Next week, the Moon will cover around 90% of the Sun for a couple of minutes. It might sound small, but the UK hasn’t seen a solar eclipse as good as this since 1999. I’ve already bought my special ISO 12312-2:2015(E) eclipse glasses (off Amazon, if you’re wondering), but where’s the best place in the UK to watch the partial solar eclipse?
In Birmingham, the partial solar eclipse will begin at 6:15 pm, peak at 7:11 pm, and end at 8:04 pm. But—analysing such metrics as % of cloud cover in August, elevation above sea level, and % of solar obscuration—car rental experts SIXT have put in the work to find the top 10 west-facing spots to catch the eclipse on Wednesday, August 12, and found that none of them is near Birmingham…
Where is the best place to watch the eclipse in the UK?
Galloway Forest Park in Dumfries, Scotland, is officially the best place to see the partial eclipse on August 12 in the UK—thanks to its unobstructed western horizon views, low cloud cover and standing at 843 metres above sea level, all increasing your chances of a clear view of the Sun.
If you want to stick to England, then Strumble Head in Pembrokeshire and Exmoor National Park in Devon and Somerset rank second and third for eclipse viewing. Both have relatively low average cloud cover, but neither is particularly close to Birmingham, being a 4-hour and 3-hour drive away respectively.
For the closest location near the Second City on this list, you will have to head to the joint 9th spot: Brean Down in Somerset (which is near Weston-super-Mare). This promontory off the west coast of England juts a mile and a half into the Bristol Channel, and stands 97m above sea level, boasting truly unbelievable views.
Realistically, for a Wednesday evening, you’re better off staying local for the eclipse (rather than attempting a 2.5-hour drive). In my opinion, just head to Lickey Hills, Cannon Hill Park, or Sutton Park for places with big open skies. Special solar eclipse events are also happening at The Exchange and Aston Hall.
The top 10 west-facing spots to catch the eclipse on August 12:
- Galloway Forest Park, Dumfries and Galloway
- Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire
- Exmoor National Park (Valley of Rocks / Countisbury area), 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
- St Bees Head, Cumbria
