DARKEST MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO SEE STARS: SCOTLAND

Dark and brooding, Scotland’s reputation might seem foreboding to some who love sunny locales, but beauty abounds here. In fact, its darkness is not only part of this country’s charm, deep darkness is the reason why Scotland is one of the best and most beautiful countries in the world to see stars!

Dark skies are rare these days, as light from urban and suburban sprawl flood our nights and block out starlight. But Scotland has some of the largest expanses of dark sky in the world, thanks to its lack of light pollution.

Because the country has few buildings and few roadside lights, nighttime is dark time in Scotland and the stars can shine brightly without competition. Galloway Forest Park is one of the darkest of the dark places here. That's why the International Dark Sky Association named it as a Dark Sky Park. It is one of dozens of Dark Sky Discovery Sites scattered throughout the country.

Galloway Forest Park, in Dumfries and Galloway, in the county of Ayrshire, about an hour and a half’s drive north of Glasgow, is the UK’s first Dark Sky Park, one of only 3 in all of Europe. It spans over 300 square miles (777 km2).

The park is a natural wonderland, with magnificent forested glens, lochs, and some of the highest hills in southern Scotland. But its darkness is what makes it most unique.

The Forest Park has a Sky Quality Meter (SQM) scale reading of 21 to 23.6 (on a scale of 0 - 25). For comparison, cities, such as Glasgow or Edinburgh, have a reading of around 8, while a photographer’s dark room rates a reading of 24.

The big dark skies here mean that stargazers can see so much -- about 7,000 stars are visible with the naked eye. The Park is located within the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Reserve, which covers over 5,000 square miles.

There are Dark Sky information points at the visitor centres and across the Forest Park to help you identify the constellations and planets you can see. Check out the panoramic viewing points at either end of the Carrick Forest Drive in the northern part of the Forest Park.

To see even more stars, visit the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory, where you can catch a jaw-dropping view through its 2 powerful telescopes once its roof rolls off.

See shooting stars, the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies, supernovas, and more! Sometimes, you can even see the Aurora Borealis too.

Dark sky ranger & photographer Jesse Beaman and partner Helen Cockburn runs stargazing and astrophotography tours at the Dark Sky Park through their business Stargazing Scotland.

Moffat, a quaint village nearby is designated as a Dark Sky Town, thanks to its special 'dark sky friendly' street lighting. St John’s Town of Da is another star friendly hamlet nearby.

The first European Dark Skies Places Conference just took place 2 weeks ago in Galloway. Put it on your calendar for next year!

Find out more about Scotland’s dark starry skies here:

• Forestry Commission Scotland Dark Skies
• Dark Skies ranger podcast
• Dark Sky Discovery
• Galloway Forest Astronomical Society
• International Dark Sky Association
• The British Astronomical Association's Campaign for Dark Skies
• The Royal Observatory, Edinburgh
• Scottish Dark Sky Observatory
• Glasgow Science Centre
• Skyglow: light pollution and the changing skies
• Biosphere Dark Sky Rangers
• Dark Sky Park Economic Impact Report (PDF 826KB)

Outside of Galloway, Scotland has plenty of other stargazing spots to visit. Check out the west coast of Kintyre in Lochaber and Assynt in the northwest Highlands. The Isle of Skye has 9 stellar spots from which to view. And be sure to visit Scotland's Dark Sky Island, the Isle of Coll.

Check out this cool video of stargazing at Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park. Get inspired! And put Scotland on your beautiful travel bucket list now!

Want more beautiful starry inspiration? Check out photographer Beth Moon’s Diamond Skies.

Read more about Beautiful Scotland in See Scotland’s Crown Jewel Park, Scotland’s Most Spectacular Road Trip, and Bird Heaven: The Isle of May.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Kris Williams. “Looking Back.” Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland, UK.
2. Image: by Wayne Butterworth. “Light pollution.” Southerness lighthouse in Dumfries and Galloway. Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
3. Image: by Stuart Anthony. “Does astrology work when it’s cloudy?” CairnGorms National Park. Scotland.
4. Image: Courtesy of Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Reserve. Clatteringshaws Loch. Galloway, Scotland.
5. Image: by Adam Frame. “Scotland Stars.” Scotland.
6. Image: Courtesy of Ayrshire & Arran Tourism. “Starry skies: the Dark Sky Observatory in Ayrshire.” Ayrshire, Scotland.
7. Image: by John Francis O'Brien Photography. “Buachaille Etive Mor, Glencoe, Scotland. Glencoe, Scotland.
8. Image: by Carl Jones. “Lochinvar Starfield.” The Lochinvar. Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
9. Image: by Arran Moffat. “Ardnamurchan Stars.” Achateny, Scotland.
10. Image: by Ewan Miles. “The 56 foot fin whale was washed up in 2004 on the isle…” Isle of Coll, Scotland.
11. Image: by Nick Rowland. “Milky Way erupting out of Creag Dubh in Glen Banchor.” Glen Banchor, Scotland.
12. Image: by John Mcsporran. “The Aurora of Loch Lomond.” Loch Lomond, Scotland.
13. Image: by BN App - Download now!
14. Image: by Ronnie Robertson. “Starry Nights.” Sumburgh Airport. Shetland, Scotland.