Sunniest places to go from Edinburgh in May
The sunniest place you can reach from Edinburgh in May within 15 hours is Gävle at 14.7 h, costing 325 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Sunderland at 13.1 kg — 25× less carbon for 4.2 h less.
Every destination here is on the efficiency frontier: nowhere else in Europe is both sunnier in May and lower in carbon. Anything a better option beats outright has been left out.
By rail or ferry By air
| Destination | How | CO₂e return | Temp | Sun/day | Rain/day | Journey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland, United Kingdom | Rail | 13.1 kg | 12.0 °C | 10.5 h | 2.3 mm | 4h 12m |
| Blackpool, United Kingdom | Rail | 19.1 kg | 12.9 °C | 11.2 h | 2.4 mm | 5h 18m |
| Cardiff, United Kingdom | Rail | 40.0 kg | 13.3 °C | 11.7 h | 2.9 mm | 8h 48m |
| Torquay, United Kingdom | Rail | 49.1 kg | 13.3 °C | 12.2 h | 2.0 mm | 10h 24m |
| Kristiansand, Norway | Air | 181 kg | 12.6 °C | 13.0 h | 2.5 mm | 4h 30m |
| Arendal, Norway | Air | 194 kg | 12.4 °C | 13.5 h | 2.4 mm | 4h 30m |
| Karlstad, Sweden | Air | 267 kg | 13.6 °C | 14.3 h | 1.1 mm | 4h 54m |
| Gävle, Sweden | Air | 325 kg | 12.6 °C | 14.7 h | 0.7 mm | 5h 12m |
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 (49.1 kg, 12.2 h) to Kristiansand (181 kg, 13.0 h) buys 0.8 hours more sunshine for an extra 132 kg — 164 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.
The pick of them
If you'd rather have heat than sunshine
May answers differently depending on what you're after. The warmest destinations from Edinburgh in May are a different list — hours of sunshine and degrees of warmth come apart, especially early and late in the year.
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.
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 Edinburgh
May from elsewhere
- Amsterdam
- Barcelona
- Berlin
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Brussels
- Cardiff
- Copenhagen
- Dublin
- Edinburgh
- Frankfurt
- Glasgow
- Leeds
- Lisbon
- Liverpool
- London
- Madrid
- Manchester
- Milan
- Munich
- Newcastle
- Nottingham
- Oslo
- Paris
- Prague
- Rome
- Sheffield
- Southampton
- Stockholm
- Vienna
- Warsaw
- Zurich
Questions
Where is the sunniest place to go from Edinburgh in May?
Gävle, Sweden, at 14.7 h. Reaching it emits 325 kg CO₂e return, travelling 5h 12m each way by air.
Can I get somewhere sunny from Edinburgh in May without flying?
Yes. Torquay reaches 12.2 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 10h 24m, emitting 49.1 kg CO₂e return — though Gävle is sunnier still, if you fly.
How much carbon does a return trip from Edinburgh to Gävle produce?
325 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.