Sussex Dark Skies

Stargazing adventures in Sussex

There’s something irresistible about gazing up at a vast sky sparkling with stars. All you really need are warm clothes and a clear, dark sky which is why Sussex is a perfect location for some stargazing. With a designated International Dark Sky Reserve and several Dark Sky Discovery sites it’s a great place to come and admire the celestial show.

Stargazing tips and things to remember

• Check the phase of the moon before planning your trip, as it’s best to go just before a full moon. You can do this with a quick search online or by using a lunar calendar app. 

• Use a compass to help you find constellations or stars (you can use your smartphone, but this will impact your raw vision of the stars). SkyView Lite is available on both Apple and Android

• You'll need to let your eyes get used to the dark, this takes up to 30 minutes and is called 'dark adaptation'. Avoid looking at your phone but if you have to then use the low light mode to make the screen darker.

• Even in the spring and summer months, it can quickly become cold underneath a clear sky. Make sure you wrap up warm to get the most out of your stargazing experience! Bring a hot drink and a mat to lie on.

The best stargazing spots in Sussex

For a great vantage point visit Devil’s Dyke, tucked above Brighton and Hove, it’s one of the best spots in the country for viewing the night skies. In the east of the county visit The Observatory in Herstmonceux for one of their stargazing events, or head to Birling Gap, a dark skies discovery site right on the coast for an evening of wonder.

There’s plenty of space to sprawl under the stars on Iping Common, and you don’t have to venture far from the car park to make the most of it. This Dark Sky Discovery Site covers more than 100 hectares of heathland. It’s peppered with burial mounds and mostly owned by Sussex Wildlife Trust – an extraordinary amount of wildlife calls the common home. If you’re here at dusk in spring and summer, you might even hear the churring call of a nightjar as you settle in to stargaze.

Harting Down Dark Sky Discovery Site is cared for by the National Trust. By day, you can see out to the Isle of Wight from the tops of these ancient chalk downlands. By night, the star-speckled view is even older than the hills and you’ll soon see why Harting Down is a prime spot for landscape astrophotography. The downland grasses and scrub patches thrum with wildlife, too. In the darkness of winter, you might hear a short-eared owl. Birds of prey wheel in the wide-open skies here all year round.

Black Down, another National Trust place, is the highest point in West Sussex (and the South Downs). The sweeping views make for huge, star-studded skies as well as daytime panoramas to make you stop and stare. The National Trust has created an easy summer stargazing walking route but it works just as well in winter. While you won’t hear the nightjars or see the pipistrelle bats, winter is when all the best starscapes come out to play. And it’s not just your imagination – the stars really are brighter during the colder months.

If you’d like to learn a skill that equips you for remote stargazing adventures, check out Pied a Terre Adventures’ Night Navigation course. You’ll learn how to follow a route using a map and compass, without relying on any landmarks. It’s a handy and fascinating way to explore Iping Common and, like any decent stargazing expedition, ends at a cosy pub!