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Edinburgh · May · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Edinburgh in May

In May, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Edinburgh is Sundsvall, Sweden, 15.1 h of sun a day and 11.7 °C, about 5h 18m each way by air. Without flying, it is Torquay, United Kingdom, 12.2 h of sun a day, about 10h 18m each way by train, for about 7× less carbon (49.1 kg CO₂e return against 342 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Edinburgh

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 18m · 342 kg CO₂e return
  2. Umeå, Sweden15.0 h · 9.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 3.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 36m · 392 kg CO₂e return
  3. Luleå, Sweden14.8 h · 7.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 1.5 °Cair ≈ 5h 48m · 434 kg CO₂e return
  4. Vaasa, Finland14.8 h · 9.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 5.2 °Cair ≈ 5h 36m · 401 kg CO₂e return
  5. Tallinn, Estonia14.7 h · 12.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 48m · 426 kg CO₂e return
  6. Turku, Finland14.4 h · 12.2 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 36m · 393 kg CO₂e return
  7. Helsinki, Finland14.4 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.4 °Cair ≈ 5h 48m · 429 kg CO₂e return
  8. Pärnu, Estonia14.3 h · 13.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 42m · 422 kg CO₂e return
  9. Riga, Latvia14.2 h · 13.6 °C · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 10.4 °Cair ≈ 5h 42m · 420 kg CO₂e return
  10. Tartu, Estonia14.1 h · 12.8 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 54m · 455 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Torquay is 12.2 h for 49.1 kg — about 7× 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 ≈ 10h 18m · 49.1 kg CO₂e return
  2. Truro, United Kingdom12.0 h · 12.6 °C · 2.5 mm rain a day · sea 12.8 °Crail ≈ 10h 48m · 51.8 kg CO₂e return
  3. Plymouth, United Kingdom12.0 h · 13.4 °C · 2.8 mm rain a day · sea 12.9 °Crail ≈ 10h 30m · 50.1 kg CO₂e return
  4. Enschede, The Netherlands11.8 h · 14.6 °C · 3.2 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 18m · 57.3 kg CO₂e return
  5. Canterbury, United Kingdom11.6 h · 12.7 °C · 2.6 mm rain a day · sea 13.1 °Crail ≈ 8h · 47.5 kg CO₂e return
  6. Amsterdam, The Netherlands11.6 h · 13.9 °C · 3.9 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 11h 48m · 53.4 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 Edinburgh in May within 15 hours is Gävle, 14.7 h, costing 325 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Whitehaven at 12.7 kg — 26× less carbon, for 4.0 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.

WhitehavenGävle
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Edinburgh. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, May, departing Edinburgh. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.8 destinations. Lowest carbon Whitehaven at 12.7 kilograms and 10.7 h; best for sunshine Gävle at 325 kilograms and 14.7 h. Whitehaven · 12.7 kgTorquay · 49.1 kgKristiansand · 181 kgGävle · 325 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, May, departing Edinburgh. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.
May from Edinburgh — 8 destinations on the frontier, 4 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Whitehaven, United KingdomRail12.7 kg12.7 °C10.7 h3.1 mm3h 48m
Blackpool, United KingdomRail19.1 kg12.9 °C11.2 h2.4 mm4h 54m
Cardiff, United KingdomRail40.0 kg13.3 °C11.7 h2.9 mm8h 42m
Torquay, United KingdomRail49.1 kg13.3 °C12.2 h2.0 mm10h 18m
Kristiansand, NorwayAir181 kg12.6 °C13.0 h2.5 mm4h 30m
Arendal, NorwayAir194 kg12.4 °C13.5 h2.4 mm4h 30m
Karlstad, SwedenAir267 kg13.6 °C14.3 h1.1 mm4h 54m
Gävle, SwedenAir325 kg12.6 °C14.7 h0.7 mm5h 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

Whitehaven, United KingdomWhitehavenUnited Kingdom12.7 kg CO₂e return12.7 °C · 10.7 h sun · 3h 48m by railmild and brightTorquay, United KingdomTorquayUnited Kingdom49.1 kg CO₂e return13.3 °C · 12.2 h sun · 10h 18m by railmild and brightGävle, SwedenGävleSweden325 kg CO₂e return12.6 °C · 14.7 h sun · 5h 12m 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 Edinburgh

May from elsewhere

Photo credits

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 (modelled).

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 18m (modelled), 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.