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ByKerry Walker
Published December 24, 2023
• 10 min read
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
British skies dazzle when the sun sinks, and there are a handful of dark sky reserves and discovery sites where the lack of light pollution can help stargazing enthusiasts feel that bit closer to the universe. Take a winter stomp across freezing moors or a late-night summer drive up to a remote hilltop to find a sky full of stars with distant planets glittering overhead on clear nights. Often, there’s no need for a telescope either — star clusters such as Pleiades and Hyades, the Milky Way, nebulae and shooting stars can often be seen with the naked eye or with the help of a pair of cheap binoculars and stargazing apps such as Stellarium Mobile.
Keep your eyes peeled for annual meteor showers, too: the whizzy celestial fireworks of the Geminids show up in mid-December and the radiant Quadrantids appear in early January. There’s more action throughout the year as well, with the bright, fast Lyrids visible in late April, the prolific Perseids in mid-August and the wispy Orionids in late October. From the far north to the far south, there are plenty of reserves to choose from in the UK — here are 10 of the best.
1. Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons)
A short distance away from the Severn Bridge, Bannau Brycheiniog National Park is also designated an International Dark Sky Reserve. Wrap up for the worst the Welsh weather can throw at you and head out into the dark, dark night. For fine glimpses of stars, constellations and meteor showers with inky skies and dramatic backdrops, head for the remote Usk Reservoir in the west of the national park, medieval Carreg Cennen Castle, the romantic ruins of Llanthony Priory in the Vale of Ewyas and the conical peak of Sugar Loaf in the Black Mountains. Maps and podcasts can be found online to help plan your stellar adventures.
2. OM Dark Sky Park & Observatory
In Northern Ireland’s Sperrin Mountains, the Beaghmore Stone Circles of Davagh Forest harbour Neolithic mysteries. Were they positioned to chart the movements of the sun and moon 3,500 years ago? Maybe. One thing is for sure, the forest’s spread of heathery moors and wetlands provides crystal-clear views of night skies. Within Davagh Forest, the OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory makes the link between the stones and the stars with an interactive tour of its exhibition that hops around the universe. There’s also a cracking line-up of events, from Saturday stargazing sessions to astronomy clubs, telescope workshops and the ‘Stars and Stones Experience’, where you spend the night learning about the Beaghmore Stones and gazing at the galaxy through a state-of-the-art telescope.
3. Eryri National Park (Snowdonia)
With mountains punching high above frigid llyns (upland lakes) and dry stone-walled valleys, Eryri National Park is as wild as the UK gets. And on moonless nights, countless stars blink in its skies. The International Dark Sky Reserve delivers changing views of major constellations like Orion and the Plough throughout the year, under the constant presence of Polaris. For night skies reflected in still waters, try moody Llyn y Dywarchen, just east of Blaenau Ffestiniog, or Llyn Geirionydd on the northern cusp of the Gwydir Forest. To get that bit closer to the stars themselves, drive up to 545-metre-high Bwlch y Groes, one of Wales’s highest mountain passes.
4. Cairngorms Dark Sky Park
Ripping across the Scottish Highlands, the Cairngorms are wild Britain turned up to the max, with glens, munros, pine forests, plenty of winter snow and free-ranging reindeer. In the north of the national park, the Tomintoul and Glenlivet area is the stargazing hub. Sites such as the Tomintoul Field of Hope car park, Blairfindy Moor and the high, remote Carrachs enthral with views of shooting stars, meteor showers, the Milky Way and — if you’re really lucky — the Northern Lights. The Cairngorms Astronomy Club hosts events from Geminid meteor shower viewings and new moon stargazing nights with their 10-inch Celestron telescope, to talks on the Celtic connection to night skies.
5. Cambrian Mountains
Nicknamed the ‘desert of Wales’, the remote, rugged Cambrian Mountains are loveliest when starlit. Locals call these skies ‘bola buwch’ (‘as dark as a cow’s belly’). The 50-mile, self-guided Cambrian Mountains Astro Trail knits together nine Dark Sky Discovery Sites. Whip the binoculars out at prime stargazing spots such as The Arch near Devil’s Bridge in Ceredigion; the fjord-like, forest-wrapped Llyn Brianne Reservoir and Dam in Carmarthenshire, and the car park of the aptly named Y Star Inn at Powys. The constellations of Taurus and Sirius, the brightest star of all, shine in winter.
6. Exmoor International Dark Sky Reserve
Europe’s first Dark Sky Reserve, Exmoor’s lonely moors and river-woven valleys peer up to vaulted night skies in southwest England. Hoof it past bog land and Bronze Age burial cairns as planets, constellations and meteor showers sparkle overhead. Telescopes are available for hire at the national park centres in Lynmouth, Dulverton and Dunster. You’ll find celestial activity at Dunkery, Porlock Common and Brendon Common, as well as on the two-mile Exmoor Dark Sky Discovery Trail, which involves an easy ramble across open moor from Larkbarrow. October’s Exmoor Dark Skies Festival includes astronomy talks and creative events such as space workshops and yoga under the stars.
7. Northumberland International Dark Sky Park
Above the storied, ancient landscapes of Northumberland, low light pollution makes for pristine stargazing conditions in England’s first International Dark Sky Park. Look skywards from cosmic sites such as the former quarry of Cawfields, a steeply sloped section of Hadrian’s Wall built by the Second Legion, the rural forestry village of Stonehaugh and castle-topped Harbottle, a stone’s throw away from the Scottish border and home to 200-year-old The Star Inn — perfect for a pre-stargazing pint. The real jewel, however, is the park’s Kielder Observatory, with its observation deck and roster of year-round events, from observatory tours to talks and workshops offering deep dives into distant galaxies.
8. Ynys Enlli
There’s a lot of space in Wales, but a relative newcomer on the stargazing map is off-grid Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island), which became Europe’s first International Dark Sky Sanctuary in 2023. On cloudless nights, this little speck of an island — just 1.5 miles long — dangling off the country’s northwestern tip and battered by the Irish Sea, looks up to pitch-black skies bejewelled with billions of stars. There’s no need for a telescope — you can see the big-hitter constellations and Milky Way with the naked eye, just as the Celtic saints and pilgrims who came long before would have done. Holiday lets including historic cottages and farmhouses can be rented from April to October.
9. North York Moors International Dark Sky Reserve
The heather-strewn, wind-beaten North York Moors is a bleak and beautiful northern landscape that’s inspired countless writers and artists over the generations. Since 2020, it’s also been designated an International Dark Sky Reserve in conjunction with the neighbouring Yorkshire Dales National Park. After cosying up in a stone-walled pub, pop on some sturdy hiking boots, wrap up warm and strike out to sites — on foot or by car — where stars, planets and the hazy spray of the Milky Way can be admired with the naked eye. Key areas include the Sutton Bank and Danby national park centres and Dalby Forest observatory. Time your visit to catch February’s Dark Skies Festival, or the October fringe festival, with after-dark adventures from stay-and-gaze packages to astrophotography and starry night art workshops.
10. South Downs International Dark Sky Reserve
Rolling across Southeast England, the chalk hills and lowland heath of the South Downs offer phenomenal stargazing just 50 miles from London. Here, you’ll find a shimmering necklace of Dark Sky Discovery Sites, with uninterrupted views of the night sky, among them remote Bignor Hill between Arundel and Petworth for Milky Way gazing on moonless nights, the Devil’s Dyke at Saddlescombe near Brighton, which landscape painter John Constable thought ‘the grandest view in the world’, and Iron Age hillfort Old Winchester Hill. The annual South Downs Dark Skies Festival every February includes events such as nocturnal wildlife walks and stargazing parties.
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