Dumfries-shire town of Moffat named as Europe’s first Dark Sky Town

Moffat has been designated as Europe’s first ‘Dark Sky Town’.

In February, the Dumfries and Galloway town joined Coll, the first ‘Dark Sky Island’ in Europe, and Galloway Forest Park, one of only four ‘Dark Sky Parks’ in the western world, as one of the best places on earth to study the sky at night – all of which is helping to boost astro-tourism in Scotland.

The Scottish Dark Sky Observatory (photo credit – Damian Shields).

Now VisitScotland hopes that Moffat’s designation as Europe’s first ‘Dark Sky Town’ will add to the country’s astronomical allure, boldly going where few countries have gone before.

There is particular interest in the heavens this month as, on 30 May, Mars will be closer to Earth than it has been in over a decade – a mere 46.8 million miles away, making the Red Planet appear particularly bright in the night sky over the next few weeks.

Another excellent place to obverse the night sky is at the edge of Galloway Forest Park, where the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory in South Ayrshire allows visitors to learn about the wonders of the universe.

A recent report estimates that the Dark Sky Park is taking in an additional £500,000 over the winter months purely related to dark sky tourism with the expectation for that to rise to around £1 million.

Keith Muir, Head of Tourism & Communication at Forestry Commission Scotland, which owns the park, said: ‘The Dark Sky Rangers are now in place and beginning to get some trade and more local accommodation providers are being affected by the increase in astro-tourism. Even the increase in the number of dark sky places has assisted in the numbers with all the local events being either full or oversubscribed. There is still work to do and opportunities to be taken, but this takes time, resources and willingness to be part of it by the local tourism businesses.’

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, added: ‘Scotland really is out of this world when it comes to viewing the night sky, with Dumfries and Galloway and Coll among some of the best places to enjoy the beauty of the cosmos. Having Dark Sky status is a real draw for visitors, with accommodation and transport providers, food and drink outlets and all manner of other tourism businesses benefiting as a result.’

To find out more about stargazing in Scotland, go to VisitScotland‘s website.