< dark sky directory

England dark sky parks

List of darkest parks and places in England for stargazing, astrophotography, astrotourism, star parties, and astronomy club events. Often these are national and regional parks and forests that are either remote or "protected" against light pollution.

Also ask your local UK astronomy club for guidance as they will know the darkest places.

Dark Sky Park Location
Bodmin Moor International Dark Sky Park
Cranborne-Chase Wiltshire
Exmoor National Park North Devon
Lake District National Park
Moore's Reserve South Downs
North York Moors Pickering
Northumberland-Kieder Water Park
Peak District National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
South Downs
West Penwith
Yorkshire Dales Bainbridge


UK light pollution maps w/ Bortle

2023 nighttime satellite image of the UK (showing England) from the NOAA National Geophysical Data Center.

UK nighttime satellite map

2015 light pollution map of the UK showing sky brightness at the zenith from World Atlas data. Colors correspond approximately to the Bortle scale, with pink being the brightest (most light-polluted) and dark gray being the darkest skies. Use as a guide to find the darkest sky locations near you.

UK night sky light pollution map