A creative score singing the praises of walking outside after-dark and a new book sharing wildlife’s surprising nocturnal world, both feature in this October’s Dark Skies Fringe Festival.

The Festival, which runs from 24 October to 2 November, celebrates the pristine night skies above the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, plus the Howardian Hills and Nidderdale National Landscapes.

People visiting either the Sutton Bank or Danby Lodge National Park Centres in the North York Moors can pick up a free copy of a pamphlet known as a chapbook produced by Claire Hind from York St John University.

The pamphlet is a compilation of artists’ thoughts and work based on the sensations people feel when they’re surrounded by nature after-dark. It will also act as a helping guide, both in encouraging people to get in-tune with all their senses as their eyes adjust to being in the dark, and using the experience creatively.

Dark Sky Defender and nature writer Dani Robertson will be visiting The Pickering Book Tree on 24 October to talk about her newly-launched book Creatures of Darkness, sharing the mysterious and fascinating nocturnal lives of wildlife that depend on darkness to thrive.

Elsewhere, festival-goers can expect a programme filled with perennial favourites, including stargazing events at spots like Bolton Abbey, Malham Tarn and Ashes Farm near Settle in the Yorkshire Dales, or Sutton Bank, Dalby Forest and Whitby in the North York Moors. This year, the 10-day festival will coincide with the Orionid Meteor Shower, an annual event which sees streaks of lights shooting across the sky as the Earth passes through debris from the famous Halley’s comet.

Within the superb surroundings of Elsworth at the Mill near Skipton, Martin Lunn, formerly Curator of Astronomy at the Yorkshire Museum, will talk about the Great Northern Eclipse while diners tuck into a two-course meal.

There are also plenty of ways to experience how walking through natural surroundings at night can awaken all the senses, with guided walks enabling people to gaze in awe at the majesty of the dark sky as they stand beside cascading waterfalls such as Janet’s Foss at Malham and Mallyan Spout in Goathland.

Alternatively, people can follow a guide out to the stunning natural amphitheatre, the Hole of Horcum; the dramatic craggy rock outcrops knowns as The Wainstones; or the majestic beauty of Rievaulx Abbey. There’s also a guided walk marking the end of summertime on 25 October with a stride up Roseberry Topping, past the Hanging Stone viewpoint, before watching the daylight fade while following a trail back down to Newton under Roseberry.

Other after-dark adventures include canoeing with How Stean Gorge at Scar House Reservoir in Nidderdale, the Mad Alice Ghost Train ride through the heart of the North York Moors, night-time photography skills sessions at Whitby and Settle; and the spectacular sight of Whitby Abbey illuminated.

Families are also well catered for with daytime activities such as the Cosmic Adventures Workshop at Stumps Cross Caverns near Pateley Bridge, the Planet Trail at Aysgarth Falls National Park Visitor Centre and a dark skies-themed crafting session at the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes. 

Alternatively the Lime Tree Observatory near Ripon has an early evening Curse of the Cosmos show with a Halloween-themed tour of the universe.

Emily Watson, Regenerative Tourism Manager for the North York Moors National Park comments: “It’s fantastic to have new creative work featured in the Fringe Festival as it adds another dimension and way that people can become inspired to experience the wonders of the night, as well as highlighting why we should all care about protecting the quality of the skies above us.”

Helen Dalton, Tourism Officer for the Yorkshire Dales National Park adds: “October’s Dark Skies Fringe event is a fine way to welcome in the longer nights and instead of shutting out the darkness, making the most of the opportunities to bathe in the beauty of the night sky, particularly in our most cherished protected spaces where the sight of pristine, star-filled heavens is so uplifting.”