North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales named in top ten stargazing spots

The top ten list was compiled by Saga Holidays, which rounded up the UK places where night sky views are clearest.

The North York Moors National Park became an International Dark Sky Reserve in 2020; such sites are described by darksky.org as “dark ‘core’ zones surrounded by a populated periphery, where policy controls protect the darkness of the core.”

Three locations on the Moors are recognised as special stargazing sites in particular: the two park centres at Sutton Bank and Danby, and the observatory in Dalby Forest.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park was awarded International Dark Sky Reserve status in 2020.

Its annual average cloud cover is 64 per cent, according to Saga Holidays.

Other locations that made the top ten include Scotland’s Galloway Forest Park; Eryri National Park, in Snowdonia; and Exmoor National Park.

Also in the list were Northumberland National Park; Cranborne Chase; the South Downs National Park; and Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons).

Saga Holidays said that “stargazing is now more popular than ever,” and made particular reference to recent Northern Lights events that have seen stargazers take to the elements to snap photos of the phenomenon.