Exmoor Dark Skies

Exmoor National Park has some of the darkest skies in the UK so it’s a great place for stargazing – whatever the season!

Exmoor Dark Sky Reserve is rightly proud of being the first dark sky reserve in Europe. We have minimal light pollution and on a cloudless night you can see the milky way, thousands of stars and astronomical sights with the naked eye.

The popular Exmoor Dark Skies Festival is back for 2023 and will take place from Friday 13th October to Sunday 29th October. With a variety of festival events for families and adults taking place all over Exmoor, why not book yourself some accommodation and make a holiday of it?

For more information about the Exmoor Dark Skies Festival 2023 keep an eye on the Exmoor National Park Dark Skies pages. Also, check out the Visit Exmoor Event pages for event listings throughout the festival. 

Some particularly good spots for family stargazing are:

Holdstone Hill
County Gate
Brendon Two Gates
Webbers Post
Anstey Gate
Haddon Hill
Wimbleball Lake

Telescopes can also be hired all year round from the National Park Centres at Dunster, Dulverton and Lynmouth.

Photo by Laurence Liddy @LaurenceLiddy – winner in Exmoor At Night Photo Competition 2020