Visitors to Exmoor will know that the views are out of this world. But it’s not just the daytime scenery that takes your breath away. The national park became Europe’s first international dark sky reserve in 2011 and provides stargazers with the chance to see the cosmos in all its glory.
Free from the light pollution affecting towns and cities, Exmoor’s blanket of darkness means you can easily spot the glow of the Milky Way on moonless nights.
“It’s about as good as it gets anywhere in the UK,” says Tim Wetherell, president of the Exmoor Stargazers Club. “The advantage Exmoor has is that it’s further south than many other dark sky reserves and that makes a difference in terms of what you can spot. The nearer to the equator you get, the more stars you can see.”
Like many, Tim will have his telescope at the ready this month.
Exmoor Dark Skies Festival has been organised by the national park authority to celebrate the area’s incredible night vision.
From 14 October to 3 November, you can take part in everything from starlit walks to mountain bike rides, wild swimming, astrophotography, meteor spotting and rocket making.
Denne historien er fra October 2019-utgaven av Devon Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 2019-utgaven av Devon Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Legends Of Lockdown
A new online exhibition features an array of Devon’s lockdown legends exploring their lives and communities during the pandemic restrictions
Look Out For Intelligent Slime!
Think you know your waxcaps from your dog vomit slime mould? Exmoor’s conservation team needs our help to record the pretty and the not-so-pretty wildlife living in this unique national park. finds out more
Retirement redefined
Millbrook Village’s Leah Jackson talks to AMELIA THURSTON about how wellbeing and quality of life are at the heart of the later living community
Look to the future
SU CARROLL talks to Sir Antony Gormley about his contribution to Devon’s artistic life
Natural beauty
Working with nature and the cycle of seasons, a new flower farm is blossoming in a fold of the beautiful River Teign valley
THE DIARY
SU CARROLL recommends the best events across the county this month
My kinda city...
With the perfect balance of country and city life, Exeter still shines as the jewel of the West. STEPHANIE DARKES shares her insider insights into the city that stole her heart
Letting themselves in for hard work...
Renovating your entire house is tough. Renovating someone else’s seven-bedroom Grade-II listed Georgian farmhouse and turning it into a high-end holiday let is even trickier. CHRISSY HARRIS went to Kingston see how it’s done
Lessons from history
History author Ian Mortimer has taken readers on travels through time from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution. STU LAMBERT asks him how our country and our county changed in Regency times
A Reform character
The owner of North Devon’s longest standing brewery is about to take on a new challenge, as CATHERINE COURTENAY discovers
