You may or may not have heard, but one of the most spectacular celestial events is happening in just a few days. The UK is about to see its biggest solar eclipse in 27 years, and it’ll be visible across UK skies on 15 August.
However, for those of you hoping to get the best view of the spectacle, we’ve got you covered. Thanks to the lovely people down at SIXT, known as the car rental experts who have now added another string to their bow by becoming eclipse experts, we have a list of the best places in the UK to see the partial solar eclipse.
Devil’s Dyke
While the eclipse will be fully visible in places like Iceland and Spain, the UK will only get a partial view, but there are better locations than others, and one location is less than two hours from London.
Devil’s Dyke, sometimes referred to as “Satan’s ditch” is the longest, deepest and widest dry valley in the UK, and it’s been named as one of the best spots to get a glimpse of the partial eclipse, with the eclipse peak at 7:14pm.
It gets its name from a legend which claims that the devil himself dug the ditch to create a pathway to the sea and drown villagers, to punish their churchgoing. In reality, scientists believe it was probably formed naturally in the last ice age nearly 10,000 years ago.
Located in the South Downs, just five miles north of Brighton, this spot is known for its stunning views and being home to a variety of plants and butterflies.
The ranking for best eclipse view collated by SIXT took into account the percentage of cloud cover in August, elevation above sea level, and the percentage of solar obscuration. Devil’s Dyke is not top of the list of UK locations, but is the closest to London.
You can get there by car in just under two hours from London or catch a train to Hove and a bus from there to Devils Dyke, which again sits around the two-hour mark.
Galloway Forest Park in Dumfries tops the list with only 49% cloud coverage in August. For those who might be willing to travel further afield for a good sighting of the eclipse, the full list is as follows:
- Galloway Forest Park, Dumfries
- Strumblehead, Pembrokeshire
- Exmoor National Park, Devon and Somerset
- St Agnes Head, Cornwall
- Malham Cove, North Yorkshire
- Rhossili Down, Swansea
- Sutton Bank (North York Moors National Park), North Yorkshire
- The Giant’s Causeway, County Antrim
- Brean Down, Somerset and St Bees Head, Cumbria
- Devil’s Dyke (South Downs National Park), West Sussex
- New Forest National Park, Hampshire and Durdle Door, Dorset
