Cumbria's dark skies allow us to see the natural wonder of the stars, but are also critical for the health wildlife and our own natural well-being. Sadly light pollution in Cumbria is increasing each year, threatening to obscure our view of the stars and blinding and confusing animals so they can’t feed or find a mate. We need urgent action now to stop light pollution. Stargazers, photographers, wildlife lovers and local communities… please help.
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The Lake District and Cumbria offers some of the most spectacular and precious skyscapes in England and we want you to join us on an interstellar adventure. Download our Dark Sky Discovery Pack and get started today!
We are working with the County Council and Thorn Lighting to install new Dark Skies and wildlife friendly road lighting across Cumbria. A short film featuring some of the work so far. Read more
When lighting is switched off after midnight the streets are likely to be in near darkness, which means that any would-be offenders may find it challenging to see if there are any valuable goods left unsecured in vehicles. Read more
Street lights on roads in Ambleside and Grasmere go out to mark The Big Switch Off – an evening to highlight the stars and raise awareness about saving electricity. Read more
Five Dark Skies and wildlife friendly road lights have been installed in Lorton, in the north west of the Lake District National Park as part of a new pilot scheme. Read more
‘Craftivist’ Danielle helped inspire an outdoor art trail to raise awareness about light pollution during Chorlton Arts Festival in September. She produced a beautifully illustrated and fact-packed light pollution awareness handbook ‘Blinded by the Light’ Read more
The success of Cumbria’s third Dark Skies Festival, shows that people want to get outside and experience nature and wildlife in the dark. Several hundred people attended activities and events spread all across the county, and in the Lake District National Park. Read more
An exciting selection of in-person night time events in the wilds of Cumbria, from rock pooling in the dark on the west coast, to night woodland walks at Arnside and Staveley, night time canoeing, listening to wildlife and studying the moon through a telescope. Read more
Greater understanding of the needs of the European Hedgehog, an urban adaptor species in serious decline, will help to inform and establish effective conservation measures for the protection of this nocturnal insectivore. Read more
There's just a few days left to enter our Lake District Photo Competition. Here's some fabulous photos from the Dark Skies category of our 2020 photo comp, to get you in the mood. Read more
The latest organisation to lend their support to the Dark Skies Cumbria Project is the Cumbria Amphibian and Reptile Group, who highlighted recent studies assessing the impacts of light pollution on common toads (Bufo Bufo). Read more
Light polluting footway lights along Cliff Terrace on Low Fellside, Kendal have been replaced with the Town’s first Dark Skies and Wildlife friendly heritage-style lights. Read more
Most of the world's land species are nocturnal. In this short film Bob Mizon of the Commission for Dark Skies talks about why we need to protect the night. Read more
"Listening to a webinar on Dark Skies recently, the presenters passionate talks about their love of the night sky and why it is so important to preserve it got me thinking…How can do my bit?" Read more
The Quiet Site, established in 1963, is pitched high above Watermillock in the beautiful Lake District’s Ullswater valley. Read more
Astronomers have designed an online tool which for the first time allows members of the public to look up what steps their local Member of Parliament is taking to combat light pollution. Read more
We were so lucky to have a beautiful still, clear night for the Big Switch Off on Saturday. Jack Ellerby and AAFAF members Steve and Clare, were totally blown away by the thousands of stars that revealed themselves after the lights went off. Read more
A nationwide Star Count conducted in February has revealed a significant drop in light pollution levels across the UK. Read more
Community groups, residents, businesses and Cumbria Highways are taking part in the first lighting ‘Big Switch Off’ in Ambleside on Saturday 10 April, from 9.30pm onwards overnight. Read more
Work is nearing completion on Cumbria County Council’s exciting street light replacement and improvement programme, a major countywide project to replace over 45,000 street lights with more efficient and cost effective LED technology. Read more
A landscape pastel artist living in Egremont, with an incurable and painful disability. The beautiful dark skies in our county helped me to discover the benefit of creativity when coping with chronic pain and improving mental health. It forged a career and many charitable ventures in 18 short months. Read more
The Dark Skies Cumbria Festival, entertained, educated and wowed participants with amazing night sky images and mind-blowing space facts. Read more
Two-thirds of bird migration takes place during darkness, mainly to avoid predation. It has long been known that artificial light sources can cause migratory birds to lose their ability to orientate and navigate. Read more
Participants from Cumbria needed to help map the night sky. From 6-14 February, we are asking people to count stars from their garden or window as part of the annual nationwide star count. Read more
A terror of the dark when I was four Brought crawling creatures all around my bed; I’d lie awake, await the tiger’s tread, Smell spiders crammed behind the wardrobe door. Read more
The Cumbria Dark Skies Festival promises to light up our February evenings with a spectacular array of online events celebrating the wonders of the night sky. Read more
If you have attended one of our Dark Skies presentations, please tell us what you thought here. Read more
Covid has impacted on all our lives. Cancelled holidays and freedom of movement restrictions have had a devastating impact on our tourism businesses. We think Dark Skies Tourism could help. Read more
Cumbria Wildlife Trust Wildlife Watch leaders took some young detectives along the River Kent in Kendal to track down bats feeding themselves up before their winter hibernation. Watch the film. Read more
Autumn has crept up on us and nights are drawing in. Yet getting outside is even more crucial for mental well-being in anxious times. Night time photography using digital cameras and affordable telescopes is a great excuse to venture out. Read more
Cumbria, the Dales and Lake District National Parks have some of the best dark skies in England. Our star covered dark skies provide an amazing free display for visitors and local communities, but how can they be better protected? Read more
Ever since he was young, Ian Bradley wanted to photograph the night sky. The camera can see so much more than human eyes at night can, including colour. Read his blog here. Read more
Are we properly assessing the impact of new lighting from developments and private security lights across South Cumbria and elsewhere on these critical bat roosting, commuting and foraging routes and feeding habitats? Read more
Our ecosystems are being harmed by growing light pollution. Wasting light energy when not needed increases greenhouse gas emissions, adds to climate threats to key habitats, and directly affects many species’ sleeping, feeding and breeding behaviours. Read more
Unlike legislation covering air, noise and water pollution, powers to control light pollution are very limited, and individual, cumulative additional lighting is being added on a daily basis, causing ever-increasing sky glow at night. Read more
Global emissions of Artificial Lighting At Night (ALAN) are projected to increase by 6% each year, with ecological impacts to coastal marine and estuarine ecosystems. Read more
We spoke with a Parish Council about Dark Skies this month. Listening well to conversations and stories can reveal much richer meaning and common values than ‘policy words’! Read more
Some basic principles to help reduce light pollution and safeguard Cumbria's Dark Skies Read more
Here's a satellite image showing the importance of Cumbria and the North of England/Southern Scotland for the night-time ‘Starscape’… long may it continue! Read more
Save on electricity costs and do your bit to reduce light pollution! We can all look at our own lighting to see where it’s no longer needed, change bulb brightness, lower the angle, add shielding and switch lights off with a timer or sensor. Read more
Enjoying our Dark Skies and tackling light pollution are two sides of the same coin. We must not erode the very qualities through activity or developments which adds unnecessary artificial light into our night time environment. The old ‘Golden-goose’ principle! Read more
It’s another classic case of ‘tragedy of the commons’ where we seem incapable of conserving and sustainably managing the earth’s common environments whether on land, the seas or in the air and sky! Read more
Extensive research in 2015 examining 62 local authorities areas where they had instigated street lighting switch offs, part-night lighting, dimming and replacing yellow/orange with white lighting, showed no increases in night-time vehicles accidents. Read more
Many people think lighting will make their neighbourhood or village safer, but is this the case? Read more
Almost 300 people saw stars at our pop up planetarium events at Ambleside and Rheged, as part of Cumbria's first Dark Skies Festival. Although outdoor events suffered from the weather, indoor events were well attended and public enthusiasm for dark skies is undimmed. Read more
We sat down with Nina Ludgate, owner of Beckfoot Retreat B&B to discuss the festival and what is so special about the Ennerdale valley. Read more
Get closer to our solar system and take part in an exciting new interactive pop up planetarium event, part of the first Cumbria Dark Skies Festival (21-23 February), a full programme of events for all the family across the three-day celebration of dark skies. Read more
It’s just two short weeks until the very first Cumbria Dark Skies Festival, 21-23 February 2020 and we’ve been working hard to pull together a full programme of events for all the family across this exciting three-day celebration of dark skies. Read more
Mark Holroyd, of Forestry England on the benefits of Dark Skies for nature, people and the economy. Read more
Winter is the perfect time to wrap up warm and get out and about to see a Dark Sky spectacular. Like the Three Kings... go and follow the stars! Read more
Winner of 2019 Astronomy Photographer of the Year (People and Space), Ben Bush's tips for photographing stars. Read more