Best Public Dark Sky site in Exmoor?

[Jojo204]

Hi all,

I really didn’t know whether to put this here or in the Observing or Star Party or something forums but here goes.

What is the best area in the Exmoor hills to do astrophotography? I know there are quite a few private areas so do you guys know any public areas that are easily accessible by car for observing and photographing the Milky Way?

So would need the south direction clear! 

Thank you!

[Ruud]

County Gate; Webbers Post; Holdstone Hill; Wimbleball Lake – these are just some of the fantastic spots you could pitch up for a night under the stars. If you don’t have your own telescopic equipment you can hire all you’ll need from one of the National Park Centres. For a great stay, we recommend The Old Rectory Hotel close to the coast – it was recently voted ‘Best Small Hotel’ by Visit England.

see: https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/guides/top-5-dark-sky-locations-in-great-britain/

[robbymain]

I'm very much looking forward to a weekend's camping at Wimbleball Lake - I spoke to the campsite by phone yesterday and they were very helpful and even recommended which parts of the campsite would likely be darkest.

[JamesF]

On 03/07/2019 at 17:29, Ruud said:

County Gate; Webbers Post; Holdstone Hill; Wimbleball Lake – these are just some of the fantastic spots you could pitch up for a night under the stars. If you don’t have your own telescopic equipment you can hire all you’ll need from one of the National Park Centres. For a great stay, we recommend The Old Rectory Hotel close to the coast – it was recently voted ‘Best Small Hotel’ by Visit England.

see: https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/guides/top-5-dark-sky-locations-in-great-britain/

Hopefully soon it will be possible to stay with us :D  Fair way to go yet with the barn conversion though.

James

[Ships and Stars]

There's the light pollution map at https://www.lightpollutionmap.info/#zoom=9&lat=6570669&lon=-448724&layers=B0FFFFFTFFFFF

...then find a public forestry, park, lakeshore etc as mentioned above to set up gear in and check it out on google earth perhaps. Alternatively, you could just ask a farmer if you could set up your telescope for a night in their field. 

Should be plenty of decent spots if you do a little research? Have fun!

[Ships and Stars]

PS there are Bortle 2 skies north of Tintagel along the coast if you drive a bit past Exmoor, and for anyone who says there are no Bortle 1 skies in England, they are wrong! But it's definitely not an easy or cheap place to get to...

[exe_hibit]

The annual sky measurements and light pollution modelling show the darkest skies are in the vicinity of the area called Blue Gate/Deer Park/Drybridge Coombe, approx 2km SW of Simonsbath, but like everything in life it comes with trade offs (horizons, some hedges, etc). It also doesn't mean other places on Exmoor are bad; a number astrophotographers prefer the south-western side of the park (imagine an area bounded by B3223 to the East and B3358 to the North).