The Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire Coast and Snowdonia National Parks are outstanding dark skies destinations for night-time activities including stargazing, and ‘dusk-till-dawn’ activities such as moonlit walks and nocturnal wildlife safaris. Let the stars of the dark skies light your way to a new style of 24/7 holiday in the tranquillity and seclusion of Wales.
Stargazing has been a fascination for humankind ever since we first looked up and pondered the magic and movements of the night sky. Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences, and connects us to both the mysteries of the past and the present knowns and unknowns of the entire universe. Have the night sky enthral you with ancient legends and be the backdrop to your very own epic adventures.
Why are dark skies important?
What is difficult to capture in words is the experience that people gain from looking up at the sky on a clear night in a place that is free from light pollution - where the stars and the full magnificence of the Milky Way can be appreciated.
Human impact on the environment is ever growing, with an increase in pollution from escaping light resulting in the night skies no longer being astronomically dark. 90% of the UK population cannot see the Milky Way from their homes. In an effort to reduce light pollution, there has been a fast developing dark skies movement with efforts asserted internationally as well as within the UK and Wales. The advantages of reducing light pollution (the light which doesn’t light the things we want it to) include increased visibility of stars at night, reduced damaging impacts of unnatural lighting on the environment, and significant cuts in energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions.
Light pollution not only obscures our ability to see the stars, it wastes energy which in turn can lead to increased levels of greenhouse gas production. Light pollution has been proven to have a significant detrimental impact on human health and can have significant adverse impacts on wildlife, especially nocturnal species – one of the very things that National Parks in the UK have been set up to conserve and protect.