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When it comes to the UK’s most beautiful landscapes, places like the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District and the Cotswolds tend to steal most of the attention. But those spots can often get overrun with visitors, and there are so many other places across the British Isles that deserve a bit more love and appreciation.
But you don’t need to just take our word for it, National Geographic Traveller agrees. And it has named Northumberland one of the best places in the world to go in 2026. Specifically, it says that going on a mini stargazing safari across the county is the number one ‘most epic’ trip you should book next year.
Northumberland’s International Dark Sky Park is Europe’s largest area of protected night sky, making it one of the greatest places to go for finding constellations, witnessing meteor showers and seeing the shimmer of distant planets. Plus, the region’s Kielder Observatory, which sits within Kielder Forest, is one of the UK’s prestigious observatories. It puts on 700 events throughout the year for all ages and experiences. In NatGeo’s words, the ‘focus is on making the unfathomable comprehensible and the involved fun’.
For rest your stargazing safari through Northumberland, the publication recommends booking a two-hour stargazing experience at the Twice Brewed Inn, stopping by Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant for a stargazing workshop or staring up at the sky from one of the cabins with retractable roofs at Hesleyside Huts.
If that’s not enough choice, we’d also suggest booking a stay at Sky Den, a very impressive small space that featured on George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces. Its triangular loft has a roof that opens up entirely to give guests a glorious, unobstructed look at the solar system.
The 13 best places to go stargazing in the UK, according to Time Out.
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Plus: A new stargazing observatory has opened in one of Britain’s most beautiful natural landscapes.
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