The shortest day across the UK
Sunrise, sunset and the hours of daylight on 21 December, with first light and last light added: the twilight either side of the sun, when it's light enough to see by outdoors.
| City | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | With twilight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lerwick | 09:09 | 14:58 | 5 h 49 min | 7 h 46 min |
| Inverness | 08:58 | 15:33 | 6 h 35 min | 8 h 17 min |
| Aberdeen | 08:47 | 15:27 | 6 h 40 min | 8 h 20 min |
| Edinburgh | 08:43 | 15:40 | 6 h 57 min | 8 h 32 min |
| Glasgow | 08:46 | 15:45 | 6 h 59 min | 8 h 33 min |
| Newcastle | 08:30 | 15:40 | 7 h 10 min | 8 h 41 min |
| Belfast | 08:45 | 16:00 | 7 h 15 min | 8 h 45 min |
| Manchester | 08:24 | 15:52 | 7 h 28 min | 8 h 54 min |
| Birmingham | 08:17 | 15:56 | 7 h 39 min | 9 h 3 min |
| London | 08:05 | 15:54 | 7 h 50 min | 9 h 10 min |
| Cardiff | 08:17 | 16:06 | 7 h 50 min | 9 h 10 min |
| Plymouth | 08:15 | 16:16 | 8 h 1 min | 9 h 19 min |
In London the sun is up from 08:05 to 15:54, but first light comes at 07:24 and last light at 16:34, so the usable day is 9 hours 10 minutes.
Shetland to Cornwall: north and south
The UK stretches about ten degrees of latitude, and in December that matters. Plymouth gets 2 h 12 min more daylight than Lerwick on the shortest day. In June it flips: Lerwick gets 18 hours 56 minutes, 2 h 30 min more than Plymouth.
Lerwick's December day is under a third of its June day
Hours from sunrise to sunset on 21 December 2026 and 21 June 2027. Lerwick: 5 h 49 min against 18 h 56 min.
Source: DaySight, calculated from the sun's position for each city.
The darkest evening and the latest morning
The shortest day isn't the one with the earliest sunset. Sunsets start getting later about a week before the solstice, while sunrises keep getting later until around New Year. In London the earliest sunset is 13 December at 15:52, and the latest sunrise is 30 December at 08:07. The times barely move for a week either side, so the turn is gentle.
| City | Earliest sunset | Latest sunrise |
|---|---|---|
| Lerwick | 17 December (14:57) | 27 December (09:10) |
| Inverness | 15 December (15:32) | 28 December (09:00) |
| Aberdeen | 15 December (15:26) | 28 December (08:49) |
| Edinburgh | 15 December (15:39) | 29 December (08:45) |
| Glasgow | 15 December (15:44) | 29 December (08:49) |
| Newcastle | 15 December (15:39) | 29 December (08:32) |
| Belfast | 14 December (15:59) | 29 December (08:47) |
| Manchester | 14 December (15:50) | 30 December (08:26) |
| Birmingham | 14 December (15:54) | 30 December (08:19) |
| London | 13 December (15:52) | 30 December (08:07) |
| Cardiff | 13 December (16:05) | 30 December (08:19) |
| Plymouth | 13 December (16:14) | 31 December (08:18) |
When do the days get longer?
From 22 December, by a few seconds at first. By 1 February London is gaining 3 min 20 sec a day and Edinburgh 4 min. The further north you are, the more you lost and the faster it comes back.
| City | 1 Jan | 1 Feb | 1 Mar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lerwick | 1 min 50 sec | 5 min | 5 min 30 sec |
| Inverness | 1 min 30 sec | 4 min 20 sec | 5 min |
| Aberdeen | 1 min 20 sec | 4 min 20 sec | 4 min 50 sec |
| Edinburgh | 1 min 20 sec | 4 min | 4 min 40 sec |
| Glasgow | 1 min 20 sec | 4 min | 4 min 40 sec |
| Newcastle | 1 min 10 sec | 3 min 50 sec | 4 min 30 sec |
| Belfast | 1 min 10 sec | 3 min 50 sec | 4 min 20 sec |
| Manchester | 1 min 10 sec | 3 min 40 sec | 4 min 10 sec |
| Birmingham | 1 min 10 sec | 3 min 30 sec | 4 min |
| London | 1 min | 3 min 20 sec | 3 min 50 sec |
| Cardiff | 1 min | 3 min 20 sec | 3 min 50 sec |
| Plymouth | 59 sec | 3 min 10 sec | 3 min 50 sec |
The US version, with how the gain builds through spring, is in when do the days start getting longer.
When do the clocks change?
The UK clocks went back on Sunday 25 October 2026, which is why evenings suddenly got darker. They go forward again on Sunday 28 March 2027, when British Summer Time starts and sunset jumps an hour later. Until then, every time on this page is GMT.
Why the solstice falls when it does, and what it means for the US, is in the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year.