Mews Cottage

Dark Skies in Teesdale...

The North Pennines

The area is one England’s darkest places. The North Pennines AONB & UNESCO Global Geopark is recognised as the darkest mainland AONB in the country.  In the North Pennines you’ll see thousands of stars overhead compared to only a handful in towns and cities. You’ll see the Milky Way in all its glory, along with distant galaxies and sparkling star clusters and more Dark Sky Discovery Sites than anywhere else in the UK.
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Dark Sky Discovery Sites

Parts of Durham have some of the darkest skies in England, making it one of the best places in the country for stargazing. Our cottage in Middleton in Teesdale is very close to 6 of the 12 sites. There are currently 12 Dark Sky Discovery Sites across Durham;

1. Balderhead Reservoir
2. Bowlees Visitor Centre
3. Burnhope Reservoir
4. Cow Green Reservoir
5. Derwent Reservoir - Millshields
6. Grassholme Reservoir
7. Hamsterley Forest
8. Hury Reservoir
9. Parkhead Station
10. Pow Hill Country Park
11. Selset Reservoir
12. Tan Hill Inn    

There are a number of sources of information about the location of sites, what can be seen and what events are taking place.

www.thisisdurham.com/inspire-me/short-break-ideas/darkskies
‍ www.northpennines.org.uk/exploring/stargazing
www.explorenorthpennines.org.uk/recreation-opportunity/stargazing
www.northpennobservatory.org.uk


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