Galloway Forest Park
The UK's first Dark Sky Park: around 300 square miles of forest and hills in south-west Scotland with almost no artificial light.
What is up tonight from hereFrom a city, you might see a few dozen stars. Under a truly dark sky there are thousands, and the Milky Way casts a glow you can see by. Each place below has been recognised by DarkSky International for the quality of its night sky and the effort made to protect it.
Reserve, community or islandDark Sky Park
Exmoor National Park
Europe's first International Dark Sky Reserve. Open moorland between Somerset and Devon with wide, low horizons.
What is up tonight from hereSark
The world's first Dark Sky Island. Sark has no public street lighting and no cars, so the sky comes right down to the sea.
What is up tonight from hereNorthumberland
Spans Northumberland National Park and Kielder Water & Forest Park, and was the largest area of protected night sky in Europe when designated. Kielder Observatory is here.
What is up tonight from hereBannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons)
Wales's first Dark Sky Reserve, a short drive from Cardiff, Swansea and Bristol.
What is up tonight from hereIsle of Coll
A small Hebridean island with a couple of hundred residents and almost no artificial light.
What is up tonight from hereKerry
A gold-tier reserve on the Atlantic edge of Europe, sheltered from city glow by mountains and ocean.
What is up tonight from hereEryri (Snowdonia)
Mountains, lakes and coast in north-west Wales, with some of the darkest skies within reach of north-west England.
What is up tonight from hereElan Valley Estate
Reservoirs and upland in mid Wales, and the first privately owned estate to become a Dark Sky Park.
What is up tonight from hereMoffat
Europe's first Dark Sky Town, which re-fitted its street lighting to keep the sky above the town dark.
What is up tonight from hereSouth Downs (Moore's Reserve)
Named Moore's Reserve after Sir Patrick Moore, and the closest reserve to London.
What is up tonight from hereMayo Dark Sky Park
A gold-tier park in Wild Nephin, one of the least-populated corners of Ireland.
What is up tonight from hereTomintoul and Glenlivet
In the Cairngorms, and the most northerly Dark Sky Park in the world when it was designated. Good for aurora in winter.
What is up tonight from hereCranborne Chase
Chalk downland across Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset and Wiltshire, close to Stonehenge.
What is up tonight from hereNorth York Moors
Heather moorland running to the Yorkshire coast. Designated on the same day as the Dales.
What is up tonight from hereYorkshire Dales
Limestone valleys and fells; together with the North York Moors, it put northern England on the dark sky map.
What is up tonight from hereDavagh Forest
Northern Ireland's first Dark Sky Park, in the Sperrin Mountains, home to the OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory.
What is up tonight from hereMaking the most of a dark sky trip
- Watch the Moon. A bright Moon washes out the Milky Way. The best nights are within a few days of new Moon; check the phase on Sky Tonight.
- Go in autumn or winter. From Scotland especially, summer nights never get fully dark. From October to March the nights are long and the sky properly black.
- Switch on Night vision. The red mode at the top of every page keeps this site usable without ruining your dark adaptation.
- Dress for it. Clear nights are cold nights, even in spring. Take more layers than you think, and a flask.
- Check before you travel. Designations and visitor facilities change. Look at the park's own website for car parks, observing sites and events.
Why skies are getting brighter
Artificial light scattered by the atmosphere creates skyglow, the orange dome that hangs over towns on a cloudy night. Studies suggest the night sky is brightening by several per cent a year worldwide. Shielded, warm-coloured lights that point downwards, and switching off what is not needed, make a real difference. Every Dark Sky Place has a lighting plan to keep its sky dark.