Golden hour in Cardiff in December

Cardiff lies at 51.48° N, in the upper mid-latitudes, with long, slanted evening light in summer. Its longest measured day falls on Thu 18 June 2026 with 16h 38m of daylight, and its shortest on Sat 19 December 2026 with 7h 50m — a difference of 8h 48m between the two extremes.

Evening golden hour in Cardiff runs for roughly 54 minutes at the height of summer, 44 minutes around the March equinox and 62 minutes at midwinter. The warm window is actually widest in the colder months, which makes winter evenings unusually forgiving here.

The sun sets toward 311° NW in late June and toward 232° SW in late December, a shift of about 79° in where the last light lands — worth checking before committing to a west-facing viewpoint. In Cardiff, the sky reaches full darkness between evening and morning twilight year-round.