National Cycle Route 165: which way and when to ride
The best month for National Cycle Route 165 is September: 79% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding Barnard Castle → Whitby meant an average tailwind of 5.2 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 | 7% | 21% | 65 | 6 °C | 0% | 88% | 7.8 † |
| February | 11% | 25% | 57 | 7 °C | 0% | 84% | 9.6 † |
| March | 28% | 22% | 52 | 9 °C | 0% | 67% | 11.7 |
| April | 51% | 22% | 44 | 11 °C | 0% | 41% | 14.0 |
| May | 68% | 25% | 57 | 14 °C | 0% | 11% | 16.0 |
| June | 74% | 26% | 68 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 17.2 |
| July | 71% | 28% | 77 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.7 |
| August | 73% | 27% | 73 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 14.9 |
| September | 79% | 21% | 63 | 16 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 71% | 23% | 70 | 13 °C | 0% | 10% | 10.4 † |
| November | 29% | 27% | 74 | 9 °C | 0% | 59% | 8.3 † |
| December | 12% | 26% | 76 | 7 °C | 0% | 80% | 7.3 † |
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 Barnard Castle → Whitby, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Barnard Castle → Whitby | Headwind > 15 km/h, Whitby → Barnard Castle | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +8.7 | 5% | 32% | Barnard Castle → Whitby |
| February | +6.5 | 8% | 29% | Barnard Castle → Whitby |
| March | +4.6 | 10% | 26% | Barnard Castle → Whitby |
| April | +1.0 | 11% | 18% | either |
| May | +1.7 | 9% | 18% | either |
| June | +2.4 | 5% | 18% | Barnard Castle → Whitby |
| July | +4.6 | 4% | 22% | Barnard Castle → Whitby |
| August | +6.3 | 3% | 25% | Barnard Castle → Whitby |
| September | +5.2 | 5% | 24% | Barnard Castle → Whitby |
| October | +5.1 | 7% | 25% | Barnard Castle → Whitby |
| November | +6.2 | 6% | 25% | Barnard Castle → Whitby |
| December | +8.3 | 4% | 30% | Barnard Castle → Whitby |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | E | +5.5 |
| 25–50 | SE | +3.5 |
| 50–76 | E | +6.1 |
| 76–101 | E | +5.5 |
| 101–117 | E | +5.6 |
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.