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UK dark sky spots by county
The UK has more than twenty places recognised by DarkSky International for their starry skies and careful lighting. Find your nearest.
England
- Somerset: Exmoor National Park, Cranborne Chase
- Devon: Exmoor National Park
- Cornwall: Bodmin Moor, West Penwith
- Dorset: Cranborne Chase
- Wiltshire: Cranborne Chase
- Hampshire: South Downs National Park (Moore's Reserve), Cranborne Chase
- West Sussex: South Downs National Park (Moore's Reserve)
- East Sussex: South Downs National Park (Moore's Reserve)
- Suffolk: Thorington Street
- North Yorkshire: North York Moors National Park, Yorkshire Dales National Park
- Cumbria: Yorkshire Dales National Park
- Northumberland: Northumberland International Dark Sky Park
Wales
- Powys: Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park, Elan Valley, Presteigne and Norton
- Gwynedd: Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island)
- Swansea and Gower: Gower National Landscape
Scotland
- Dumfries and Galloway: Galloway Forest Park, Moffat
- Argyll and Bute: Isle of Coll
- Highland: Isle of Rum
- Moray: Tomintoul and Glenlivet – Cairngorms Dark Sky Park
- Orkney: North Ronaldsay
Northern Ireland
- County Tyrone: OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory
Types of dark sky place
- Reserve: a dark core with a populated area around it that protects the sky.
- Park: public land with exceptional skies and a programme of night-sky events.
- Community: a town or village that has adopted sky-friendly lighting.
- Sanctuary: a very remote place with the darkest, most fragile skies.
Questions answered
Where is the darkest place in the UK?
Remote spots such as Galloway Forest Park, Northumberland and the Isle of Rum are among the darkest.
How many dark sky places are in the UK?
We list 22 International Dark Sky Places, checked against DarkSky International in October 2026.
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