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Discover the darkest skies in England

In Northumberland, we’re fortunate to have very low levels of light pollution. This means that we have the most ‘pristine dark skies’ in England (CPRE Night Blight Report 2016), making it one of the best places in the country to go stargazing.

Thanks to its pristine dark skies and a joint commitment to conserve them, the whole of Northumberland National Park and most of Kielder Water & Forest Park became England’s first International Dark Sky Park in 2013, a designation awarded by the International Dark Sky Association, which is committed to tackling light pollution.

Northumberland International Dark Sky Park logo

Here, on a clear night, you can see thousands of stars, the Milky Way and even the Andromeda Galaxy (2.5 million light years away) with the naked eye. Every night, there is something special to experience. Let us take you on a journey to the far reaches of the Universe.

Duncan Wise

Duncan Wise

Visitor Manager, NNPA

We are lucky to have some of the darkest skies in England in the park. We hope our new dark skies events in the National Park will open up the wonder of our skies to people throughout the region and beyond.