7.3 |
| 155–180 | E | +6.8 |
| 180–205 | E | +7.2 |
| 205–208 | SE | +4.3 |
| 208–234 | E | +6.2 |
| 234–254 | E | +6.2 |
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: www.walkwheelcycletrust.org.uk