The darker the night, the brighter East Devon’s stars will shine

When this content has been created

24 August 2015

Knapp Copse Local Nature Reserve, near Putts Corner has been officially recognised as a great place from which to look at the night sky

East Devon District Council’s Knapp Copse and Trinity Hill nature reserves achieve Dark Sky Discovery Site status

East Devon District Council’s Countryside team is delighted to report that its recent application for Dark Sky Discovery Site status for two of the county’s nature reserves has been successful. Knapp Copse Local Nature Reserve, near Putts Corner, and Trinity Hill Local Nature Reserve, near Axminster, have been officially recognised as great places from which to look at the night sky.
Both sites met the Dark Sky Discovery Site criteria as they are away from the worst of any local light pollution, provide good sightlines of the sky and have good public access.
Councillor Iain Chubb, Portfolio holder for the Environment at East Devon District Council said:

This is a fantastic recognition for two of our slightly more remote sites, and what this really shows is that there are many reasons to visit the east Devon countryside – Local Nature Reserves like Knapp Copse and Trinity Hill aren’t just great spots for a walk with the family, or to see some wildlife, but they can also be places to just take in the most breathtaking view of all – the night sky.

David Strange from the Norman Lockyer Observatory said:

We were very happy to support East Devon District Council's application for Dark Sky Discovery Site status for Knapp Copse and Trinity Hill nature reserves. The NLO welcomes all efforts to preserve our dark skies in the locality, and to ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy the majestic sight of our Milky Way galaxy arching over our heads.

24 August 2015 - The darker the night, the brighter East Devon’s stars will shine - East Devon

Also covered in the Herald:
Dark Sky Status to preserve majestic sight for generations - News - Sidmouth Herald

And here's a comment on the LocalGov website:

Very nice, pity it rains so often making observing the night skies a lottery. Nice little observatory though, with a great planetarium. One of the good causes that EDC has supported in this many years.

Devon nature reserves secure Dark Sky status - LocalGov

There are several websites devoted to 'dark skies':

Our Cookie Policy

This page outlines how we use cookies on this website.

What are Cookies?

Cookies are small "text" files that are written to your computer that store information set by the website. This information is used by the website when you return to browse it again.

Our Use of Cookies

Cookies are used on this site as part of the analytics software that helps us to understand how visitors use the website. We use Google Analytics to understand numbers of site visitors and to learn which pages are viewed.
It is important to note that Google Analytics does not collect any personal information about people visiting this website.
Google maintains a page fully describing the cookies that are set by the analytics software:
Google Analytics Cookie Usage on Websites
We also use videos on the site typically by using a third party service like YouTube. YouTube uses cookies to help them provide their video hosting and playback service.
YouTube is owned by Google and subject to their privacy policy:
Google's Privacy Policy

Controlling Cookies

You can change your browser settings to control cookies. You can refuse to accept cookies or have your browser tell you when cookies are set. You can also delete cookies that have been previously accepted.
If you want to change the settings on your browser the website www.aboutcookies.org has detailed instructions on how to control cookies for a wide selection of browsers:

The Dark Sky Discovery Website