Dark Skies Cumbria

Saving Our Night Skies

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.

Or you can give by text to 70085. Just message DARKSKIES along with your chosen donation amount (eg DARKSKIES 5 to donate £5). Standard message rates apply.

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!

Dark Skies and Tourism Business Recovery

Covid has impacted on all our lives. We look forward to better days ahead and a safer-healthier future. Cancelled holidays and various freedom of movement restrictions have hit people personally, and have had a devastating impact on our tourism businesses.

Cumbria is experienced at fighting back after major damaging events to peoples’ lives and the environment, be it Foot and Mouth Disease or widespread storm flooding. We know about the value of Dark Skies tourism(1) and Cumbria Tourism has produced an excellent Dark Skies Tourism Toolkit to help businesses make the most of the beauty of the dark night skies as they try to recovery.(2)

Cumbria Tourism has also developed a Dark Skies Friendly charter and logo to recognise businesses that support dark skies tourism and who wish to be working with Cumbria Tourism to promote this growing sector(2). This links well with the events and activities to celebrate the value of dark skies and also to use dark sky friendly lighting.

A Making the Most of Dark Skies Tourism business support workshop online webinar is taking place on 26 November, with three fantastic, knowledgeable speakers:

Astronomer Richard Darn, who helped Northumberland become Europe’s biggest international dark sky park and worked on the launch of Kielder Observatory.
Neill Sanders is an enthusiastic astronomer with a keen interest in outreach, to help encourage public interest in astronomy.
Mark Holroyd is Head of Recreation and Communications for Forestry England in the North of England, covering the Kielder Forest Observatory.

Many tourism businesses are making sure their external lighting is sensitive to the environment and not adding to light pollution. Over the coming months we will be highlighting good examples of businesses with dark sky friendly lighting. Tourism businesses Awards help to promote this, including The David Bellamy Award.(3) Reducing the intensity and switching lights off when not needed also helps cut energy bills and boosts the dark skies offer for guests, so it’s a winner for profitability.

(1). https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/importance-of-dark-skies-to-tourism

(2). https://www.cumbriatourism.org/who-we-are/resource-hub/recovery-hub/recovery-campaign/dark-skies-friendly-cumbria/

(3) http://www.bellamyparks.co.uk/index.html

Latest

23 April 2024: The Helm, paths to summer adventures

We were joined by a big group of volunteers with clippers, loppers and saws this week for bramble, bracken, and gorse management, to keep paths clear and create fire breaks.
Leaders' Landscape Training: The Westmorland Dales: its natural and cultural heritage

The Westmorland Dales has been described as one of the best preserved prehistoric archaeological landscapes north of Salisbury Plain. The landscape has been hugely influenced by the way people have exploited and managed it for thousands of years. The walk will explore this, attempting to decipher the layers in the landscape.
Leaders' Landscape Training: Understanding Tranquillity

Tranquillity is one of many components that come together to create the overall character of a landscape, and it is something that many visitors to the Lake District and Cumbria come to enjoy but it is often misunderstood or not fully understood even by those tasked with protecting it.
Leaders' Landscape Training: The Thirlmere Resilience Project

The Thirlmere catchment, characterised by steep sided, wooded slopes, is an iconic part of the Lake District. A new style of progressive land management around Thirlmere, is balancing the pressures of recreation, farming, and conservation in hostile upland environments.

Lighting the Way - Sedbergh Parish Installs Dark Sky Friendly Lights

Twenty-two new environmentally and dark sky friendly lights are benefitting nature and people in the town of Sedbergh.
Dark Skies Room Brochure

We've created a new 2024 'Dark Skies room brochure' for hotel and B&B guests to encourage them to step outside, look up and be wowed by how many stars they can see.
Cumbria Star Count 2024

To celebrate our starry skies and help protect and improve our view of the stars, we're inviting residents and visitors in Cumbria to be ‘citizen scientists’ and take part in a Cumbria Star Count 2024 – a cosmic census that will help map our view of the stars and the impact of light pollution.
Good Lighting Guide for Cumbria wins National Awards

Our good lighting guide produced jointly with a lighting designer launches and has already won two national awards! Providing technical lighting guidance to planners, it will also help anyone installing or replacing lighting to make good lighting choices.
Good Lighting Approaches for Dark Skies

A talk to the Institution for Lighting Professionals' Annual Summit. Our Dark Skies Officer shares fresh approaches to tackling light pollution, planning guidance, monitoring, and inspiring communities to take action.
If you go down to the Woods tonight…

A magical Dark Skies Night Walk in Holme Wood with talk, poetry, sounds and silence, light and darkness, and songs.
New Dark Skies and Wildlife Sensitive lighting across Eden Bridge, Carlisle

Cumberland Council in partnership with lighting company DW Windsor has installed dark skies and wildlife sensitive lighting across the busiest road crossing the river Eden in Carlisle.
Dark Sky Lighting at Rookhow Quaker Meeting House and Bunkbarn

Rookhow, an 18th Century Grade II listed Quaker Meeting House in the Rusland valley, contacted the Dark Skies Cumbria Project seeking help to choose sympathetic external lighting.
Kendal Households Install Dark Sky Friendly Lights

More Kendal residents, inspired by the growing awareness of the impacts of light pollution, have replaced their outdoor lighting with dark skies friendly lighting.
Star Count 23: Public survey leads to calls to control light pollution

The results of this year’s Star Count, released today by CPRE, reveals light pollution blocks three-quarters of UK residents view of the night sky, with only five percent of people enjoying the wonder of a truly dark starry sky.

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Our Purpose

We are an independent charity and the only membership organisation dedicated to protecting and enhancing Cumbria's landscapes for future generations
Elterwater Quarry Adventure Attraction plans resubmitted

Just before Christmas, revised proposals were submitted for a visitor attraction at Elterwater Quarry. We have reviewed the plans, we remain opposed to the scheme, and you can read our formal response here.
The Helm

Situated near Oxenholme, just south east of Kendal, and although not a very high hill at 185m, it gives beautiful views.
It's Time To Save Roanhead - Response Guidance

A NEW planning application has been submitted for the major resort development proposed at Roanhead. It will still have a huge impact on this sensitive coastline, even with a reduced number of lodges. Please join us again to challenge the proposal. Previous responses won't count and new responses need to reflect latest plans.
Aerial Flight at Honister Slate Mine

We received the disappointing news that the Secretary of State will not ‘call in’ the proposed zip-wires at Honister and so the Authority’s approval stands. The Secretary of State is no longer required to give reasons for his decision.
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High Borrowdale

High Borrowdale is situated 8.5 miles north of Kendal. The best way to access it is from the A6, south of Shap. There is open access at all times. Take a VIRTUAL TOUR