STARGAZERS could soon be flocking to one of the UK's more remote corners which is to receive recognition for the quality of its night sky.
Some 580 square miles of Northumberland countryside near the Scottish border is to be given protected dark sky park status, becoming the largest in Europe. The US-based International Dark Skies Association (IDA) has granted Gold Tier Dark Sky Park status to the combined areas of Northumberland National Park and Kielder Water and Forest Park, between Hadrian's Wall and the Border.
The new zone,which will be called the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park will be one of the largest in the world. Gold tier designation is the highest status the IDA can bestow. It means the spread of light pollution will be halted, as people will be encouraged to fit more sophisticated outdoor lighting to homes.
Galloway Forest Park became the country's first Dark Sky Park in 2009 and it has been credited with boosting tourism numbers and hotel occupancy. Seventy-seven per cent of guest houses and bed and breakfasts nearby reported an increase in bed nights after the park gained the status.
TV impressionist Jon Culshaw, an amateur astronomer, said: "It's a sad thought that such genuinely dark sky sites are becoming increasingly rare.
"We must value them, preserve them and ensure they can be enjoyed by as many visitors as possible, who may take in the majesty of a spectacularly non-light polluted night sky."
Councillor John Riddle, chairman of Northumberland National Park Authority, said: "This move will reclaim the night and protect this rich legacy for future generations."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article