Kielder Observatory named the best stargazing spot in the UK
A Northumberland observatory has been named the best place to stargaze in the UK.
New research has ranked Kielder Observatory, which sits within the largest protected Dark Sky Park in the UK, in first place among the best stargazing locations in the country.
With virtually no light pollution and consistently clear winter skies, the Northumberland stargazing hotspot offers some of the darkest night skies in Western Europe.
The data, compiled by the airport transfers experts at hoppa, ranked a combination of factors including dark sky status, cloud cover, airport access, and hidden gem status to reveal the stargazing hotspots of the UK.
Ranking second overall is the Yorkshire Dales International Dark Sky Reserve, which has minimal light pollution and some of the clearest winter skies among all the locations analysed.
Wales’ first International Dark Sky Reserve completed the UK top three.
This comes as Interest in stargazing holidays has skyrocketed, with online searches for astrotourism travel up 263% year-on-year.