Stars in your eyes

Get set for a stunning night-time adventure with our pick of the UK's best stargazing spots

- CAROLINE BEDDOW

There's a magical world just above our heads, and autumn and winter are the best times to see the night sky at its most magnificent. With the UK home to six of the world's 21 dark sky reserves, where better to explore?

Davagh Forest
Co Tyrone

Astronomy meets archaeology in Northern Ireland's Sperrin Mountains in County Tyrone. Here at Davagh Forest is the OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory. Already rich in earthly history with the Bronze Age Beaghmore Stone Circles, it also offers a window on the heavens above through its guided tours and projections from its state-of-the-art telescope. Night-time visitors can use the viewing platform, with its red ambient lighting, which is perfect for observing the night sky. See omdarksky.com for details of stars and stones tours.
BEST FOR Simply lying back in bed and gazing at the stars through a viewing window in a glamping pod; sperrinviewglamping.com

YORKSHIRE DALES