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Britain’s STARRIEST nights
The darker the night sky, the more stars you’ll be able to see. In this final part of our series Guy Walters reveals the best sites – and apps – for stargazers
Even novice astronomers know that the biggest threat to stargazing is not the cold – but light. There’s nothing more frustrating than setting up your telescope and turning off your household lights, only to look up at the sky and see nothing but a couple of stars struggling to sparkle through a phosphorescent glow.
That glow is caused by light pollution emanating from towns and cities. If you really want to make the most of your new hobby, you’ll need to find a place where the sky is truly dark. Thankfully, there are many organisations and websites that can show you the best stargazing spots in your area.
A good place to start is Dark Sky Discovery (www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk), which has an easyto-use map of over 150 excellent stargazing spots across the UK. These sites, which are all wheelchair-friendly, are free from most light pollution and boast great sightlines so you can enjoy the best panoramas possible.
Also useful is the website Night-Blight (nightblight.cpre.org.uk), which is run by the Campaign to Protect Rural England. The site’s interactive map reveals the levels of light pollution at any given spot in the UK. Although it doesn’t recommend specific locations, it offers more flexibility if you want to know what the pollution is like at a place you might want to visit.
Here then is our guide to the best stargazing spots around the UK… and don’t forget to take your Daily Mail Stars Over Britain poster free with last week’s magazine.
SOUTH EAST Near London, the South Downs National Park boasts no fewer than seven recognised stargazing spots, including Ditchling Beacon, Butser Hill, Old Winchester Hill, Iping Common and Devil’s
Dyke. Visit southdowns. gov. uk/ enjoy/explore/dark- night- skies for more information.
MIDLANDS The Peak District is blessed with truly dark skies and has three recommended spots at Surprise View, Parsley Hay and Minninglow. They’re all easily accessible and have information panels that help to guide you around the night sky – essential if you’ve forgotten your Daily Mail poster!
NORTH The North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland national parks all have many stargazing spots. The Kielder Observatory holds stargazing events including family astronomy nights. Book your space in advance at kielderobservatory.org.
NORTH WEST If you’re near Blackburn, Preston or Lancaster then head into the Forest of Bow- land. There are five designated dark sky sites there, including the Beacon Fell Visitor Centre. There’s also Clerk Laithe Lodge (clerklaithe.co.uk), a guest house and restaurant right in the middle of the forest that offers walkways to the darkest possible areas.
WALES The Brecon Beacons National Park is a designated Dark Sky Reserve, so it’s a superb place to take your telescope. There are countless stargazing locations in the park – try the remote Usk Reservoir Car Park near Trecastle for the darkest of skies, or the National Park Visitor Centre in Libanus where the Cardiff Astronomical Society holds occasional sessions.
WEST COUNTRY Like the Brecon Beacons, Exmoor National Park is also a Dark Sky Reserve, which means light pollution is at a minimum. If you’re further south, near Newquay, try Carnewas and Bedruthan Steps where the Kernow Astronomers (kernowastronomers.com) periodically hold events.
SCOTLAND Take your stargazing really seriously north of the border in the Scottish Highlands. The Cairngorms and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs national parks are unrivalled on the mainland, or if yo u’r e ver y adventurous try the Isle of Coll in the Inner Hebrides. It ’ s been named a Dark Sky I s la nd by t he International Dark Sky Association, as it has some of the darkest skies in Europe. For more details visit darkskycoll.co.uk. Scotland is also host to Europe’s first ‘dark sky town’ in the form of Moffat in the Annandale valley. Thanks to special street lights that minimise light pollution, the stars are visible right in the centre of town. You can see at least 17 of Orion’s 30 stars, whereas in most towns you will only see six.