National Cycle Route 2, stage 6: Dawlish → St. Austell
On stage 6 (Dawlish → St. Austell, 66 km) the best month is September: 75% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C, and riding St. Austell → Dawlish meant an average tailwind of 5.1 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% | 26% | 81 | 8 °C | 0% | 69% | 8.5 † |
| February | 24% | 26% | 71 | 9 °C | 0% | 65% | 10.0 † |
| March | 39% | 29% | 69 | 10 °C | 0% | 47% | 11.7 |
| April | 64% | 27% | 55 | 12 °C | 0% | 15% | 13.7 |
| May | 70% | 30% | 67 | 15 °C | 0% | 1% | 15.4 |
| June | 69% | 31% | 70 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.4 |
| July | 68% | 32% | 72 | 20 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.0 |
| August | 73% | 27% | 69 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 14.5 |
| September | 75% | 25% | 61 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.5 |
| October | 72% | 26% | 91 | 15 °C | 0% | 2% | 10.6 † |
| November | 50% | 28% | 92 | 11 °C | 0% | 27% | 8.9 † |
| December | 30% | 26% | 87 | 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 Dawlish → St. Austell, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Dawlish → St. Austell | Headwind > 15 km/h, St. Austell → Dawlish | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −7.6 | 35% | 9% | St. Austell → Dawlish |
| February | −6.1 | 34% | 14% | St. Austell → Dawlish |
| March | −3.1 | 27% | 18% | St. Austell → Dawlish |
| April | −0.4 | 19% | 15% | either |
| May | −3.7 | 25% | 11% | St. Austell → Dawlish |
| June | −5.1 | 26% | 8% | St. Austell → Dawlish |
| July | −8.8 | 34% | 3% | St. Austell → Dawlish |
| August | −9.1 | 35% | 4% | St. Austell → Dawlish |
| September | −5.1 | 27% | 9% | St. Austell → Dawlish |
| October | −5.6 | 29% | 10% | St. Austell → Dawlish |
| November | −6.9 | 33% | 8% | St. Austell → Dawlish |
| December | −8.9 | 39% | 9% | St. Austell → Dawlish |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 558–559 | SW | −5.7 |
| 559–584 | W | −5.3 |
| 584–610 | W | −5.0 |
| 610–611 | SE | +2.7 |
| 611–625 | W | −5.7 |
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.