The Carrachs was one of the few places in Scotland where the Roman Catholic faith was kept alive during the troubled times of the 18th century. Now this remote location makes for a great place to spot and photograph the Aurora with nearby abandoned farm buildings, picturesque trees and the old Seminary making for great foreground objects. The location itself is about half a mile walk from the car park at the very end of the public road.
In November 2018 the location received official recognition as a Dark Sky Discovery Site in the Cairngorms Dark Sky Park.
Weather forecast
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21/04/26
11° 0% -
21/04/26
11° 0% -
21/04/26
8° 4% -
22/04/26
5° 8%
Weather forecast for Tomintoul (4.7 miles away) updated 21/04/26 at 06:01. Powered by Met Office data.
Local light pollution
The Carrachs is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to a dark site location based on the latest data from the VIIRS satellite. For more advanced light pollution data, view this location on DarkSkySites.
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Urban
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Suburban
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Semi-rural
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Rural
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Dark site
The above demonstrates the estimated effect of light pollution - graphics created using Stellarium.
Best time to visit
The below chart shows when the skies will be at their darkest at this location and therefore the best time to visit. Moonlight is shown in light yellow and the Sun's twilight in light blue. Midnight on the date shown is shown as a white line with sunset to the left and sunrise the next morning to the right. A black background with stars shows the best times for stargazing. See our dark sky calendar for more details.
Tue 21st Apr
Wed 22nd Apr
Thu 23rd Apr
Fri 24th Apr
Sat 25th Apr
Sun 26th Apr
Mon 27th Apr
Find more dates
If you are planning to visit this location check our dark sky calendar to find out when is best!
Calendar