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Dog Friendly

Nature’s disco ball; a canopy of over 2000 stars!

You do not have to be an astrophysicist to enjoy the wonder of a truly dark sky!  We believe stars are truly magical and feel very lucky to be located in 1 of just 18 Dark Sky Reserves in the world.

Did you know that in an urban area you may only be able to see approximately 20 stars on a clear night? Out here in The Dales on a clear night you can see over 2000 with the naked eye (yep, no telescope required).

We are very proud to have been accepted as a ‘Dark Sky Friendly’ business and care passionately about reducing light pollution and protecting and promoting our amazing dark skies.  We run a series of events for all ages throughout the observation season (October – March) and work closely with the annual Dark Skies Festival which is held across Yorkshire in February and October.

Our superb dark skies are one of the best reasons to visit the Yorkshire Dales, they offer a mind-blowing alternative activity to take part in during the colder months of the year in the UK.

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Here are some of our favourite top stargazing tips:

  1. Take LAYERS of clothing – we can often be found stargazing in at least 6 layers of clothing
  2. Invest in a torch with RED light – red light does not impact on your dark-adapted vision
  3. Bring a FLASK of something yummy to drink and maybe a few snacks – well, why not?

There are some brilliant stargazing apps available now to help you navigate and learn more about the dark sky:

  • Sky Walk 2
  • Star Safari
  • ISS Detector
Here are some of our favourite top stargazing tips
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Did you know that it is best to go stargazing when there is a new moon?  That means when there is no moon or only a partial crescent moon.  This is because the moonlight washes out the light from the stars making them much harder to see (although looking at the moon through a telescope is cool).

During recent events on our Yorkshire Dales Glamping site, we have looked at Saturn and Jupiter through a telescope, watched the international space station pass overhead, identified the North Star and we have even seen the beautiful Milky Way!

You can find out loads of information about stargazing, when to go, where to go and what to wear on the Go Stargazing website.

Contact us if you would like to know more about events or dark skies facilities.

View the Yorkshire Dales stargazing guide