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Sheffield · May · warmth

Warmest places to go from Sheffield in May

In May, the warmest well-known place within 15 hours of Sheffield is Aswan, Egypt, averaging 31.5 °C across day and night and 12.0 h sun a day, about 9h 18m each way by air. Without flying, it is Perpignan, France, averaging 17.9 °C across day and night, about 14h 12m each way by train, for about 21× less carbon (48.0 kg CO₂e return against 1,015 kg).

Every city at once, with and without flying: where is hot in May.

The 10 warmest places within 15 hours of Sheffield

Ranked on warmth 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 warmth each extra kilogram buys.

  1. Aswan, Egypt31.5 °C · 12.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 9h 18m · 1,015 kg CO₂e return
  2. Luxor, Egypt31.2 °C · 12.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 9h 6m · 977 kg CO₂e return
  3. Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt30.0 °C · 12.6 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 24.5 °Cair ≈ 8h 54m · 952 kg CO₂e return
  4. Aqaba, Jordan28.2 °C · 12.6 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 23.5 °Cair ≈ 8h 48m · 927 kg CO₂e return
  5. Ouarzazate, Morocco23.0 °C · 12.4 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 54m · 638 kg CO₂e return
  6. Tataouine, Tunisia22.9 °C · 11.4 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 48m · 620 kg CO₂e return
  7. Marrakesh, Morocco22.5 °C · 12.0 h sun a day · mostly dryair ≈ 6h 48m · 622 kg CO₂e return
  8. Adana, Turkey22.0 °C · 11.6 h sun a day · 3.6 mm rain a dayair ≈ 8h · 844 kg CO₂e return
  9. Nicosia, Cyprus21.9 °C · 12.5 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 21.0 °Cair ≈ 8h · 850 kg CO₂e return
  10. Limassol, Cyprus21.9 °C · 12.8 h sun a day · mostly dry · sea 20.3 °Cair ≈ 8h · 855 kg CO₂e return

Without flying

The warmest places the train reaches within 15 hours. Perpignan is 17.9 °C for 48.0 kg — about 21× less carbon than flying to Aswan.

  1. Perpignan, France17.9 °C · 11.3 h sun a day · 1.6 mm rain a day · sea 16.0 °Crail ≈ 14h 12m · 48.0 kg CO₂e return
  2. Toulon, France17.7 °C · 11.8 h sun a day · 2.3 mm rain a day · sea 17.4 °Crail ≈ 13h 6m · 48.9 kg CO₂e return
  3. Nice, France17.6 °C · 11.5 h sun a day · 2.4 mm rain a day · sea 17.8 °Crail ≈ 14h 54m · 48.6 kg CO₂e return
  4. Avignon, France17.1 °C · 11.0 h sun a day · 4.1 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 11h 54m · 45.4 kg CO₂e return
  5. Turin, Italy15.8 °C · 9.6 h sun a day · 7.6 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 14h 54m · 45.4 kg CO₂e return
  6. Heidelberg, Germany15.2 °C · 10.3 h sun a day · 3.5 mm rain a dayrail ≈ 13h 24m · 37.9 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 warmest place you can reach from Sheffield in May within 15 hours is Edfu, 31.4 °C, costing 996 kg CO₂e return. The lowest-carbon option is Colwyn Bay at 12.1 kg — 82× less carbon, for 18.4 degrees less warmth.

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

Colwyn BayEdfu
Where they are. Solid lines are rail or ferry, dashed are flights, from Sheffield. Pick one to compare.
Carbon against warmth, May, departing Sheffield. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.17 destinations. Lowest carbon Colwyn Bay at 12.1 kilograms and 13.0 °C; best for warmth Edfu at 996 kilograms and 31.4 °C. Colwyn Bay · 12.1 kgPerpignan · 48.0 kgZaragoza · 328 kgEdfu · 996 kg

By rail or ferry By air

Carbon against warmth, May, departing Sheffield. Journeys of up to 15 hours each way.

What the 15-hour limit costs: at this budget Palma del Rio can only be reached by air — 445 kg CO₂e, in 5h 54m. Allow up to 24 hours and the train does the same journey for 65.1 kg in 23h 42m — 7× less carbon for 17h 48m more travelling.

May from Sheffield — 17 destinations on the frontier, 6 without flying.
DestinationHowCO₂e returnTempSun/dayRain/dayJourney
Colwyn Bay, United KingdomRail12.1 kg13.0 °C10.8 h2.2 mm3h 42m
Paris, FranceRail28.4 kg14.4 °C10.9 h3.5 mm7h 48m
Nijmegen, The NetherlandsRail30.5 kg14.6 °C11.0 h3.5 mm10h 48m
Bordeaux, FranceRail40.2 kg15.7 °C10.9 h3.7 mm11h 18m
Montpellier, FranceRail45.7 kg17.4 °C11.3 h3.3 mm12h 36m
Perpignan, FranceRail48.0 kg17.9 °C11.3 h1.6 mm14h 12m
Zaragoza, SpainAir328 kg18.8 °C13.1 h0.8 mm5h 12m
Alzira, SpainAir399 kg20.3 °C12.2 h1.3 mm5h 36m
Córdoba, SpainAir438 kg21.3 °C12.2 h1.0 mm5h 48m
Palma del Rio, SpainAir445 kg22.3 °C12.1 h1.2 mm5h 54m
Metlaoui, TunisiaAir568 kg23.8 °C11.8 h0.8 mm6h 30m
Nefta, TunisiaAir576 kg26.0 °C11.6 h0.6 mm6h 36m
Zagora, MoroccoAir651 kg27.6 °C12.4 h0.0 mm6h 54m
Assiut, EgyptAir926 kg29.0 °C11.9 h0.0 mm8h 48m
Sharm el-Sheikh, EgyptAir952 kg30.0 °C12.6 h0.1 mm8h 54m
Luxor, EgyptAir977 kg31.2 °C12.0 h0.0 mm9h 6m
Edfu, EgyptAir996 kg31.4 °C12.1 h0.0 mm9h 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 Perpignan (48.0 kg, 17.9 °C) to Zaragoza (328 kg, 18.8 °C) buys 0.9 °C more warmth for an extra 280 kg — 311 kg of CO₂e per degree. That single step is the most expensive warmth on the whole curve.

The pick of them

Colwyn Bay, United KingdomColwyn BayUnited Kingdom12.1 kg CO₂e return13.0 °C · 10.8 h sun · 3h 42m by railmild and brightPerpignan, FrancePerpignanFrance48.0 kg CO₂e return17.9 °C · 11.3 h sun · 14h 12m by railwarm overallEdfu, EgyptEdfuEgypt996 kg CO₂e return31.4 °C · 12.1 h sun · 9h 12m by airwarm, bright and dry

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 Edfu

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

Search places to stay in Edfu →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 Sheffield

May from elsewhere

Photo credits

Questions

Where is the warmest place to go from Sheffield in May?

Edfu, Egypt, at 31.4 °C. Reaching it emits 996 kg CO₂e return, travelling 9h 12m each way by air (modelled).

Can I get somewhere warm from Sheffield in May without flying?

Yes. Perpignan reaches 17.9 °C and is reachable by rail or ferry in 14h 12m (modelled), emitting 48.0 kg CO₂e return — though Edfu is warmer still, if you fly.

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

996 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.