Welsh dam named UK’s best stargazing spot as ‘noctourism’ booms

A site in mid Wales has been named the best place in the UK to observe the night sky – and has also ranked among the top stargazing locations in Europe.

Craig Goch Dam topped a new UK-wide study of more than 30 stargazing destinations, while also placing in the European top 10, underlining Wales’s growing reputation for dark sky tourism.

The research, analysed a range of factors including cloud cover, altitude, daylight hours, the number of visible stars and the Bortle scale – a standard measure of light pollution.

Craig Goch Dam, located in the Elan Valley, achieved a Bortle score of 3.2, indicating low levels of artificial light. Researchers said visitors could expect to see between 3,000 and 5,000 stars, with good visibility of the Milky Way across the sky.

The findings, compiled by Lotus Car Rental, have been released to coincide with International Dark Sky Week, which runs from 13 to 20 April and aims to raise awareness of light pollution and its impact on visibility of the night sky.

Another Welsh location, Hay Bluff, also featured in the UK top 10, ranking eighth. The site offers views of up to 2,000 stars and partial visibility of the Milky Way at an altitude of 625 metres.

Across the UK rankings, Scotland dominated much of the top 10, with locations in the Inner Hebrides and Banffshire taking second and third place. However, Wales’s presence at the top of the list highlights the quality of its dark sky locations.

The study comes as interest in “noctourism” – travel focused on night-time experiences such as stargazing – continues to grow. Searches for the term have increased by 447% over the past two years, according to the researchers.

Despite this rise, experts say people do not need to travel far to experience clear night skies, with parts of rural Wales offering some of the best conditions in the UK.

The UK is home to several designated Dark Sky Reserves and Parks, where efforts are made to limit light pollution and preserve natural darkness. In these areas, it is possible to see thousands of stars that are no longer visible in towns and cities.

The wider study also ranked locations across Europe, where lower population density and reduced light pollution often allow even clearer views.

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon was named the best stargazing location in Europe, with more than 6,000 stars visible on average.