This traditional farmhouse lies half a mile beyond the outskirts of Alston on the borders of Northumberland and Cumbria and within the scenic North Pennines AONB. It’s a great base to explore the surrounding area and dark skies above.
Stay & Gaze - this location benefits from dark skies, relatively low levels of light pollution, is astronomy friendly and suitable for stargazing breaks.
Weather forecast
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12/09/26
17° 64% -
12/09/26
17° 42% -
12/09/26
15° 21% -
13/09/26
14° 52%
Weather forecast for Alston (0.6 miles away) updated 12/09/26 at 12:01. Powered by Met Office data.
Local light pollution
Mark Close Farmhouse - Alston is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to a rural 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.
Sat 12th Sep
Sun 13th Sep
Mon 14th Sep
Tue 15th Sep
Wed 16th Sep
Thu 17th Sep
Fri 18th Sep
Find more dates
If you are planning to visit this location check our dark sky calendar to find out when is best!
Calendar