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Birmingham · May · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Birmingham in May

In May, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Birmingham is Sundsvall, Sweden, 15.1 h of sun a day and 11.7 °C, about 5h 36m each way by air. Without flying, it is Torquay, United Kingdom, 12.2 h of sun a day, about 5h 6m each way by train, for about 20× less carbon (20.2 kg CO₂e return against 398 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Birmingham

Ranked on sunshine in May alone, among well-known places (a Wikivoyage travel guide and at least 40,000 Wikipedia readers a year), one per area and at most three per country. The carbon is shown, not used to choose: the list further down is the other question, how much sunshine each extra kilogram buys.

  1. Sundsvall, Sweden15.1 h · 11.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 5.0 °Cair ≈ 5h 36m · 398 kg CO₂e return
  2. Umeå, Sweden15.0 h · 9.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 3.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 54m · 451 kg CO₂e return
  3. Luleå, Sweden14.8 h · 7.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 1.5 °Cair ≈ 6h 6m · 498 kg CO₂e return
  4. Vaasa, Finland14.8 h · 9.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 5.2 °Cair ≈ 5h 54m · 455 kg CO₂e return
  5. Tallinn, Estonia14.7 h · 12.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 54m · 456 kg CO₂e return
  6. Turku, Finland14.4 h · 12.2 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 48m · 431 kg CO₂e return
  7. Helsinki, Finland14.4 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.4 °Cair ≈ 6h · 464 kg CO₂e return
  8. Pärnu, Estonia14.3 h · 13.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 54m · 447 kg CO₂e return
  9. Riga, Latvia14.2 h · 13.6 °C · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 10.4 °Cair ≈ 5h 48m · 435 kg CO₂e return
  10. Tartu, Estonia14.1 h · 12.8 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 6h · 479 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Torquay is 12.2 h for 20.2 kg — about 20× less carbon than flying to Sundsvall.

  1. Torquay, United Kingdom12.2 h · 13.3 °C · 2.0 mm rain a day · sea 12.5 °Crail ≈ 5h 6m · 20.2 kg CO₂e return
  2. Truro, United Kingdom12.0 h · 12.6 °C · 2.5 mm rain a day · sea 12.8 °Crail ≈ 6h 18m · 26.5 kg CO₂e return
  3. Plymouth, United Kingdom12.0 h · 13.4 °C · 2.8 mm rain a day · sea 12.9 °Crail ≈ 5h 36m · 22.6 kg CO₂e return
  4. Hamburg, Germany11.9 h · 14.6 °C · 1.9 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 54m · 34.3 kg CO₂e return
  5. Canterbury, United Kingdom11.6 h · 12.7 °C · 2.6 mm rain a day · sea 13.1 °Crail ≈ 5h · 19.6 kg CO₂e return
  6. Amsterdam, The Netherlands11.6 h · 13.9 °C · 3.9 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 8h 48m · 23.6 kg CO₂e return

≈ is the model's estimate (air times include getting to and through the airport); ✓ is a rail journey checked against a real timetable, with the date it was checked. Temperatures are historical daily means for 2023–2024, averaged across day and night, so afternoons run warmer.

The low-carbon trade-off

The sunniest place you can reach from Birmingham in May within 15 hours is Gävle, 14.7 h, costing 370 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Preston at 12.2 kg — 30× less carbon, for 4.1 hours less sunshine.

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

PrestonGävle
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Birmingham. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, May, departing Birmingham. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.7 destinations. Lowest carbon Preston at 12.2 kilograms and 10.6 h; best for sunshine Gävle at 370 kilograms and 14.7 h. Preston · 12.2 kgTorquay · 20.2 kgAalborg · 229 kgGävle · 370 kg

By rail or ferry By air

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

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Karlstad can only be reached by air — 308 kg CO₂e, in 5h 6m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 49.1 kg in 23h 30m — 6× less carbon for 18h 24m more travelling.

May from Birmingham — 7 destinations on the frontier, 3 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Preston, United KingdomRail12.2 kg13.2 °C10.6 h2.6 mm3h 42m
Bridgend, United KingdomRail12.7 kg12.7 °C11.5 h2.7 mm3h 48m
Torquay, United KingdomRail20.2 kg13.3 °C12.2 h2.0 mm5h 6m
Aalborg, DenmarkAir229 kg13.3 °C13.1 h1.5 mm4h 42m
Elsinore, DenmarkAir257 kg13.5 °C14.0 h0.5 mm4h 54m
Karlstad, SwedenAir308 kg13.6 °C14.3 h1.1 mm5h 6m
Gävle, SwedenAir370 kg12.6 °C14.7 h0.7 mm5h 30m

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 Torquay (20.2 kg, 12.2 h) to Aalborg (229 kg, 13.1 h) buys 0.9 hours more sunshine for an extra 209 kg — 232 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Preston, United KingdomPrestonUnited Kingdom12.2 kg CO₂e return13.2 °C · 10.6 h sun · 3h 42m by railmild and brightTorquay, United KingdomTorquayUnited Kingdom20.2 kg CO₂e return13.3 °C · 12.2 h sun · 5h 6m by railmild and brightGävle, SwedenGävleSweden370 kg CO₂e return12.6 °C · 14.7 h sun · 5h 30m by airmild and bright

The same month, asked differently

May answers differently depending on what you are after, and the lists genuinely diverge: the brightest places are not the hottest, and in summer the useful question stops being where is warm at all.

Where to stay in Gävle

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

Search places to stay in Gävle →Opens the booking search in a new tab. Same partners as the map below.

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

May from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Gävle, Sweden, at 14.7 h. Reaching it emits 370 kg CO₂e return, travelling 5h 30m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Torquay reaches 12.2 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 5h 6m (modelled), emitting 20.2 kg CO₂e return — though Gävle is sunnier still, if you fly.

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

370 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.