National Cycle Route 2, stage 5: Bridport → Dawlish
On stage 5 (Bridport → Dawlish, 103 km) the best month is September: 81% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C, and riding Dawlish → Bridport meant an average tailwind of 4.6 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 | 22% | 21% | 66 | 8 °C | 0% | 68% | 8.4 † |
| February | 28% | 21% | 57 | 9 °C | 0% | 62% | 9.9 † |
| March | 46% | 25% | 57 | 10 °C | 0% | 41% | 11.7 |
| April | 69% | 24% | 49 | 13 °C | 0% | 12% | 13.7 |
| May | 74% | 26% | 63 | 16 °C | 0% | 1% | 15.5 |
| June | 77% | 23% | 61 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.5 |
| July | 73% | 26% | 56 | 21 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.1 |
| August | 76% | 23% | 60 | 20 °C | 1% | 0% | 14.5 |
| September | 81% | 19% | 54 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 75% | 23% | 80 | 15 °C | 0% | 2% | 10.6 † |
| November | 55% | 22% | 76 | 11 °C | 0% | 28% | 8.9 † |
| December | 30% | 22% | 69 | 9 °C | 0% | 53% | 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 Bridport → Dawlish, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Bridport → Dawlish | Headwind > 15 km/h, Dawlish → Bridport | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −6.3 | 28% | 7% | Dawlish → Bridport |
| February | −5.2 | 28% | 11% | Dawlish → Bridport |
| March | −2.6 | 23% | 13% | Dawlish → Bridport |
| April | −0.5 | 16% | 12% | either |
| May | −3.0 | 20% | 9% | Dawlish → Bridport |
| June | −4.2 | 21% | 7% | Dawlish → Bridport |
| July | −7.6 | 27% | 2% | Dawlish → Bridport |
| August | −7.6 | 28% | 3% | Dawlish → Bridport |
| September | −4.6 | 23% | 7% | Dawlish → Bridport |
| October | −5.2 | 25% | 8% | Dawlish → Bridport |
| November | −5.7 | 27% | 7% | Dawlish → Bridport |
| December | −7.6 | 32% | 6% | Dawlish → Bridport |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 456–482 | W | −4.5 |
| 482–507 | SW | −5.4 |
| 507–532 | W | −5.1 |
| 532–559 | SW | −3.6 |
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.