National Cycle Route 2, stage 1: Dover → Hastings
On stage 1 (Dover → Hastings, 93 km) the best month is June: 83% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C, and riding Hastings → Dover meant an average tailwind of 4.2 km/h (ERA5 2006–2025, 9:00–18:00).
← National Cycle Route 2 (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% | 23% | 63 | 8 °C | 0% | 75% | 8.4 † |
| February | 24% | 21% | 55 | 8 °C | 0% | 68% | 9.9 † |
| March | 46% | 19% | 47 | 10 °C | 0% | 45% | 11.7 |
| April | 71% | 19% | 38 | 13 °C | 0% | 16% | 13.8 |
| May | 78% | 21% | 54 | 16 °C | 0% | 2% | 15.5 |
| June | 83% | 17% | 47 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.5 |
| July | 80% | 19% | 52 | 21 °C | 2% | 0% | 16.1 |
| August | 78% | 20% | 57 | 21 °C | 1% | 0% | 14.5 |
| September | 80% | 20% | 51 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 76% | 22% | 70 | 15 °C | 0% | 2% | 10.6 † |
| November | 49% | 25% | 74 | 11 °C | 0% | 32% | 8.8 † |
| December | 28% | 21% | 70 | 9 °C | 0% | 60% | 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 Dover → Hastings, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Dover → Hastings | Headwind > 15 km/h, Hastings → Dover | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −9.0 | 37% | 7% | Hastings → Dover |
| February | −6.8 | 35% | 14% | Hastings → Dover |
| March | −3.0 | 28% | 20% | Hastings → Dover |
| April | +0.2 | 22% | 23% | either |
| May | −2.3 | 27% | 20% | Hastings → Dover |
| June | −4.2 | 31% | 16% | Hastings → Dover |
| July | −9.1 | 40% | 7% | Hastings → Dover |
| August | −9.2 | 40% | 7% | Hastings → Dover |
| September | −5.4 | 31% | 13% | Hastings → Dover |
| October | −7.2 | 36% | 9% | Hastings → Dover |
| November | −8.2 | 34% | 6% | Hastings → Dover |
| December | −10.3 | 42% | 7% | Hastings → Dover |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in June, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–25 | W | −2.5 |
| 25–50 | SW | −4.8 |
| 50–62 | SW | −4.6 |
| 62–87 | SW | −4.7 |
| 87–93 | SW | −5.2 |
Other stages
- Dover → Hastings 93 km
- Hastings → Bognor Regis 103 km
- Bognor Regis → Bournemouth 134 km
- Bournemouth → Bridport 100 km
- Bridport → Dawlish 103 km
- Dawlish → St. Austell 66 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.