Yorkshire Wolds Cycle Route: clockwise or anticlockwise, and when to ride
The best month for Yorkshire Wolds Cycle Route is September: 79% of days were dry in riding hours with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either way round — under 2 km/h on average (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
This route is a loop: the two directions are clockwise and anticlockwise.
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11% | 20% | 60 | 7 °C | 0% | 85% | 7.9 † |
| February | 19% | 20% | 51 | 8 °C | 0% | 77% | 9.7 † |
| March | 36% | 21% | 50 | 9 °C | 0% | 57% | 11.7 |
| April | 56% | 22% | 41 | 12 °C | 0% | 33% | 14.0 |
| May | 70% | 25% | 58 | 15 °C | 0% | 7% | 15.9 |
| June | 73% | 27% | 70 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 17.1 |
| July | 72% | 28% | 74 | 20 °C | 0% | 0% | 16.6 |
| August | 74% | 26% | 72 | 19 °C | 0% | 0% | 14.8 |
| September | 79% | 21% | 57 | 17 °C | 0% | 0% | 12.6 |
| October | 73% | 23% | 67 | 14 °C | 0% | 5% | 10.4 † |
| November | 36% | 25% | 66 | 10 °C | 0% | 50% | 8.4 † |
| December | 16% | 22% | 68 | 7 °C | 0% | 76% | 7.4 † |
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, clockwise, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, clockwise | Headwind > 15 km/h, anticlockwise | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −0.4 | 19% | 18% | either |
| February | −0.3 | 20% | 19% | either |
| March | −0.1 | 19% | 18% | either |
| April | 0.0 | 15% | 16% | either |
| May | 0.0 | 15% | 16% | either |
| June | 0.0 | 13% | 13% | either |
| July | −0.2 | 13% | 12% | either |
| August | −0.2 | 16% | 15% | either |
| September | −0.1 | 16% | 15% | either |
| October | −0.2 | 19% | 18% | either |
| November | −0.3 | 19% | 17% | either |
| December | −0.4 | 19% | 17% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 0–26 | SW | −5.8 |
| 26–52 | SW | −4.7 |
| 52–77 | SW | −5.5 |
| 77–102 | NW | −1.7 |
| 102–128 | N | +3.8 |
| 128–153 | N | +0.5 |
| 153–178 | E | +5.4 |
| 178–204 | NE | +6.1 |
| 204–228 | SE | +1.0 |
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.