Dark skiesStargazing in the South Downs International Dark Sky Reserve

What the reserve is

The South Downs National Park was made an International Dark Sky Reserve on 10 May 2016. It was the second in England and the eleventh in the world at the time. It is also called Moore’s Reserve, after Sir Patrick Moore, who lived at Selsey. 2026 was its tenth year.

West Marden is inside the National Park and inside the reserve. The farm sits in a valley with no main road through it. The National Park’s dark skies pages have the maps and the events.

Where to go

The National Park lists ten Dark Sky Discovery Sites. None has toilets or other facilities, and none allows overnight camping. These are the five nearest.

• Harting Down: about 5 miles, 10 to 15 minutes. The view from the car park is overhead and to the north. Walk a few hundred metres along the South Downs Way for the wide one. Non-members pay to park through the JustPark app.
• Buriton recreation ground: about 8 miles, 15 minutes. A recent addition, with a clear view overhead.
• Iping Common: about 9 miles, 20 to 25 minutes. Open heath, and good for photographs with some landscape in them.
• Butser Hill: about 11 miles, 25 minutes. At 271 m it is the highest point on the South Downs, with a view all the way round.
• Old Winchester Hill: about 12 miles, 20 to 25 minutes. A National Nature Reserve where the Milky Way can be seen.

When to come

The long dark nights run from October to March. Avoid the week around the full moon, when the sky is too bright for faint stars, and wait for a clear forecast. In midwinter it is dark by five, so you can be out and back before supper.

The South Downs Dark Skies Festival is the National Park’s stargazing fortnight each February. The 2027 dates are reported as Thursday 11 to Sunday 21 February, which takes in half term. That comes from the local press. The National Park had not published its own 2027 programme when we wrote this, so check before you plan around it. In past years the star parties have been at Queen Elizabeth Country Park, about 8 miles from the farm. See our festival page.

What to bring

You do not need a telescope. You do need to be warm, and to give your eyes 20 minutes away from any light.

• More layers than you think, with a hat and gloves. A hilltop at night in February is cold.
• A torch with a red light, which does not spoil your night vision.
• Binoculars. Any pair will show more than the naked eye.
• A flask, and a mat or folding chair so you can look up without a stiff neck.
• A star map on your phone, downloaded before you leave. Mobile signal comes and goes on the Downs.

From the farm

Start outside your own door. Let your eyes adjust and look up before you decide whether to drive anywhere.

For a winter stargazing break we would book Keepers or The Old Stables. Both have a wood burner to come back to at midnight, with logs provided. Outside school holidays we take shorter stays, and February half term has a three-night minimum. It is a good reason for a couples’ break in the quiet months.

By day, Harting Down is a good walk in its own right. See Uppark and Harting Down.