National Cycle Route 2: which way and when to ride
The best month for National Cycle Route 2 is September: 80% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding St. Austell → Dover meant an average tailwind of 5.1 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 | 18% | 23% | 72 | 8 °C | 0% | 71% | 8.4 † |
| February | 24% | 22% | 60 | 8 °C | 0% | 67% | 9.9 † |
| March | 44% | 23% | 55 | 10 °C | 0% | 45% | 11.7 |
| April | 70% | 21% | 45 | 13 °C | 0% | 14% | 13.7 |
| May | 76% | 23% | 59 | 16 °C | 0% | 1% | 15.5 |
| June | 79% | 21% | 57 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.5 |
| July | 77% | 23% | 57 | 21 °C | 1% | 0% | 16.1 |
| August | 77% | 22% | 62 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 14.5 |
| September | 80% | 20% | 56 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 74% | 24% | 84 | 15 °C | 0% | 2% | 10.6 † |
| November | 51% | 25% | 84 | 11 °C | 0% | 29% | 8.8 † |
| December | 29% | 23% | 77 | 9 °C | 0% | 55% | 8.0 † |
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 Dover → St. Austell, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Dover → St. Austell | Headwind > 15 km/h, St. Austell → Dover | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7.4 | 32% | 7% | St. Austell → Dover |
| February | −5.7 | 31% | 12% | St. Austell → Dover |
| March | −2.9 | 25% | 16% | St. Austell → Dover |
| April | −0.4 | 18% | 16% | either |
| May | −3.2 | 23% | 12% | St. Austell → Dover |
| June | −4.6 | 25% | 9% | St. Austell → Dover |
| July | −8.5 | 33% | 4% | St. Austell → Dover |
| August | −8.5 | 33% | 4% | St. Austell → Dover |
| September | −5.1 | 26% | 9% | St. Austell → Dover |
| October | −5.5 | 28% | 9% | St. Austell → Dover |
| November | −6.6 | 30% | 7% | St. Austell → Dover |
| December | −8.5 | 35% | 7% | St. Austell → Dover |
Stages
The route is split into 6 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Dover → St. Austell in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Dover → Hastings | 93 | June | −5.4 |
| 2. Hastings → Bognor Regis | 103 | June | −5.0 |
| 3. Bognor Regis → Bournemouth | 134 | September | −5.3 |
| 4. Bournemouth → Bridport | 100 | September | −5.0 |
| 5. Bridport → Dawlish | 103 | September | −4.6 |
| 6. Dawlish → St. Austell | 66 | September | −5.1 |
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.