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Sheffield · January · sunshine

Sunniest places to go from Sheffield in January

The sunniest place you can reach from Sheffield in January within 15 hours is Arona at 9.9 h, costing 773 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Colwyn Bay at 12.1 kg — 64× less carbon for 6.2 h less.

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

Colwyn BayArona
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Sheffield. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against sunshine, January, departing Sheffield. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.11 destinations. Lowest carbon Colwyn Bay at 12.1 kilograms and 3.7 h; best for sunshine Arona at 773 kilograms and 9.9 h. Colwyn Bay · 12.1 kgErrachidia · 603 kgArona · 773 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against sunshine, January, departing Sheffield. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Tortosa can only be reached by air — 354 kg CO₂e, in 5h 24m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 53.4 kg in 21h 24m — 7× less carbon for 16h more travelling.

January from Sheffield — 11 destinations on the frontier, 3 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Colwyn Bay, United KingdomRail12.1 kg6.2 °C3.7 h4.8 mm4h 6m
Cambridge, United KingdomRail13.6 kg4.8 °C4.8 h1.6 mm4h 18m
Rennes, FranceRail29.9 kg5.9 °C5.1 h2.6 mm10h 30m
Sion, SwitzerlandAir255 kg3.3 °C5.9 h3.2 mm4h 54m
Bellinzona, SwitzerlandAir276 kg5.7 °C6.6 h1.3 mm5h
Marseille, FranceAir309 kg8.5 °C7.4 h0.9 mm5h 6m
Tortosa, SpainAir354 kg10.2 °C7.9 h0.6 mm5h 24m
Torrevieja, SpainAir431 kg12.5 °C8.6 h0.4 mm5h 48m
Almería, SpainAir463 kg13.3 °C8.8 h0.2 mm6h
Errachidia, MoroccoAir603 kg10.2 °C9.5 h0.1 mm6h 42m
Arona, SpainAir773 kg15.2 °C9.9 h0.3 mm7h 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 Errachidia (603 kg, 9.5 h) to Arona (773 kg, 9.9 h) buys 0.4 hours more sunshine for an extra 171 kg — 426 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

January answers differently depending on what you're after. The warmest destinations from Sheffield in January are a different list — hours of sunshine and degrees of warmth come apart, especially early and late in the year.

Where to stay in Arona

Places to stay in Arona, Spain, 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 Sheffield

January from elsewhere

Questions

Where is the sunniest place to go from Sheffield in January?

Arona, Spain, at 9.9 h. Reaching it emits 773 kg CO₂e return, travelling 7h 36m each way by air.

Can I get somewhere sunny from Sheffield in January without flying?

Yes. Rennes reaches 5.1 h and is reachable by rail or ferry in 10h 30m, emitting 29.9 kg CO₂e return — though Arona is sunnier still, if you fly.

How much carbon does a return trip from Sheffield to Arona produce?

773 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.