Exmoor Dark Skies: Where to Stargaze in Devon and When

Short answer: Exmoor was Europe's first International Dark Sky Reserve. On the Devon side, the high ground around Lynton and Lynmouth and the Valley of Rocks gives genuinely dark skies. Go on a moonless night between autumn and early spring, and give your eyes twenty minutes to adjust.

Why Exmoor

Exmoor was designated Europe's first International Dark Sky Reserve, and the reason is simple: there is almost nothing up there. No large towns, very little street lighting, and high open ground that keeps the horizon clear. On a clear moonless night the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye, which most people in Britain have never actually seen.

Where to go on the Devon side

The high ground behind Lynton and Lynmouth is the most accessible dark-sky area in Devon. The Valley of Rocks, just west of Lynton, has car parks with toilets and a café and is spectacular by day — after dark, the dry valley and the sea horizon give you an enormous open sky with nothing lit in front of you.

Countisbury Hill, east of Lynmouth, is another good vantage point, and the Blue Ball Inn up there means somewhere warm before and after with plenty of parking. Further onto the moor is darker still, but the lanes are narrow and unlit, so know where you are going.

When to go

• Autumn to early spring — the nights are long enough to see anything before bedtime.
• A new moon, or at least well away from a full one.
• A clear, settled night — Exmoor gets a lot of low cloud off the Bristol Channel.
• Allow twenty minutes for your eyes to adapt, and do not look at your phone during it.

What you need

Less than you think. Binoculars are more useful than a cheap telescope for a first attempt. A red torch preserves your night vision where a white one destroys it — a bike light with red film over it does the job. And far more layers than you expect: standing still on Exmoor in January is a different proposition to walking on it.

On the other side of Devon

Dartmoor is not a formal dark sky reserve but it is dark, and the high moor around Bellever and Two Bridges has very little light pollution. RSPB Labrador Bay, on the cliffs between Shaldon and Torquay, is noted by visitors for very little light pollution and a wide field of view out to sea — an easier option if you would rather not drive onto the moor at night.

One safety note

Exmoor lanes are narrow, unlit and used by wildlife. Drive slowly, park in car parks rather than on verges, and tell someone where you are going — phone signal up there is poor.