Birmingham · August · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Birmingham in August

The sunniest place you can reach from Birmingham in August within 15 hours is Guarda at 13.0 h, costing 349 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Preston at 12.2 kg — 29× less carbon for 3.5 h less.

Every destination here is on the efficiency frontier: nowhere else in Europe is both sunnier in August and lower in carbon. Anything a better option beats outright has been left out.

Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Birmingham. Pick one to compare.

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, August, departing Birmingham. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Nîmes can only be reached by air — 268 kg CO₂e, in 4h 54m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 40.1 kg in 16h 48m — 7× less carbon for 11h 54m more travelling.

August from Birmingham — 6 destinations on the frontier, 4 without flying.
Destination	How	CO₂e return	Temp	Sun/day	Rain/day	Journey
Preston, United Kingdom	Rail	12.2 kg	15.9 °C	9.5 h	3.8 mm	4h 6m
Kings Lynn, United Kingdom	Rail	12.7 kg	17.7 °C	10.7 h	1.9 mm	4h 12m
Dunkirk, France	Rail	18.4 kg	18.5 °C	11.3 h	2.5 mm	6h 42m
La Rochelle, France	Rail	30.7 kg	20.5 °C	12.0 h	1.9 mm	12h 24m
Nîmes, France	Air	268 kg	25.8 °C	12.7 h	0.8 mm	4h 54m
Guarda, Portugal	Air	349 kg	21.6 °C	13.0 h	0.0 mm	5h 24m

Warm is not the same as pleasant, which is why sunshine and rainfall are shown alongside temperature. All three are ERA5 monthly means for 2023–2024.

Where the curve breaks

The frontier is gentle until it isn't. Going from La Rochelle (30.7 kg, 12.0 h) to Nîmes (268 kg, 12.7 h) buys 0.7 hours more sunshine for an extra 238 kg — 339 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

PrestonUnited Kingdom12.2 kg CO₂e return15.9 °C · 9.5 h sun · 4h 6m by railwarm but wet La RochelleFrance30.7 kg CO₂e return20.5 °C · 12.0 h sun · 12h 24m by railwarm overall GuardaPortugal349 kg CO₂e return21.6 °C · 13.0 h sun · 5h 24m by airwarm, bright and dry

If you'd rather have heat than sunshine

August answers differently depending on what you're after. The warmest destinations from Birmingham in August are a different list — hours of sunshine and degrees of warmth come apart, especially early and late in the year.

Where to stay in Guarda

Places to stay in Guarda, Portugal, on a live map. Prices and availability come from Stay22 and its booking partners.

Affiliate disclosure. A booking made through this map may earn 0xCarbon a commission, at no extra cost to you. It changes nothing above it: the emissions figures come from UK Government conversion factors and are computed before anyone is paid anything.See the method.

Other months from Birmingham

August from elsewhere

Questions

Where is the sunniest place to go from Birmingham in August?

Guarda, Portugal, at 13.0 h. Reaching it emits 349 kg CO₂e return, travelling 5h 24m each way by air.

Can I get somewhere sunny from Birmingham in August without flying?

Yes. La Rochelle reaches 12.0 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 12h 24m, emitting 30.7 kg CO₂e return — though Guarda is sunnier still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Birmingham to Guarda produce?

349 kg CO₂e for one person, return, by air. That uses the UK Government's 2026 conversion factors, including radiative forcing for flights.

Carbon uses UK Government (DESNZ/DEFRA) 2026 conversion factors applied to great-circle distance, with radiative forcing included for flights. Rail journey times are modelled estimates, not timetabled services. Full method · download the data.