Staring up at the sky and really taking the galaxy in is a great, grounding way to pass the time. Granted, you usually have to be awake at silly o’clock in the morning for the best view, but boy is it worth it.
You also need minimal light pollution, meaning that some spots are better for stargazing than others. But we’re actually pretty lucky in the UK, because three British spots have just been named some of the best stargazing destinations in the world (according to the people at Stress Free Car Rental).
Crowned the top stargazing spot in the entire world was Scotland’s Galloway Forest, which gets very little light pollution thanks to having very few residents. Apparently visitors are able to see over 7,000 stars and planets at Galloway when conditions are at their best.
Following a Canadian town landing in second place, Northumberland secured third. The county has one of the largest expanses of protected dark skies in Europe. You can often see the Milky Way and even the neighbouring Andromeda Galaxy from anywhere across 580 square miles of the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park.
The pristine skies of Bannau Brycheiniog (otherwise known as Brecon Beacons), where 'major constellations, meteor showers and bright nebulae are a common view for stargazers', completed the top five on the list. By our calculations that means the UK is basically the best country to come to for all things astronomy.
If you don’t want to travel far for cosmic views, you’ll probably find somewhere near you on this list of the UK’s best places to go stargazing. And, contrary to popular belief, you can even enjoy a stargazing session in London, just take a look at this celestial guide.
Did you see that this brand-new train service in Wales has just launched?
Plus: The world’s friendliest place is right here in the UK.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.