National Cycle Network Route 4, stage 2: Reading → Bath
On stage 2 (Reading → Bath, 128 km) the best month is September: 79% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C, and riding Bath → Reading meant an average tailwind of 5.0 km/h (ERA5 2006–2025, 9:00–18:00).
← National Cycle Network Route 4 (Whole route)
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15% | 21% | 65 | 7 °C | 0% | 77% | 8.3 † |
| February | 23% | 23% | 56 | 8 °C | 0% | 69% | 9.9 † |
| March | 44% | 25% | 56 | 10 °C | 0% | 44% | 11.7 |
| April | 68% | 24% | 48 | 13 °C | 0% | 14% | 13.8 |
| May | 72% | 27% | 67 | 16 °C | 0% | 2% | 15.6 |
| June | 75% | 24% | 61 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.6 |
| July | 74% | 25% | 65 | 21 °C | 2% | 0% | 16.2 |
| August | 72% | 26% | 68 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 14.6 |
| September | 79% | 21% | 58 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 74% | 23% | 78 | 15 °C | 0% | 3% | 10.6 † |
| November | 45% | 23% | 75 | 10 °C | 0% | 39% | 8.8 † |
| December | 24% | 22% | 69 | 8 °C | 0% | 63% | 7.9 † |
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 Reading → Bath, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Reading → Bath | Headwind > 15 km/h, Bath → Reading | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6.9 | 27% | 4% | Bath → Reading |
| February | −5.4 | 27% | 8% | Bath → Reading |
| March | −3.1 | 22% | 12% | Bath → Reading |
| April | −0.7 | 16% | 12% | either |
| May | −3.0 | 21% | 8% | Bath → Reading |
| June | −4.4 | 21% | 5% | Bath → Reading |
| July | −7.9 | 27% | 2% | Bath → Reading |
| August | −8.0 | 28% | 2% | Bath → Reading |
| September | −5.0 | 22% | 5% | Bath → Reading |
| October | −4.5 | 21% | 6% | Bath → Reading |
| November | −5.5 | 23% | 5% | Bath → Reading |
| December | −7.3 | 29% | 4% | Bath → Reading |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 116–141 | W | −5.1 |
| 141–166 | W | −5.1 |
| 166–192 | W | −5.2 |
| 192–217 | W | −4.8 |
| 217–244 | W | −4.5 |
Other stages
- London → Reading 116 km
- Reading → Bath 128 km
- Bath → Pontypridd 129 km
- Pontypridd → Carmarthen 126 km
- Carmarthen → Fishguard 147 km
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.