The days are getting longer now we’ve passed the bleakest weeks of winter
The UK has now left the bleakest weeks of winter behind, with daylight hours steadily growing and milder weather arriving alongside the extra sunshine. For anyone already dreaming of spring and summer, bear in mind the clocks will ‘spring forward’ in three weeks, meaning sunsets will come earlier.
The flip side, of course, is that mornings will stay darker until later. But as the days continue to get longer, the morning light won’t be far behind. If you’re a morning person, you might wish to know when the sun will rise before 5am again.
Taking the UK’s most easterly spot, Ness Point in Lowestoft, as our benchmark, the clocks change on Sunday, March 29, but this area won’t see pre-5am sunrises until roughly May 14. Current forecasts indicate London will get its first pre-5am sunrise around May 22, while Edinburgh is expected to reach this milestone around May 16, and Cardiff around June 3.
The days will then keep lengthening right up to the Summer Solstice, which lands on Sunday June 21 in 2026. After that point, London will only enjoy sunrise before 5am until July 14. Edinburgh will continue this pattern through to July 22, while Cardiff’s last pre-5am sunrise is projected for July 1, and July 23 for Ness Point, according to current predictions.
Why do the clocks go forward?
In the UK, clocks shift forward by one hour on the final Sunday of March annually, marking the beginning of British Summer Time (BST). In 2026, this shift will take place on Sunday, March 29, at 1am.
Royal Museums Greenwich explains that the practice of moving the clocks forward during the summer months, referred to as British Summer Time, stemmed from a campaign in the early 20th century. Those behind the initiative contended that shifting the clocks during the summer would enable people in the northern hemisphere to maximise the earlier daylight hours.
