Northern lights Devon tonight

Dartmoor National Park holds International Dark Sky Reserve status - one of only a handful in England. Yes Tor (619 m) and High Willhays (621 m) are the highest points in southern England and sit above cloud inversions that often affect the Devon coasts. The western moor accessed from the Meldon reservoir approach is Bortle 2 in all directions on clear nights with no settlements visible from the summit plateau. The open granite moorland gives a 360-degree sky view. During G3+ storms, aurora appears clearly above the northern horizon from the summit tor, with the dark moorland as a foreground.

A National Trust headland on the north Devon coast near Croyde, facing directly north across the Bristol Channel and the open Atlantic beyond. The headland is dark in its north-facing aspect with only Croyde village lighting visible to the south-east. The cliff-top path gives access to positions with a clear northern horizon above the sea. The Bristol Channel is wide enough here that no Welsh coast lighting appears on the northern horizon. On a Kp 6-7 night, this is Devon's best north-facing coastal position.

Haytor Rocks on the eastern edge of Dartmoor are accessible by car with a large car park off the B3387. At 457 m, the tor sits above the Teign Valley and gives a wide north-facing view across the moor. Sky brightness here is Bortle 3 - darker than Exeter but not as dark as the western moor. The granite tor provides a foreground that's recognisable to most visitors, making it a popular aurora photography target during major events. Torchwick and the Hay Tor vale below give a natural dark foreground for wider shots.