Did you miss the northern lights back in May? Did you miss them AGAIN last week? Are you beginning to wonder if they’re even real or, instead, if everyone just collectively agreed to play a prank on you where they post endless pictures of that pinkish glow above London to make you question your reality?
We’re sad to report that unfortunately this one’s on you, and you did just get unlucky twice. To make sure you don’t miss out next time, make sure to follow Time Out’s guide to seeing the northern lights in the UK.
Aurora borealis making an appearance over the mainland UK is pretty uncommon, so if you want to maximise your chances of catching a shimmering sky, without flying to Norway that is, we’ve got you covered.
It should hopefully come as no surprise to you that the northern lights are clearer when you travel further north, and therefore that you’ll improve your chances by heading really far up. Further than Newcastle - further even than Glasgow. You want to get all the way to the top of Scotland, and then keep going.
The Shetland Islands are so far north that they’re actually geographically closer to Scandinavia than they are to England – this is your target. You’ll need to get yourself to Inverness and catch a flight, or hop on a casual 12 hour long ferry from Aberdeen. Your best bet is to go sometime between October and March, as the lights are more active at the height of winter, just make sure to wrap up. The northerly winds are piercing.
Check on the dedicated ‘Shetland alerts’ page on Aurora alerts, which you can access here, for the most up to date information on when they’re likely to next show. The Shetlands are made up of a few smaller islands, with Unst being the local pick for northern lights spotting.
If you’re still unsure, join the community Facebook page dedicated entirely to seeing the lights, they’ll definitely have all the info you need to plan your trip.
So go forth and make your way to Unst this winter for a one-of-a-kind staycation. If you’re lucky, you might even get to chat to some of the locals in their half-Scottish, half-Scandi dialect. That’s worth multiple days travelling all on its own.
Reach for the stars
You may have missed last week’s borealis show, which went as far south as London (sorry for rubbing it in), but fear not if you can’t make it up north. The lights are due to become more frequent in southern England from now on, plus there’s loads of great places to stargaze in the UK, even if you aren’t catching the auroras.
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