National Cycle Route 2, stage 4: Bournemouth → Bridport
On stage 4 (Bournemouth → Bridport, 100 km) the best month is September: 81% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C, and riding Bridport → Bournemouth meant an average tailwind of 5.0 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 | 19% | 22% | 78 | 8 °C | 0% | 70% | 8.4 † |
| February | 23% | 22% | 63 | 8 °C | 0% | 68% | 9.9 † |
| March | 43% | 22% | 57 | 10 °C | 0% | 46% | 11.7 |
| April | 70% | 21% | 48 | 13 °C | 0% | 13% | 13.7 |
| May | 77% | 23% | 62 | 16 °C | 0% | 1% | 15.5 |
| June | 78% | 22% | 61 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.5 |
| July | 78% | 22% | 57 | 20 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.1 |
| August | 77% | 23% | 67 | 20 °C | 0% | 0% | 14.5 |
| September | 81% | 19% | 60 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 73% | 25% | 93 | 15 °C | 0% | 2% | 10.6 † |
| November | 52% | 26% | 90 | 11 °C | 0% | 26% | 8.9 † |
| December | 30% | 23% | 82 | 9 °C | 0% | 52% | 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 Bournemouth → Bridport, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Bournemouth → Bridport | Headwind > 15 km/h, Bridport → Bournemouth | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7.0 | 31% | 7% | Bridport → Bournemouth |
| February | −5.3 | 29% | 11% | Bridport → Bournemouth |
| March | −2.8 | 24% | 15% | Bridport → Bournemouth |
| April | −0.4 | 17% | 15% | either |
| May | −3.4 | 23% | 10% | Bridport → Bournemouth |
| June | −4.5 | 23% | 8% | Bridport → Bournemouth |
| July | −8.4 | 31% | 3% | Bridport → Bournemouth |
| August | −8.5 | 32% | 4% | Bridport → Bournemouth |
| September | −5.0 | 25% | 9% | Bridport → Bournemouth |
| October | −4.7 | 26% | 10% | Bridport → Bournemouth |
| November | −6.2 | 28% | 8% | Bridport → Bournemouth |
| December | −7.8 | 33% | 7% | Bridport → Bournemouth |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 350–351 | W | −6.5 |
| 351–376 | SW | −6.9 |
| 376–401 | W | −4.8 |
| 401–426 | W | −4.8 |
| 426–450 | NW | −3.1 |
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.