A Coast for All… Dark Skies and Nature

One of the great joys of a crisp night is to gaze at the infinite sky, speckled with millions of twinkling jewels and there’s nowhere better to see them than above the coast! 

Stargazing is a captivating activity for all ages and observing constellations, planets and even meteors are often best enjoyed at a Dark Sky Reserve. 

In December 2020 the North York Moors National Park was designated an International Dark Sky Reserve by DarkSky (previously the Dark-Sky Association), one of only 21 in the world and one of the top places to spy stars thanks to low light pollution levels, you’ll be able to spot up to 2,000 at any one time. 

In February 2025, it will be the 10th Dark Skies Festival and there are plans afoot to make it the biggest and best yet. Book Dark Skies Friendly accommodation between 14 February and 2 March for stay-and-gaze breaks, enjoy perks like telescopes and binoculars, reclining chairs and blankets, star maps and books. 

Join astro-photography experts, an astro society event, guided walks with specialists around the likes of beautiful Robin Hood’s Bay and much more. 

If you find yourself at the other end of the country, the Isle of Wight offers a Dark Skies Park at Fort Victoria on the north west coast, although the south is also ideal for lying down and staring at the night sky particularly in autumn, winter and spring. 

Come and see the Milky Way, Cassiopeia, Orion and the Plough, best spots with car parks are Freshwater Bay, Compton Bay, Brook Chine, Whale Chine, Culver Down and Yaverland. 

Vectis Astronomical Society in Newchurch opens its Observatory to the public each Thursday evening from 8pm. Take the Solar System walk from Bonchurch to Ventnor, the planets are marked out in signs to scale, for example, the Sun to Pluto takes 1,019 paces, the equivalent of 3,660,000,000 miles! 

Autumn and winter are also great seasons for observing nature, discover vast colonies of seals, extraordinary bird migrations and maybe minke whales.

Late October sees the arrival of grey seals at Donna Nook Nature Reserve on the Lincolnshire coast, a noisy and fascinating spectacle that plays out till January.  Easy to spot, more than 2,000 pups were born in 2023. 

Weirdly, grey seals scientific name is Halichoerus gryus which literally translates as hook-nosed sea pig.  Despite their gentle dark eyes, seals are curious and playful but even a pup can bite and despite their bulk, they can move surprisingly fast. 

Lincolnshire is also one of the premier birdwatching counties in the UK and the coast’s wildlife stats are mind-blowing! In recent years the winter assemblage has gone from strength to strength, peaking at a cumulative total of over 45,000 wetland birds, not including the occasional 20,000 plus Starling murmuration. These include counts of more than 8,000 wigeon, 12,000 lapwing, 15,000 golden plover, 3,000 teal and 5,000 brent geese.  

And where there are birds of this variety and number, birds of prey aren’t far behind!  Spotting the Big 5 is achievable in a day, the short-eared owl, marsh harrier, hen harrier, peregrine and merlin, but even spotting 10 raptor species in a day is certainly within range on this coast.  

The Visit Lincolnshire’s Coastal Bird Trail has been collated by local experts who know the best places to go and when, Lincolnshire Coastal Bird Trail - Visit Lincolnshire. From Alkborough Flats and Far Ings Nature Reserves in the north to Gibraltar Point and RSPB Frampton Marsh in the south, this coastal stretch is a wildlife magnet. To maximise your viewing chances, visit Lincolnshire’s top tips. 

Further north, the Durham Heritage Coast is a great spot for seeing dolphins, porpoises and minke whales in the North Sea, common and grey seals can be seen year-round. Head to RSPB Saltholme for the annual autumn bird migration, the skies fill with cormorants, kestrels, little terns and sanderlings while short-eared owls, sparrowhawks and skylarks nestle in the coastal denes. 

Just south, Whitby on the Yorkshire coast is ideal for seeing whales – minke, humpback, fin and sei whales have all been spotted here in early autumn.  Up to 500,000 birds can be seen right up to October at East Yorkshire’s Bempton Cliffs, but April to mid-July is the season for gannets, guillemots and cheeky puffins at Bempton and Flamborough Head. 

With 350 miles of coastline, the Essex coast bursts with nature reserves and wildlife. 

From seal watching trips running to autumn from Harwich and Burnham-on-Crouch to the Wildlife Trust Reserves of Fingringhoe Wick, Abberton Reservoir and RSPB Rainham Marshes and Wallasea, it’s easy to get back to nature with all the family. 

Fingringhoe alone features more than 200 acres hosting up to 200 species of bird, 27 of dragonfly, 24 butterflies and 350 of flowering plants! 

Explore newly created saltmarshes, mudflats and lagoons on Wallasea Island. Stroll the grasslands to catch a glimpse of short-eared owls or marsh harriers and of course mesmerising seals hauling themselves out of the water. 

This is a wildlife-rich haven, cattle graze to help manage the grass length for waders and birds of prey. There’s plenty to explore across the 740 hectares and six walking trails to roam and observe wildfowl like Brent Geese. 

Or head to Sandwich Bay in Kent, on a warm autumn day you can still see bumblebees or scuttling lizards. The mudflats are vital for wading birds and duck. Sandwich Bay Observatory runs events but you can look out for migrating birds like fieldfare and redwings, these wintering thrushes flock in autumn and settle noisily to eat berries and hawthorn bushes.