Stargazing at Eryri (Snowdonia) International Dark Sky Reserve
Welsh mountain reserve — dark valleys, aurora on strong Kp nights.
Updated:
· Tonight: Saturday, August 15, 2026
📍 North Wales🌑 Bortle 3🚗 ≈ 2 h from Manchester or Liverpool via the A55 and A5.
About Eryri / Snowdonia
Eryri (Snowdonia) is a Welsh Dark Sky Reserve where narrow valleys shield the sky from surrounding towns. Llyn Geirionydd and Llynnau Cregennen are the two most reliable observing lakes.
What you can see in the sky
Milky Way over ridge silhouettes, Andromeda, occasional aurora.
Best time of year
September–April. Mountain weather is fickle — check a mountain forecast (MWIS) in addition to sky quality.
Why this site is worth the drive
Bortle 3 sky with dramatic mountain horizons
Multiple official dark-sky discovery sites
Combine daytime hillwalking with night observing
Practical tips for Eryri / Snowdonia
Arrive at dusk and give your eyes 20+ minutes to dark-adapt
Use a red headlamp — white light kills night vision
Bring warm layers; European mountain and coastal sites drop sharply after sunset
Live 48-hour forecast
Tonight's verdict above is a build-time snapshot. For the full
hourly view — cloud cover, transparency, seeing, smoke, humidity,
moon altitude and a Bortle-aware tonight score by observing mode
(visual, deep-sky, planetary, astrophoto) — open the live forecast:
The live page combines Open-Meteo weather, US-AQI wildfire smoke,
moon math and Bortle-scale darkness into a single tonight score
(0–100), updated continuously.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eryri / Snowdonia good for stargazing tonight?
Tonight's verdict is Fair (Medium confidence). Short 3h window, otherwise mean cloud 69%. Worth a look if you're nearby.
When is the best time of year to stargaze at Eryri / Snowdonia?
September–April. Mountain weather is fickle — check a mountain forecast (MWIS) in addition to sky quality.
How long is the drive from Toronto?
≈ 2 h from Manchester or Liverpool via the A55 and A5.
What can I see in the sky here?
Milky Way over ridge silhouettes, Andromeda, occasional aurora.
How dark is the sky? (Bortle scale)
Eryri / Snowdonia sits at Bortle class 3 on the 1–9 dark-sky scale, where 1 is a pristine wilderness sky and 9 is an inner-city sky.