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Leeds · August · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Leeds in August

In August, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Leeds is Ankara, Turkey, 13.2 h of sun a day and 26.5 °C, about 7h 30m each way by air. Without flying, it is Marseille, France, 12.7 h of sun a day, about 12h 30m each way by train, for about 15× less carbon (51.4 kg CO₂e return against 753 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Leeds

Ranked on sunshine in August 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. Ankara, Turkey13.2 h · 26.5 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 30m · 753 kg CO₂e return
  2. Cosenza, Italy13.0 h · 25.4 °C · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 28.3 °Cair ≈ 6h 18m · 528 kg CO₂e return
  3. Catanzaro, Italy13.0 h · 26.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 27.7 °Cair ≈ 6h 24m · 542 kg CO₂e return
  4. Mytilene, Greece13.0 h · 28.5 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.0 °Cair ≈ 7h 6m · 672 kg CO₂e return
  5. Konya, Turkey13.0 h · 26.7 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 7h 42m · 787 kg CO₂e return
  6. Izmir, Turkey13.0 h · 29.2 °C · mostly dry · sea 25.8 °Cair ≈ 7h 12m · 695 kg CO₂e return
  7. Potenza, Italy13.0 h · 23.3 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 6m · 491 kg CO₂e return
  8. Athens, Greece12.9 h · 28.7 °C · mostly dry · sea 27.7 °Cair ≈ 7h · 655 kg CO₂e return
  9. Korçë, Albania12.9 h · 22.1 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 30m · 558 kg CO₂e return
  10. Pristina, Kosovo12.9 h · 23.4 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 18m · 521 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Marseille is 12.7 h for 51.4 kg — about 15× less carbon than flying to Ankara.

  1. Marseille, France12.7 h · 24.5 °C · mostly dry · sea 22.8 °Crail ≈ 12h 30m · 51.4 kg CO₂e return
  2. Toulon, France12.6 h · 26.0 °C · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 24.2 °Crail ≈ 13h 18m · 52.5 kg CO₂e return
  3. Montpellier, France12.6 h · 25.5 °C · mostly dryrail ≈ 12h 48m · 49.2 kg CO₂e return
  4. Avignon, France12.6 h · 25.6 °C · 1.3 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 12h 6m · 48.9 kg CO₂e return
  5. Geneva, Switzerland11.8 h · 22.5 °C · 1.9 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 12h 30m · 43.9 kg CO₂e return
  6. Lausanne, Switzerland11.6 h · 21.3 °C · 2.0 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 13h 48m · 43.8 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 Leeds in August within 15 hours is Guarda, 13.0 h, costing 386 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Carlisle at 12.2 kg — 32× less carbon, for 3.4 hours less sunshine.

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

CarlisleGuarda
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Leeds. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, August, departing Leeds. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.7 destinations. Lowest carbon Carlisle at 12.2 kilograms and 9.6 h; best for sunshine Guarda at 386 kilograms and 13.0 h. Carlisle · 12.2 kgAvignon · 48.9 kgGuarda · 386 kg

By rail or ferry By air

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

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Guarda can only be reached by air — 386 kg CO₂e, in 5h 30m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 61.3 kg in 22h 54m — 6× less carbon for 17h 24m more travelling.

August from Leeds — 7 destinations on the frontier, 6 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Carlisle, United KingdomRail12.2 kg15.1 °C9.6 h4.2 mm3h 42m
Peterborough, United KingdomRail13.0 kg17.8 °C10.5 h1.6 mm3h 48m
Kings Lynn, United KingdomRail14.0 kg17.7 °C10.7 h1.9 mm4h
Great Yarmouth, United KingdomRail20.5 kg17.7 °C11.2 h1.7 mm5h 12m
Saint-Etienne, FranceRail44.1 kg21.8 °C12.2 h0.8 mm12h 36m
Avignon, FranceRail48.9 kg25.6 °C12.6 h1.3 mm12h 6m
Guarda, PortugalAir386 kg21.6 °C13.0 h0.0 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 Avignon (48.9 kg, 12.6 h) to Guarda (386 kg, 13.0 h) buys 0.4 hours more sunshine for an extra 337 kg — 843 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Carlisle, United KingdomCarlisleUnited Kingdom12.2 kg CO₂e return15.1 °C · 9.6 h sun · 3h 42m by railwarm but wetAvignon, FranceAvignonFrance48.9 kg CO₂e return25.6 °C · 12.6 h sun · 12h 6m by railwarm overallGuarda, PortugalGuardaPortugal386 kg CO₂e return21.6 °C · 13.0 h sun · 5h 30m by airwarm, bright and dry

The same month, asked differently

August 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 Guarda

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

Search places to stay in Guarda →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 Leeds

August from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Guarda, Portugal, at 13.0 h. Reaching it emits 386 kg CO₂e return, travelling 5h 30m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Avignon reaches 12.6 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 12h 6m (modelled), emitting 48.9 kg CO₂e return — though Guarda is sunnier still, if you fly.

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

386 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.