Night sky over Malham, North Yorkshire

Sparkling skies. It was a dark and starry night...

Light pollution can pose a problem for stargazers hoping to catch a glimpse of the Milky Way. But for those prepared to wrap up warm and head out on these dark nights, some of our national parks offer stellar views. Our homepage image was taken over the village of Malham, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park which, alongside the North York Moors National Park, offer some of the best night skies in England.

Now running their fifth annual Dark Skies Festival season, low light pollution and clear horizons offer visitors the chance to see up to 2,000 stars at a time, away from streetlights. In some spots, you can see our galaxy, the Milky Way, with the naked eye and across the parks you will get great views of the night sky. There are also ghost walks, night-time zip wires as well as moonlight canoeing and mountain biking for the more intrepid would-be astronomer while others may want to relax and enjoy the stars quietly, while sipping on a hot chocolate.