UK's "top stargazing venues" - Telegraph

My wife's parents recently built a house on the edge of the dark sky forest. Went up there last year and the views were indeed amazing, but I spent more time inside hiding from the torrential rain than looking at the sky!

When we were up there in the winter we were amazed at how often it was terrible weather during the day but clear at night! We were staying right on the coast which does tend to have its own microclimate, drier and clearer than even just a few miles inland

Thanks Andy.  Strange though, I had that page on my internet bookmarks since last year.  I think they probably updated the content.  Surprised they haven't listed Brecon Beacons which has a twice a year stargaze camp event that I had been to twice now and will go again next month.  Stunning nightsky there where I saw my first Milky Way in all its splendour last year September.

Andy's link reminds me that I had been dark sky researching a while ago and accumulated these useful links in my internet bookmarks:

This is a comprehensive quality graded list of notable dark sky locations for stargazing, also including star camps.  Light pollution grades are given.

http://www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk/dark-sky-discovery-sites/map.html

Light Pollution on UK (and rest of Earth) at Night, as seen from space:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/9386592/Light-pollution-on-Earth-at-night-as-seen-from-space.html?frame=2271529

The following is a fascinating night sky simulation tool where you click anywhere on the map and it will simulate how the night sky will look from that location.  You have to scroll down a bit for the simulator.  Pretty awesome, tool, I think to at least guage comparisons from different locations.  There are many factors it takes into consideration but by its own admission there are some which are not such as the quality of our own eyesight etc.

http://www.need-less.org.uk/

The following are internet tools to find dark skies in UK.   The best one however, is a Google Earth overlay which I already installed but I cant remember where I had downloaded it from, grrr...I'll try and find it.

http://www.avex-asso.org/dossiers/pl/uk/index.html

http://www.blue-marble.de/nightlights/2012