Quantocks Great Wood Picnic Area - Forestry England
Quantock Hills, Adscombe, Somerset, TA5 1HN, South West England
The Great Wood Picnic Area, set at the heart of the Quantock Hills National Landscape, is a fantastic place to visit. Enjoy a family picnic, ride bikes through the woods and admire the majestic Douglas fir trees. Set in a hollow and surrounded by trees, there are limited views. However, this also blocks surrounding light pollution and offers incredible views of dark skies above. Toilet facilities are available, and the car park is open until 10 pm, allowing stargazers to explore the dark skies above.
Weather forecast
-
17/09/25
17° 11% -
17/09/25
16° 13% -
18/09/25
16° 13% -
18/09/25
16° 13%
Weather forecast for Quantock Hills Youth Hostel (2.4 miles away) updated 16/09/25 at 20:02.
Local light pollution
Quantocks Great Wood Picnic Area - Forestry England is estimated to have light pollution levels similar to a rural location based on the latest data from the VIIRS satellite.
-
Urban
-
Suburban
-
Semi-rural
-
Rural
-
Dark site
The above demonstrates the estimated effect of light pollution - graphics created using Stellarium.
Light pollution map of Quantocks Great Wood Picnic Area - Forestry England
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.
Wed 17th Sep
Thu 18th Sep
Fri 19th Sep
Sat 20th Sep
Sun 21st Sep
Mon 22nd Sep
Tue 23rd Sep
Find more dates
If you are planning to visit this location check our dark sky calendar to find out when is best!
CalendarEvents nearby
Stay and gaze nearby
Stay at one of these stargazing-friendly accommodation providers.