North West Trail: which way and when to ride
The best month for North West Trail is September: 66% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September, riding near Enniskillen → Strabane meant an average tailwind of 4.3 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 | 10% | 30% | 90 | 7 °C | 0% | 83% | 7.8 † |
| February | 14% | 32% | 81 | 8 °C | 0% | 80% | 9.6 † |
| March | 26% | 37% | 78 | 9 °C | 0% | 64% | 11.7 |
| April | 53% | 34% | 67 | 12 °C | 0% | 29% | 14.0 |
| May | 62% | 36% | 78 | 14 °C | 0% | 6% | 16.0 |
| June | 64% | 36% | 86 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 17.2 |
| July | 61% | 39% | 100 | 18 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.7 |
| August | 58% | 42% | 104 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 14.9 |
| September | 66% | 34% | 80 | 16 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 60% | 34% | 97 | 13 °C | 0% | 9% | 10.4 † |
| November | 27% | 29% | 93 | 9 °C | 0% | 58% | 8.3 † |
| December | 12% | 33% | 96 | 7 °C | 0% | 76% | 7.3 † |
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 near Enniskillen → Strabane, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, near Enniskillen → Strabane | Headwind > 15 km/h, Strabane → near Enniskillen | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +6.4 | 3% | 23% | near Enniskillen → Strabane |
| February | +6.0 | 5% | 24% | near Enniskillen → Strabane |
| March | +3.5 | 8% | 19% | near Enniskillen → Strabane |
| April | +1.9 | 8% | 13% | either |
| May | +2.4 | 6% | 15% | near Enniskillen → Strabane |
| June | +2.5 | 5% | 13% | near Enniskillen → Strabane |
| July | +3.5 | 3% | 12% | near Enniskillen → Strabane |
| August | +4.6 | 4% | 17% | near Enniskillen → Strabane |
| September | +4.3 | 5% | 18% | near Enniskillen → Strabane |
| October | +5.1 | 4% | 20% | near Enniskillen → Strabane |
| November | +4.8 | 4% | 19% | near Enniskillen → Strabane |
| December | +6.6 | 3% | 24% | near Enniskillen → Strabane |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–26 | E | +5.2 |
| 26–51 | NE | +6.1 |
| 51–76 | NE | +6.4 |
| 76–101 | NW | +1.6 |
| 101–119 | NW | +1.1 |
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.