Loch Morlich Car Park, located beside the scenic freshwater Loch Morlich at the foot of the Cairngorm Mountains within Cairngorms National Park, provides a superb stargazing spot in the Cairngorms Dark Sky Park.
With very low light pollution across the surrounding Glenmore Forest and open views toward the night sky, observers can often spot the Milky Way reflected in the still waters of the loch on clear nights and enjoy uninterrupted views of constellations, meteor showers, and planets above the rugged Highland skyline.
Its easy road access from Aviemore and proximity to trails make Loch Morlich Car Park a practical, family-friendly option for night-sky observation in one of the UK’s darkest protected landscapes.
Weather forecast
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26/04/26
15° 13% -
26/04/26
15° 55% -
26/04/26
13° 12% -
27/04/26
9° 3%
Weather forecast for Aviemore (4.2 miles away) updated 26/04/26 at 12:01. Powered by Met Office data.
Local light pollution
Loch Morlich Car Park 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.
Sun 26th Apr
Mon 27th Apr
Tue 28th Apr
Wed 29th Apr
Thu 30th Apr
Fri 1st May
Sat 2nd May
Find more dates
If you are planning to visit this location check our dark sky calendar to find out when is best!
Calendar