NEXT year will mark the tenth anniversary of the Yorkshire Dales National Park's Dark Skies Festival - and the opening celebration is due to take place at Broughton Sanctuary, near Skipton, writes Lesley Tate. 

February's event, says Broughton Sanctuary, which is part of the Broughton Estate, promises to be a stellar celebration of the region's breathtaking night skies and the wonders of the cosmos.

The Yorkshire Dales is home to some of the darkest skies in the country, offering stunning views of the Milky Way, planets, meteors and even the Northern Light -as recently seen. Designated a Dark Sky Reserve by DarkSky International, the park is a haven for stargazers and an area of significant scientific, educational, cultural, heritage and public value.

Broughton Sanctuary is devoted to preserving the natural nighttime environment throughout its 3,000-acre nature recovery project, and through its mission to raise awareness about the interconnectedness of our inner and outer nature. It is a must-visit, year-round destination for astronomy enthusiasts, novice stargazers and all those captivated by the beauty of the night sky.

Next year's festival is due to take place from February 14 to March 2. The opening celebration at Broughton Sanctuary will feature a series of dark sky 'safari experiences', both day and night from February 14 to February 19 and promise visitors a firsthand experience of the benefits of low light pollution for wildlife and for general wellbeing.

The full programme will be released next month, but the festival already promises a stellar lineup, including a guided planetarium experience, Zen Yoga, ecology tours, forest bathing, film screenings as well as storytelling around a fire temple. During the February half term, there will be plenty of family friendly fun with the destination based Wild Explorers offering an entire woodland of nature-based adventures for children.

On invitation from the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the astrophysicist and Zen teacher Mark Wesmoquette will open the celebration with a three-day programme. Mark will guide attendees on a life-affirming inner and outer journey, connecting them with the universe to uncover the wonder and awe of being in every moment.

Guests can also immerse themselves in the mysteries of the universe with a captivating 360 degree film screening in the Wonderdome, an inflatable planetarium. Learn about the planets, the size of the universe, space travel, earth, the sun and the moon.

Broughton Sanctuary works regularly with several dark sky experts, including astronomer Chris Higgins, from Limetree Observatory. Chris will lead an interpretive stargazing tour of the cosmos, when guests can explore the mysteries of the solar system, accompanied by the lively serenade of many nocturnal creatures.

There will also be the opportunity to join expert ecologist, River Six, on Nature Recovery Tours, exploring the Sanctuary's diverse plant and animal life and learning about biodiversity efforts. Each tour will explore one of five loops on the Odyssey Trail, a 30km path through Broughton's 3,000 acres, featuring nature restoration projects, woodlands, historical landmarks, and mountain views. Visitors can also expect to enjoy immersive wellbeing experiences like the fire temple, labyrinth, wild swimming reservoir, and moon baths.

Guests staying in Broughton Sanctuary’s holiday homes will enjoy complimentary access each day to a wide range of the festival’s events. Other events will be ticketed. Guests can choose from 19 homes, ranging from one to six bedrooms, including a former goat house and an apartment within the historic Broughton Hall.

Meanwhile, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is asking people to get involved with next year's dark skies festival by helping to promote it.

It has produced a toolkit for businesses which provides a range of images, the national park's logo, suggested social media posts and other ways people can get involved and show their support.

A spokesperson for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority said: "The Yorkshire Dales Dark Skies Festival provides an ideal opportunity to extend your tourism season for businesses and to celebrate and promote one of the special qualities of the national park – our magical dark skies.

"The Yorkshire Dales National Park Tourism team will be promoting the festival through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram along with paid promotions to reach relevant key target audiences and press releases to inform local journalists. We encourage businesses to share and amplify #DarkSkiesFestival content on their own social platforms with the help of the social media kit below."

The objectives of the dark skies festival are to promote understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the national park, and in particular, its dark skies.

It also aims to promote the national park as a place to visit because of its dark skies and its engaging businesses; and to encourage businesses to use dark skies as a way to market their business and extend the season.

The spokesperson added: "We now have hard evidence that there is a ready market for unique festival events, but also that there is a much increased demand for exploring the night sky. As we know, in this area we are some of the fortunate few who are able to see a sky adorned with glistening stars – resulting in sell out, successful events."

To find out more about how to get involved, email: tourism@yorkshiredales.org.uk.

To find out more about holiday homes at Broughton Sanctuary and to book tickets to the opening ceremony, go to: https://broughtonsanctuary.co.uk/holiday-homes/