Exmoor Dark Sky Reserve

The Exmoor National Park is one of only a handful of places in England to hold the prestigious International Dark Sky Reserve designation, recognising the extraordinary quality of its night skies and the efforts made by local communities and the national park authority to protect them from the creeping tide of light pollution. For anyone with an interest in astronomy, the cosmos or simply the profound experience of standing in true darkness under a sky full of stars, Exmoor is one of the most accessible and rewarding stargazing destinations in the country.

The eastern fringes of Exmoor are within easy reach of Woolacombe, with excellent dark sky observation points available within a twenty-minute drive at Holdstone Down, Trentishoe Down and various points along the high moor. On a clear, moonless night, the quality of the sky here is genuinely extraordinary by the standards of modern England. The Milky Way is visible in its full glory as a broad, irregular band stretching across the heavens, meteor showers produce dozens of shooting stars an hour, and planets, nebulae and star clusters visible to the naked eye remind you of the sheer scale of the universe in a way that no amount of reading or screen time can replicate.

The National Park runs regular stargazing events throughout the year, including guided evenings led by expert astronomers who can help you find your way around the night sky, identify the most interesting objects visible on the night and provide the background knowledge that makes the experience even richer. These events are particularly popular in autumn and winter when the nights are longest, and early booking is recommended for the most sought-after sessions.

You do not need any specialist equipment to have a wonderful stargazing experience on Exmoor. Simply leaving your car lights off when you arrive, allowing your eyes around twenty minutes to adapt to the darkness, and lying back on a blanket to look straight up is enough to produce a genuinely life-changing view of the night sky.

Warm clothing and a good torch are essential.