Exmoor’s dark skies

Across much of the country the night sky has disappeared behind the orange glow of towns. Exmoor, the National Park Authority notes, is one of the few places in England where it has not. On a cloudless night here you can see thousands of stars and the Milky Way with the naked eye. The park’s own advice is that stargazing is easy: go outside on a clear night and look up.

Why the sky is so dark

In 2011 Exmoor was designated an International Dark Sky Reserve by the International Dark-Sky Association, now DarkSky International. It was the first in Europe. A reserve, in the association’s words, is land with “an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and nocturnal environment” that is specifically protected. Designation follows what the park calls a rigorous application process.

The reserve has two parts. A core area of darkness meets minimum criteria for sky quality and natural darkness. Around it, a peripheral area helps keep the core dark. DarkSky International describes the core as mostly protected moorland with little human habitation and open access. It takes in Bronze Age burial mounds, the Dunkery and Horner Wood National Nature Reserve and the deserted medieval settlement at Hoccombe Combe.

Darkness here is also a matter of upkeep. The National Park Authority, Devon County Council, Somerset Council, landowners, businesses and residents work together to reduce light pollution. The park’s own advice is simple: light only what you need, switch off when you can, use shielded downward-facing lights and choose warm white bulbs.

Where to go

The park’s pocket guide suggests looking for somewhere away from direct lights, open to the public, with clear sight lines and free of hazards such as traffic or steep drops. The published spots meet those tests.

Visit Exmoor lists these as good places for family stargazing: Holdstone Hill, County Gate, Brendon Two Gates, Webber’s Post, Anstey Gate, Haddon Hill and Wimbleball Lake. At Wimbleball, one of the park’s Dark Sky Discovery Hubs, a specially designed seating area lets you sit back and watch the stars over the water.

The park’s free Astronomer’s Guide to Exmoor, written by astronomer Jo Richardson, picks five observation sites for their direction of view, parking and room to set up a telescope:

• Brendon Two Gates and Brendon Common. In the reserve core, with an uninterrupted view all round. Parking is in roadside areas off the single-lane B3223. There are no facilities.
• Porlock Common. Also in the core, with good views to the south and west. Parking is in roadside areas off the A39.
• Dunkery Beacon. At 519 metres, the highest point on Exmoor. The guide recommends parking on the southern edge of the Beacon, which gives the best views and cuts out light from Minehead and the South Wales coast.
• Haddon Hill. On the south-eastern edge of the park, with a car park and toilets. The view opens up if you walk about 1 km west along the ridge to the summit.
• Molland Moor. On the southern edge, with an all-round view, though the guide warns of possible low-level light on the southern horizon.

For something guided, try the Dark Sky Discovery Trail. It is a mostly level walk of 3.2 km (about 2 miles) from a lay-by near Larkbarrow Corner. Glow-in-the-dark signs lead to the ruins of Larkbarrow Farm, where you stop to look up. The park suggests allowing an hour and a half. Parking is limited, and cattle may be in the fields between May and September.

When to go

The park treats stargazing as a year-round activity. You will see the most stars on a clear night with no moon, because moonlight hides the fainter ones. The Astronomer’s Guide suggests the week before new moon. The pocket guide says to check the time of sunset and start at least an hour and a half later, once the sky is properly dark.

Each season has its own sky. Orion is visible above Exmoor between November and February. The Plough is above the horizon all year and, followed along its outer edge, points to the Pole Star. Cassiopeia is the “W” of five bright stars. The Milky Way is at its best in early autumn, when it arches overhead from one horizon to the other. March and April can be good months for observing, and late summer and autumn often give the best chance of a shooting star.

The Exmoor Dark Skies Festival is usually held in late October and early November, with events across the moor. Many events sell out most years, so check the festival page for this year’s programme.

What to take

• A red torch. Your eyes can take up to ten minutes to adjust fully to the dark. Red light, even a rear bike lamp, protects night vision far better than white.
• Warm layers and a hot drink. Clear nights are often chilly.
• A forecast. The park points to the Met Office Exmoor forecast for cloud and conditions.
• A map. The park recommends OS Explorer OL9 (Exmoor).
• A star chart or app. The naked eye is enough to start with.

Park with care. Several of the recommended spots rely on roadside parking areas, and the B3223 to Brendon Common is a single-lane road with passing places. At Larkbarrow the park asks drivers not to block the road or gates.

To go further, hire a telescope. The National Park Centres at Dulverton, Dunster and Lynmouth hire out large Sky-Watcher Dobsonian telescopes for you to take out onto the moor yourself. Book ahead, and check the hire page for current charges.

Where to stay

• Rockford Cottage, Brendon: sleeps 9. The rear patio overlooks the East Lyn River.
• The Old Farmhouse, Honeymead, Simonsbath: sleeps 10. It sits on a private 1,000 acre estate within Exmoor National Park.
• The Old Kitchen, Exford: sleeps 4. It is half a mile from the village of Exford.
• The Ballroom, Wheddon Cross: sleeps 4, in a converted 14th-century outbuilding.
• Beehive Cottage, Culbone: sleeps 4. It overlooks Porlock Bay.