Burren National Park is known for its lunar-like landscapes (Shutterstock)

Where: County Clare

Best for: Walking on the ‘moon’

Established as one of Ireland’s most recent national parks in 1991, Burren National Park takes up a tiny part of County Clare. Although its size is just 15 sq km, it’s part of the much larger Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark, known for its fossil-rich limestone. With the name ‘Burren’ (Boireann in Irish) meaning ‘great rock’, its exposed karst landscape is often described as ‘lunar-esque’, attracting many visitors to experience this otherworldly Irish landscape. Human history here also dates back thousands of years, with the 5,000 year old Poulnabrone Tomb being one of the country’s most famous Neolithic monuments. One of the Burren’s most popular hikes is up Mullaghmore, the park’s most iconic peaks, with options to take shorter or more challenging routes.

Kylemore Abbey is one of the main attractions in Connemara National Park (Shutterstock)

Where: County Galway

Best for: A small but mighty national park

A varied landscape of bogs, peaks and grasslands, Connemara National Park bundles in some of the best Irish scenery into one neat package. Designated a national park in 1980, this relatively small region – at just 20 sq km – is dominated by the Twelve Bens mountain range. A highlight in Connemara includes Kylemore Abbey: perching lakeside on the grounds of a castle, it was founded by Benedictine nuns who fled Belgium during WWI. There’s also Letterfrack village: a charming community home to the park’s visitor centre. However, it lives with a harrowing history of its former industrial school, where young boys suffered years of abuse. Many people now pay their respects to their memory at the village cemetery. Escaping into nature, those wanting to experience one of the most epic Irish vistas should climb the 442 metre-high Diamond Hill. The summit rewards you with panoramic views of Tully Mountain (or Letty Hill), Kylemore Abbey and the Twelve Bens.

Walk through ancient woodlands in Glenveagh National Park (Shutterstock)

Where: County Donegal

Best for: Lakeside wandering and wildlife encounters

The second largest national park in Ireland, Glenveagh National Park can be found nestled in the heart of County Donegal. Its landscape – made up of mountains, lakes, woodlands and valleys – is also home to rare flora and fauna. Some of its most exciting wildlife sightings include golden eagles, eregrine falcons, and red deer (in fact, Glenveagh is home the largest herd of red deer in the country). Most visitors often head to the north of the park first to visit the four-storey Glenveagh Castle and its gardens, built in the 19^th-century by businessman John Adair, who was reportedly inspired by Balmoral Castle. The fortified mansion overlooks Lough Veagh, a 5km-long freshwater lake and the heart of the park. For those wanting a challenge, we suggest following the (fairly strenuous) 8 km Glen Walk through the Derryveagh mountains and alongside the Lough Veagh, admiring old settlements and ancient woodlands along the way.

Ross Castle overlooks Lough Leane in Killarney National Park (Shutterstock)

Where: County Kerry

Best for: Exploring Ireland’s oldest national park

With the highest peaks in Ireland and low-lying lakes sprinkled with tiny islands, Killarney National Park is one of the most sought-after natural regions in the country – and for good reason. It was Ireland’s first national park, given the status back in 1932. At its heart are the fantastically named McGillycuddy’s Reeks, a mountain range with its highest summit reaching 1,000-metres tall. But most visitors are particularly drawn in by its lakes named Leane, Muckross and the Upper Lake, all joining at a point named Meeting of the Waters. And with the last surviving herd of Indigenous red deer – said to have bred here since Neolithic times – and the largest yew woodland in Western Europe, it’s no wonder UNESCO also named it a Biosphere Reserve back in 1982. What’s more, there’s plenty of heritage wonders, such as Ross Castle, to scout out while walking the various trails around this enormous 102 sq km region.

Wicklow Mountains is known as the ‘Garden of Ireland’ (Shutterstock)

Where: Country Wicklow

Best for: A nature day trip from Dublin

Most outdoor-loving visitors are often drawn to Ireland’s west coast for its raw, rugged beauty, but Wicklow Mountains National Park, the largest national park in Ireland and the only national park in the east, is a treasure trove of natural delights. Sitting an hour drive south of Dublin, it’s lovingly dubbed the ‘Garden of Ireland’, thanks to its vast open spaces, winding mountain roads, gushing streams and waterfalls, and oak woodlands. At its heart is the glacial-made Glendalough Valley, home to a lake (of the same name) divided in two – the Upper Lake being much vaster than its lower counterpart. Ancient buildings and remains can be found here, with some churches and monasteries dating back more than 1,000 years. But perhaps the most famous landmarks is the 30-metre high Round Tower, often admired for its historic engineering methods. There are nine waymarked trails around this national park for various walking abilities.

The boardwalks at Wild Nephin National Park makes its bogs walkable (Shutterstock)

Where: County Mayo

Best for: Gazing into the galaxy

For those who enjoy a spot of stargazing, you’ll struggle to find anywhere better in Ireland than Wild Nephin National Park. This 150 sq km site was certified as the country’s first International Dark Sky Reserve in 2016, meaning its night skies are protected from experiencing excessive light pollution. For novice stargazers, the park’s guides provide educational programmes to help you make the most of the dark skies above: the Milkyway and even meteor showers have been spotted here. Of course, Wild Nephin also has plenty of natural topography to view during daylight hours. Sitting on the western seaboard, it’s dominated by the Nephin Beg mountain range, but well known for its Owenduff Bog, one of the largest active blanket bog systems in Western Europe that supports various wild species, from red grouse to otters. For a scenic yet difficult hike, follow the 40km Bangor Trail to experience the park’s ancient landscapes from an old road, once the main route connecting Bangor and Newport in the 16th century.

Learn more about each of Ireland’s national parks at nationalparks.ie

If you’re someone who’s always dreamed of seeing the dancing colours of the northern lights, then 2024 is the year to make that dream a reality.

Occurring every 11 years, the solar maximum is said to create the most spectacular aurora borealis displays. The next maximum is set to peak in 2024/2025, meaning the seasons of winter and autumn will be the best time to finally book that trip of a lifetime.

Here, author, aurora-chaser and astronomer Tom Kerss tells us exactly what the solar maximum is, how it impacts the northern lights, plus his top tips for seeing them and the science behind the colours.

Northern lights over Tromsø, Norway (Shutterstock)

We don’t often think about the sun changing, but the sun is changing all the time. It has a heartbeat of sorts that takes about five minutes, and we can listen to that wave passing through the sun. It also changes in brightness a little. But one of the most evident changes on the sun is that, if we use a special telescope to look at the sun and filter the sun’s light down many times so it’s safe to look at, we notice there are these dark marks on the sun.

Galileo was one of the first people to study these marks on the sun, and that was over 400 years ago. Very quickly after these sunspots were first discovered, astronomers noticed that sometimes there were a lot of spots on the sun, and sometimes there were no spots on the sun. They started to also notice a cycle, where every 11 years there would be a maximum number of spots on the sun, and then in the intervening periods, also on a cycle of 11 years, there would be a minimum number of sunspots, which might mean that you have two months where not a single spot is visible.

This solar cycle tells us something about the inside of the sun and its magnetic field. When we have the maximum number of sunspots, we call that the solar maximum.

It’s around that time when the sun has the maximum number of sunspots that the probability of seeing very good displays of the northern lights goes much higher. As a result, for aurora chasers, we really like to think about the solar maximum as a great time to go and see the northern lights. Particularly if you want to have those displays that people talk about for decades. Those real, once-in-a-lifetime memories that are so exciting.

We predict that the solar maximum is going to arrive this year in 2024. Exactly when it arrives, we can’t know for sure, because we won’t know when the solar maximum happens until after it’s passed. Only by looking backwards will we be able to say exactly when it arrived. But what we can say is that in this period of time, sightings of the northern lights are likely to reach their maximum intensity and frequency.

How long will it last? We also don’t know. It could be that we get a long maximum and that it stretches out over years. Some of the models we have are predicting that may happen, and for aurora chasers, that’s very exciting.

Green is the prominent colour of the northern lights, but there’s also displays with purple too (Hurtigruten/Tom Kerss)

A strong aurora display, captured by Tom (Hurtigruten/Tom Kerss)

The visibility of the northern lights sort of depends on factors that you can and can’t control.

We need dark nights for the northern lights to become visible. It’s a bit of a myth, but the northern lights don’t just come out and appear. They’re there all the time, but they change with intensity.

We would normally expect the aurora season to start in September and to end in March. It is possible in late August, sometimes, if there’s very strong displays, and it can be possible in early April as well. If you want long nights of darkness, then going between November and February are the ultimate times to go.

During the solar maximum, the visibility of the auroras can only be extended a little bit. What the maximum brings us is more intense displays of auroras at a higher frequency.

Consider travelling as part of your itinerary, for example on an expedition cruise. Visiting different destinations increases your chances of finding them and is also a great way of changing up the landscape to make even more memories.

In terms of actually seeing the lights, my number one tip is perseverance. You want to give yourself a few hours and make aurora spotting part of your routine, so that you are thinking about it every evening and giving it some extended attention. Because you might be under some cloud for a while, but after an hour that cloud could break. It might break for just a few minutes, and you don’t want to miss that.

My final tip is to think about northern lights etiquette. Maintain dark conditions as much as possible. Think about getting a torch with a red light because that keeps it a little bit darker. Make sure all your phone and camera screens are turned down to their minimum brightness. When your eyes are well adapted to the dark, that’s when the real magic happens. You will be able to see the faintest auroras and the different colours of the northern lights.

The colours of the northern lights are something we like to say are mysterious, but we do understand well. Essentially the colours are emitted by the different gases in our atmosphere.

The oxygen atoms in our atmosphere emit a green light, the most prominent colour. It’s also the colour that’s most visible for our eyes.

Pink is a colour you can see during very powerful aurora displays. It’s the lowest down in the aurora and it’s released by nitrogen, which is the most common gas in our atmosphere. We often think oxygen is, but nitrogen is much more common.

There’s also the possibility to see purple lights, particularly in photographs. That’s a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen.

The exotic red light occurs right at the top of the aurora curtains. It’s released by oxygen, but the electrons are doing a slightly different thing than when they’re lower down and we see the green colours. It’s difficult to see by eye unless the aurora is very powerful.

Tom Kerss is the author of Northern Lights: The Definitive Guide to Auroras and also one of Hurtigruten‘s resident astronomers. Follow him on Twitter.

The view of our cosmos has been enjoyed by humans for tens of thousands of years, inspiring great works of music, literature and art. But while the romance of a starry night is undeniable, light pollution is a growing problem that has already erased the stars from many city skies. The German Research Centre for Geosciences recently found that light pollution is increasing by 10% every year, putting ecosystems, wildlife, human health and the sight of the stars under threat. This trend is a worrying one, but there are still plenty of havens for stargazers.

Many people now travel to see and experience the natural wonders of the night. The British Isles is no different. It offers plenty of opportunities to indulge in some stargazing, with 20 of its dark-sky preserves now certified by DarkSky International, and even more recognised locally as Dark Sky Discovery Sites. While the weather doesn’t always play nice, when the clouds clear, these islands offer star-studded getaways with the chance to spot lesser-loved nocturnal wildlife or even connect with history under the cover of night.

Rugged Eryri National Park at night (Shutterstock)

Rugged Eryri National Park (Snowdonia) is home to some of Britain’s darkest skies. On clear evenings in this part of northern Wales, the stars shine brightly and Eryri’s landscapes are full of nocturnal wildlife, from badgers and bats to toads. One way to enjoy the night is by chugging through the mountains aboard a heritage locomotive, and both Bala Lake and Talyllyn railways offer Halloween-themed night services in October. Elsewhere, Mountain Walks has hikes up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) at dusk, so you can watch the sunset and then descend by the light of the moon. For something special, book early for an escape on Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island), which opens to visitors between March and October and was crowned Europe’s first Dark Sky Sanctuary this year.

Sutton Bank Star Hub (Steve Bell)

The neighbouring Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors national parks became twin International Dark Sky Reserves when they were certified by DarkSky International at the same time in 2020, ensuring that much of North Yorkshire remains a cosmic wonderland. Dark Sky Discovery Sites in both parks offer the best viewpoints for seeing the sky on clear nights. In the North York Moors, book a shepherd’s hut or cottage with Gumboots & Wellingtons near Dalby Forest, then take an Astro Dog astronomy tour or join Yorkshire Coast Nature for an evening bird walk. In the Yorkshire Dales, adventures range from night-photography workshops to canoeing and pizza nights at How Stean Gorge. The North York Moors also hosts its own Dark Sky Fringe Festival in late October, while the parks run a combined festival in February.

Milkyway over Walltown Crags (Northumberland National Park)

The jewel in England’s stargazing crown is found in the North East, where Northumberland National Park and most of Kielder Water and Forest Park have been awarded international recognition for their dark skies. The region’s 1,483 sq km Dark Sky Park is home to the unique Kielder Observatory, the best place to begin a stargazing journey in the UK. Kielder’s team of astronomers and science communicators offer a calendar of almost-nightly astronomy events, allowing visitors to dip into an introductory stargazing session, try for a full moon or meteor shower, or dive headfirst into the mysteries of dark matter and the deep cosmos.

Further afield in Northumberland, Battlesteads is a hotel and astronomical observatory combined, offering a place to sleep and stargaze in one property, with an on-site team of astronomers to lead you through the sky, plus helpful stay-and-gaze packages. The Twice Brewed Inn also has a similar programme as well as its own brewery on site, all situated along the history-laden Hadrian’s Wall National Trail, serving up the ghosts of Roman soldiers for evening company. Indeed, if you turn your telescope to the star Gamma Cygni in the constellation Cygnus (the Swan), then your eye will be absorbing light that left this star some 1,900 years ago, around the same time that the Romans began building their famous wall. If you just fancy stepping outside and having a gander yourself, there are 18 UK-awarded Dark Sky Discovery Sites that offer the best views of the night sky in the park. Bring binoculars from home or simply take in the glittering spectacle with your own eyes.

To dive a little deeper, spend some time learning about Northumberland’s incredibly diverse nocturnal wildlife on a tour with Wild Intrigue, an ecotourism social enterprise that leads mini-expeditions and safaris across the county to spot animals, birds and insects. They always include a little something special, too; for example, their ‘Bats and Pizza’ nights are incredibly popular, or you could get to know the planet’s most misunderstood but beautiful pollinators – moths – over muffins and hot drinks.

Coll Dark Sky Island (Shutterstock)

The Isle of Coll in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides became an International Dark Sky Community in 2013, reflecting its residents’ commitment to protecting their unpolluted nights. Calmac Ferries can drop you off at Arinagour, Coll’s main village, which is a collection of sea-facing, whitewashed cottages. The absence of street lights makes for unpolluted night skies, and almost any beach or field on the island is a good place to stop and look up. In mid-October, Coll Bunkhouse and the Cosmos Planetarium run ‘Coll and the Cosmos’, a two-day astronomy workshop with telescope stargazing and lessons on the solar system and cosmology. You can stay on-site at the bunkhouse or opt for a local B&B and book workshop tickets separately. Coll is also a very good place to glimpse the elusive northern lights.

Caerlaverock Castle under the stars (Visit South West Scotland/Ben Bush)

Since being certified as the first International Dark Sky Park in the UK back in 2009, Galloway Forest Park remains one of Britain’s darkest areas, tucked away in the south-west corner of Scotland. Alongside it, the town of Moffat is a certified Dark Sky Community with its own observatory and a sustainable whisky and gin distillery that has the only wood-fired stills in Scotland. Guided dark-sky and moonlit walks are held in Moffat from autumn to spring, including during the Moffat Walking Festival in early October. Elizabeth Tindal, aka the ‘freelance ranger’, regularly leads night-time tours all over Galloway. And for a starry night’s sleep, book the Dark Sky Dome, a glamping stay in Scotland’s largest geodesic dome in the heart of Carrick Forest.

Dunkery Beacon in Exmoor (Laurence Liddy)

As the UK’s oldest Dark Sky Reserve (certified in 2011), Exmoor National Park not only has starry skies above wide expanses of moorland, but one of England’s few surviving examples of temperate rainforest. Activities at the Dark Skies Discovery Hub in Exford include regular evening programmes introducing the night sky. Meanwhile, a nearby night-time walking trail, which opened in 2021, crosses star-blanketed moorland waymarked by glow-in-the-dark finger posts.

Telescopes can be hired year-round from the National Park Centres in Dunster, Dulverton and Lynmouth. The Exmoor Dark Skies Festival also runs from mid-October, hosting dusk wildlife safaris, night cycling, stargazing pizza nights, ranger-led walks and even starry yoga. Finally, Jennie Wild of Wild About Exmoor is a certified guide who hosts evening tours, hikes and farmhouse dinners complete with roaring campfires; she also has cottage accommodation.

Beaghmore Stone Circles at night (Mid Ulster District Council)

The first International Dark Sky Place certified in Northern Ireland is this ancient landscape at Davagh Forest, near the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains in County Tyrone. The earthbound attractions of OM Dark Sky Park include the Beaghmore Stone Circles, a group of seven early Bronze Age megalithic stone circles, along with ten stone rows and 12 cairns, but even these have links to the skies. The alignments of the circles and stone rows suggest that they were used as an astronomical calendar to record midsummer sunrise, the rising and setting of the sun and moon, and other heavenly events. Tools found here have been carbon-dated to 2900–2600 BC, meaning this was a place where an ancient people lived their lives by the stars overhead.

OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory opened in 2020 and celebrates astronomy both ancient and modern. There is an indoor astronomical museum that offers an introduction to the basics of the solar system and cosmic science. But the real draw here are the guided tours around the stone circles and rows, which give a deeper insight into how the landscape is connected to the sky and offer the chance to see these alignments for yourself.

The main attraction every year is the Stars and Stones Experience, which is available in the evening from October to March. Visitors are guided by a local storyteller and guide, who will weave together the site’s archaeology and astronomy, explaining how scientists believe the circles may have been an ancient observatory. There is also the 3.4km Solar Walk, which links up the alignments in the sky with the stones and ancient rituals via an accessible boardwalk. In addition, OM runs regular stargazing nights, meteor-shower viewing parties and astronomy socials and events in the all-weather visitor centre.

Crowds gather as the sun goes down in Cornwall (Carolyn Kennett)

Cornwall’s two International Dark Sky Parks – West Penwith and Bodmin Moor – not only have protected night skies, but they lie within Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty that are filled with history. These are remote places of unpredictable weather and wild landscapes on which ancient Britons built stone circles, barrows and other sacred sites that align with the stars and movements of the sun.
Stay at Eddington Lodge, near Bodmin Moor, in one of its Scandinavian-style log cabins. The lodge offers a raft of astronomy courses and also has observation pods that have 50cm telescopes, plus a domed observatory with a refracting telescope to view and photograph Saturn’s rings as well as galaxies, nebulae and moons. You can also get a glimpse of the sun sinking perfectly over a standing stone on an archaeoastronomy tour with local expert Carolyn Kennett.

You won’t just see stars in the Isle of Man; nocturnal wallabies can be spotted too! (Megan Eaves)

The ‘Dark Sky Discovery Site’ is a uniquely British certification for stargazing locations, and the Isle of Man (with 26) has more than anywhere else. Its sites were created by local astronomer Howard Parkin, who also offers bespoke stargazing tours. One of the island’s best starry spots is the Sound Café (thesound.im), which sits at the southern tip and overlooks the Calf of Man, a tiny islet offshore; it holds astronomy events in autumn and winter. Look out too for evening walks in search of nocturnal wallabies in the Curragh wetland with local legend John ‘Dog’ Callister, who tells the story of how these marsupials came to live wild on the island. Make your base at Thie Spooyt, a beautiful self-catering house that is bookable through Island Escapes and comes with Irish Sea views and a telescope for stargazing.

Elan Valley Dark Sky Park (Alamy)

Home to the starry-skied Cambrian Mountains and neighbouring Elan Valley Dark Sky Park, which is set on 18,200 hectares of the Elan Valley Estate, Mid Wales is one of Britain’s most underrated stargazing regions. Both these areas offer great night-sky views when it’s clear, and generally receive fewer visitors than other dark-sky areas in Wales, guaranteeing a quieter experience. The Elan Valley has many traditional cottages that are perfect for both star-watchers and cosying up next to a crackling fire. The Cambrian Mountains also have an ‘Astro Trail’ that joins up viewing sites, including a looming stone arch at Cwmystwyth, plus woodland and reservoirs offering expansive night-sky views. Time your trip to coincide with Welsh Dark Skies Week in February, when there are astronomy events, photography workshops, stargazing and more.