Towards the end of last year, it was announced that the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks had been designated International Dark Sky Reserves, together becoming one of the largest areas in Europe to be simultaneously designated! We’re so lucky to live in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and to experience the beauty of some of the darkest skies in the country.
The two parks, when combined, cover over 1.3 thousand square miles and achieved this fantastic accolade after several years of hard work, gaining support from councils, parishes, landowners, businesses and renowned astronomical experts! You can enjoy it too, and what better time to look up to our skies than during the annual Dark Skies Festival happening next month?
The Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks – together with Nidderdale AONB – are teaming up to hold their sixth annual Dark Skies Festival from 12 February to 28 February 2021, with the theme for 2021 as nocturnal wildlife. There’ll be plenty of great activities for everyone to enjoy, with four Dark Sky Discovery Sites around the Yorkshire Dales National Park and near our cottages! To find out more, take a look at the Yorkshire Dales National Park leaflet.