Hello darkness my old friend… Autumn has officially arrived, and the days are only getting shorter and shorter. As of next week, we’ll all be heading home from work at night thanks to Birmingham’s last sunset of the year before 6pm happening on Monday, October 21… anyone else already missing the sunshine?
Take a look at Time and Date: the sun will set exactly at 18:01 in Birmingham on Monday. This will get incrementally earlier until Sunday, October 26, when the clocks change and—I don’t believe it—the sun sets at 16:49! This slow march into complete darkness will continue until December 9, with the sun setting at its earliest at 15:53.
If you think we’re through the worst of it by then, think again. Sunset will plateau at this time until December 17, while the shortest day of the year takes place on December 21 (lasting 7 hours, 39 minutes and 29 seconds… that’s no time to enjoy the sunshine at all!).
The next time we see the sunset as late as 6pm again in Birmingham isn’t until March 9, 2026, arriving exactly at 18:01 again. God, that feels like a long way away, and I’m not going to think about it anymore… The best option in these dark times is to embrace the longer nights and get cosy on the sofa.
It’s not all doom and gloom either; we’ve got Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day to come this winter, which, if you ask us, are made all the better by these darker evenings. Plus, our favourite wintery indulgences, like Sunday roasts, mulled wine, and hot chocolates. But, ready or not, longer nights are here to stay…