STARGAZERS are being offered the chance to see the night sky in all its unspoiled glory through Bowland’s first Dark Skies Festival, including a pop-up planetarium next month.

The Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) has been officially recognised as having some of the darkest skies in England - a fact being celebrated with a week of special events during February half-term.

Hetty Byrne, sustainable tourism officer for the AONB said: “Light pollution means that truly dark skies are becoming increasingly rare. With our Dark Skies Festival we want people to discover the magical sight of the planets and constellations visible above Bowland.

“The longer nights of winter are good for star gazing and, given the right conditions, you can feast your eyes on everything from the Plough to the Milky Way.”

Running from Saturday, February 16 until Sunday, February 24 the themed week includes guided star gazing and astrophotography with local amateur astronomer, Robert Ince.

“Bowland is beautiful during the day but seeing its star-filled skies at night is a fantastic experience. We advise early booking as the events are likely to be popular.”

The events include Dark Skies Glamp at Bentham Gold Club on Saturday, February 16; astrophotography workshop on Sunday, February 16, in Gisburn Forest; a planetarium adventure in a mobile dome for HD films on Tuesday, February 18, in West Bradford, near Clitheroe, and a return to Gisburn Forest on Wednesday February 20 for a camp fire and story-telling sessions.

; the chance to book into one of Bentham Golf Club’s glamping pods or lodges and search the dark skies until the wee hours; wrap up warm and listen to nocturnal tales with storyteller, Sue Allonby and an invitation to step inside Yorkshire Planetarium’s mobile dome for night-sky films with the wow factor.

Details and booking information for all the Dark Skies Festival events can be found in the Festival Bowland 2019 programme available at: www.forestofbowland.com/Bowland-Dark-Skies-Festival or by contacting the Forest of Bowland AONB on 01200 448000.

Visitors wanting to stay and explore the area for a little longer can choose from a number of Dark Sky Friendly businesses - many of them accommodation providers offering information about star gazing in Bowland. The AONB has details on its website at https://forestofbowland.com/Star-Gazing/#businesses