1 IN THE DARK
As the nights draw in, it’s the ideal opportunity for star-gazing. Many of the country’s National Parks are designated as Dark Skies areas – including the Pembrokeshire Coast, South Downs and Snowdonia. Wander away from the light pollution of towns and cities and you will discover the ideal conditions for checking out the night skies.
Northumberland National Park has very low levels of light pollution and the whole area was designated as an International Dark Sky Park in 2013. Here, on a clear night, you can see thousands of stars, the Milky Way and even the Andromeda Galaxy (2.5 million light years away) with the naked eye.
Top tips for star-gazing are to wrap up warm in comfortable clothing and head for somewhere away from street lights on a clear night. It’ll take about 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness but the good news is that you don’t need expensive equipment to enjoy the night sky. northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk
If Bamburgh Castle looks familiar, it’s because of its starring role as a location in hit Netflix series The Last Kingdom. It also played host to Harrison Ford when he filmed Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny there. This year it was voted North East England’s best large visitor attraction. There’s over 3,000 years of history at this magnificent fortress overlooking the sea plus an exhibition with props and costumes from The Last Kingdom can be seen in the King’s Hall until November 5. It returns next year, February 10-November 3.
