SOME 3000 people from all over the South West and beyond – even from Thailand and Italy – took part in events during Exmoor National Park’s Dark Skies Festival which ran for two weeks until November 4.

Immersive planetarium experiences, space-themed family fun, stargazing suppers, astrophotography, nocturnal wildlife events and guided moonlit walks were just some of the 40 events enjoyed by people.

The variable weather did little to deter star-seekers, with over 60 people heading out for a night walk on Dunkery one evening despite heavy fog and chill. Those who took part in a workshop on night navigation a few days later basked in near perfect starlit skies.

Exmoor national park ranger Tim Parish, who led the workshop, said: “The conditions on the walk were perfect – cloudless sky, cold air and no moon. On such nights you experience the stars as few of us do in this world of artificial light.

“Night navigation today is the same as it was thousands of years ago, and I hope these kind of walks give people the confidence to go out and try it for themselves.”

As an internationally recognised Dark Sky Reserve, the extremely low levels of light pollution on Exmoor mean thousands of stars can be seen with the naked eye, making it one of the best places in the country for stargazing.