Heavens above: UK's Dark Skies festivals and stargazing destinations

Hebridean Dark Skies Festival : A packed programme of astronomy talks, stargazing, films, music, visual art and theatre combines to create the Dark Skies Festival on the Isle of Lewis, which runs from 11-25 February. The Dark Skies exhibition will feature newly commissioned works by a group of Hebridean artists, stargazing events will be held indoors at the Cosmos Planetarium and outside with Highland Astronomy, and the festival will kick off with a night of comedy and astronomy. Exmoor : The festival in Exmoor happens in autumn, but if you can’t wait that long there are regular Dark Skies events in the school holidays (a Night Sky Stargazing & Bushcraft Adventure evening is taking place on 21 February), while the Dark Sky Discovery Trail is a two-mile route across open moorland that takes in some of the best places to see the stars Yorkshire Dales : Learn about the night sky while hiking across open moorland, soaking in a hot tub, paddling a canoe or listening to expert astronomers – all on offer across the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Park. The festival runs from 18 February to 6 March and includes a rocket-making workshop and planet pizza-making evening. Northumberland : One of the least-populated regions of the UK, this is an excellent stargazing spot with little light pollution. Its festival runs from 12-28 February, with events including aurora hunting at the Battlesteads Observatory, astronomy workshops, moon walks and stargazing experiences on Hadrian’s Wall.