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Leeds · May · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Leeds in May

In May, the sunniest well-known place within 15 hours of Leeds is Sundsvall, Sweden, 15.1 h of sun a day and 11.7 °C, about 5h 24m each way by air. Without flying, it is Torquay, United Kingdom, 12.2 h of sun a day, about 7h 12m each way by train, for about 12× less carbon (31.7 kg CO₂e return against 366 kg).

The 10 sunniest places within 15 hours of Leeds

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 24m · 366 kg CO₂e return
  2. Umeå, Sweden15.0 h · 9.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 3.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 42m · 419 kg CO₂e return
  3. Luleå, Sweden14.8 h · 7.9 °C · mostly dry · sea 1.5 °Cair ≈ 6h · 464 kg CO₂e return
  4. Vaasa, Finland14.8 h · 9.8 °C · mostly dry · sea 5.2 °Cair ≈ 5h 42m · 423 kg CO₂e return
  5. Tallinn, Estonia14.7 h · 12.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 48m · 431 kg CO₂e return
  6. Turku, Finland14.4 h · 12.2 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 36m · 404 kg CO₂e return
  7. Helsinki, Finland14.4 h · 11.0 °C · mostly dry · sea 6.4 °Cair ≈ 5h 48m · 437 kg CO₂e return
  8. Pärnu, Estonia14.3 h · 13.1 °C · mostly dry · sea 11.8 °Cair ≈ 5h 42m · 423 kg CO₂e return
  9. Riga, Latvia14.2 h · 13.6 °C · 1.2 mm rain a day · sea 10.4 °Cair ≈ 5h 42m · 415 kg CO₂e return
  10. Tartu, Estonia14.1 h · 12.8 °C · mostly dryair ≈ 5h 54m · 456 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The sunniest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Torquay is 12.2 h for 31.7 kg — about 12× 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 ≈ 7h 12m · 31.7 kg CO₂e return
  2. Truro, United Kingdom12.0 h · 12.6 °C · 2.5 mm rain a day · sea 12.8 °Crail ≈ 8h 6m · 37.0 kg CO₂e return
  3. Plymouth, United Kingdom12.0 h · 13.4 °C · 2.8 mm rain a day · sea 12.9 °Crail ≈ 7h 36m · 33.8 kg CO₂e return
  4. Brest, France11.9 h · 13.4 °C · 3.0 mm rain a day · sea 13.4 °Crail ≈ 12h 54m · 35.6 kg CO₂e return
  5. Canterbury, United Kingdom11.6 h · 12.7 °C · 2.6 mm rain a day · sea 13.1 °Crail ≈ 5h 54m · 26.7 kg CO₂e return
  6. Amsterdam, The Netherlands11.6 h · 13.9 °C · 3.9 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 9h 36m · 32.4 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 Leeds in May within 15 hours is Örnsköldsvik, 15.1 h, costing 394 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Colwyn Bay at 12.4 kg — 32× less carbon, for 4.3 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.

Colwyn BayÖrnsköldsvik
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Leeds. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, May, departing Leeds. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.8 destinations. Lowest carbon Colwyn Bay at 12.4 kilograms and 10.8 h; best for sunshine Örnsköldsvik at 394 kilograms and 15.1 h. Colwyn Bay · 12.4 kgMargate · 26.8 kgKristiansand · 192 kgÖrnsköldsvik · 394 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, May, departing Leeds. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.
May from Leeds — 8 destinations on the frontier, 3 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Colwyn Bay, United KingdomRail12.4 kg13.0 °C10.8 h2.2 mm3h 42m
Cardiff, United KingdomRail22.5 kg13.3 °C11.7 h2.9 mm5h 30m
Margate, United KingdomRail26.8 kg12.8 °C11.9 h2.6 mm6h 6m
Kristiansand, NorwayAir192 kg12.6 °C13.0 h2.5 mm4h 30m
Arendal, NorwayAir207 kg12.4 °C13.5 h2.4 mm4h 36m
Elsinore, DenmarkAir236 kg13.5 °C14.0 h0.5 mm4h 42m
Gävle, SwedenAir340 kg12.6 °C14.7 h0.7 mm5h 18m
Örnsköldsvik, SwedenAir394 kg9.0 °C15.1 h0.5 mm5h 36m

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 Margate (26.8 kg, 11.9 h) to Kristiansand (192 kg, 13.0 h) buys 1.1 hours more sunshine for an extra 166 kg — 150 kg of CO₂e per hour. That single step is the most expensive sunshine on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Colwyn Bay, United KingdomColwyn BayUnited Kingdom12.4 kg CO₂e return13.0 °C · 10.8 h sun · 3h 42m by railmild and brightMargate, United KingdomMargateUnited Kingdom26.8 kg CO₂e return12.8 °C · 11.9 h sun · 6h 6m by railmild and brightÖrnsköldsvik, SwedenÖrnsköldsvikSweden394 kg CO₂e return9.0 °C · 15.1 h sun · 5h 36m by aircold but 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 Örnsköldsvik

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

Search places to stay in Örnsköldsvik →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

May from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

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

Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, at 15.1 h. Reaching it emits 394 kg CO₂e return, travelling 5h 36m each way by air (modelled).

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

Yes. Margate reaches 11.9 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 6h 6m (modelled), emitting 26.8 kg CO₂e return — though Örnsköldsvik is sunnier still, if you fly.

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

394 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.