Give Yourself Some Space: Pembrokeshire's Dark Skies
Look up to the stars
The UK can have an average of up to 16 hours of night-time a day in the winter months and up to 8 hours a day in the summer. That’s a lot of time wasted if you’re limiting your Pembrokeshire adventures to daylight hours only.
The rurality of this Welsh coastline makes it one of the best in the world for stargazing, with amazing sights of the milky way, the galaxy and even the Northern Lights sometimes.
Living here in Pembrokeshire, we’ve always known our night skies are something special. On clear evenings, the glimmering moon and the glistening stars light up the skyscape creating a truly remarkable and awe-inspiring vision of splendour. Ironically, it is the very lights illuminating the city streets which are said to cloud and obscure these incredible night scenes from view for urbanites.
It is these large green spaces and coastal environments you’ll find in Pembrokeshire, filled with farmland and dotted with tiny rural hamlets, which make the best viewpoints as there are no intense and dazzling billboards or shop windows. And you don’t just need to take our word for it. In Pembrokeshire, there are eight designated Dark Sky Discovery Sites which are nationally recognised for their world-class views of the night sky.
To the north of the region, there’s Sychpant National Park in the Gwaun Valley, Poppit Sands and Garn Fawr near Goodwick. In the west, you have Newgale Beach, Martin’s Haven and Kete near Dale whilst in the South, you can visit Skrinkle Haven and Broadhaven South Beach.
Whether you’re hoping to discover the stars for the very first time, are an enthusiastic stargazer or perhaps even a seasoned astronomer; a dark skies holiday to Pembrokeshire is a must for the bucket list. And if you need a little help identifying what’s what or want the lowdown on telescopes, binoculars and astrophotography, we can arrange a private experience with a professional to point you in the right direction. The in-cottage (or rather, in-cottage-garden) experiences will take you on a dark skies voyage through the history and mythology of celestial objects and the galaxy beyond.
Whilst these are currently the only recognised spots, much of Pembrokeshire offers wonderful views of the stars above so wherever you stay, make sure to look up once the sun has set.
Holiday Treats & Extras Introduction to Stargazing
Pembrokeshire is a favourite amongst astronomers for stargazing, so book an unforgettable evening of gazing to the dark skies with this three hour experience.
