National Cycle Network Route 5 (Flint – Stafford): which way and when to ride
The best month for National Cycle Network Route 5 (Flint – Stafford) is September: 73% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Flint → Stafford meant an average tailwind of 2.1 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 | 12% | 25% | 70 | 7 °C | 0% | 79% | 8.1 † |
| February | 20% | 23% | 59 | 8 °C | 0% | 73% | 9.8 † |
| March | 39% | 25% | 62 | 10 °C | 0% | 50% | 11.7 |
| April | 63% | 26% | 52 | 13 °C | 0% | 21% | 13.9 |
| May | 68% | 31% | 73 | 16 °C | 0% | 3% | 15.8 |
| June | 71% | 29% | 78 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.9 |
| July | 65% | 34% | 92 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 16.5 |
| August | 68% | 32% | 79 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 14.8 |
| September | 73% | 27% | 75 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 72% | 24% | 77 | 14 °C | 0% | 4% | 10.5 † |
| November | 37% | 26% | 73 | 10 °C | 0% | 48% | 8.5 † |
| December | 17% | 28% | 81 | 8 °C | 0% | 69% | 7.6 † |
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 Flint → Stafford, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Flint → Stafford | Headwind > 15 km/h, Stafford → Flint | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +2.1 | 10% | 16% | Flint → Stafford |
| February | +1.1 | 11% | 15% | either |
| March | +1.4 | 10% | 16% | either |
| April | +0.7 | 10% | 13% | either |
| May | +1.7 | 8% | 14% | either |
| June | +2.1 | 5% | 12% | Flint → Stafford |
| July | +3.7 | 5% | 15% | Flint → Stafford |
| August | +3.5 | 6% | 15% | Flint → Stafford |
| September | +2.1 | 7% | 14% | Flint → Stafford |
| October | +0.1 | 12% | 12% | either |
| November | +0.9 | 11% | 13% | either |
| December | +0.8 | 10% | 13% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | E | +4.5 |
| 25–51 | NE | +4.9 |
| 51–76 | SE | +1.1 |
| 76–101 | SE | +2.4 |
| 101–127 | S | −0.6 |
| 127–150 | SE | −0.1 |
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.