North York Moors Dark Sky Reserve

Designated in 2020, the North York Moors is the only national park in England with its own coastline — and that eastern edge, over the North Sea, gives a beautifully dark horizon for watching objects and planets rise. Inland, open heather moorland around Goathland and the Hole of Horcum offers wide, unobstructed skies.

The darkest interior reaches Bortle 3, with Dark Sky Discovery sites at Sutton Bank and Danby and observatories at Dalby Forest hosting public events. Its annual Dark Skies Festival each February has become one of the biggest in the country.