Pitch up to a UK campsite for the best views of the Northern Lights

According to experts at NASA, November 2013 is supposed to be the best year ever for the Northern Lights, a natural phenomenon which causes unearthly-like colours to dart around the night sky.  What better way to view them than from a great British campsite where light pollution is at a minimum and you can lie back and enjoy the view?

The north east of England and Scotland are said to be amongst the best potential viewing points in the UK so Pitchup.com, the UK’s leading outdoor accommodation specialist, has compiled a guide to Northern Lights spotting from some of its best positioned sites.

• Bluebell at Birdsong Garden is a cosy glampervan located in a secluded English garden in Alnwick, Northumberland.  This is a perfect location for enjoying views of the night sky as there is no light pollution and a double outdoor hammock in which guests can lie back and look towards the glowing night sky.  The accommodation is extremely comfortable and visitors are treated to complimentary biscuits.  A two night stay in November costs £90 for the van.

• Ayres Rock Hostel and Camp Site on the Isle of Sanday in the Orkney Islands is about as remote a location as anyone could wish to find for spotting the Northern Lights.  With a clifftop location visitors enjoy panoramic and unspoiled views for miles around. During the day there are beautiful sandy beaches to walk along, wildlife to spot and a lighthouse to explore.  Accommodation options include tent pitches, camping pods and a two bedroom holiday home.  Prices start from as little as £12 per pitch, per night.

• Tan Hill in North Yorkshire is another location that is expected to offer a stunning light show and Usha Gap Campsite is just five miles away.  Set on a working farm, campers on this site can pitch a tent or bring along their own touring vehicle.  With beautiful views of the surrounding valleys and hills it’s an ideal choice for enjoying the night sky.  Pitches cost from £24 per night.

• For a more rustic experience, Cowclose Woodland at Consett, County Durham is a wild style campsite where visitors walk 1km to their rural peaceful site.  The idea is for visitors to truly get back to nature.  There are cooking facilities on site including wood fired pizza ovens, barbecue grills and fires for warmth.  Once on site visitors can truly get in touch with nature and enjoy their natural surroundings – another great spot with no light pollution.  There is room for just 20 tents and pitches cost from £20 per night.

For reservations visit www.pitchup.com

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Media information:

Cass Helstrip or Samantha Marsh at White Tiger PR

Cass.helstrip@whitetigerpr.com 07968 255464

Samantha.marsh@whitetigerpr.com 07711 265666

Notes to editors

Founded in 2009 by former lastminute.com man, Dan Yates, multi-award winning Pitchup.com is a free guide to all types of camping and caravanning in the UK, Ireland and France.  The site provides users with a simple platform in which they can search and book a camping or caravanning holiday with total ease.  The customer experience from landing on the home page through to booking a holiday can be completed in as little as four pages.  The site also goes beyond traditional searches by allowing users to search for a site based on more than 80 criteria, such as adults only and campfires allowed, and view nearby events, Good Pub Guide pubs and VisitBritain attractions.  Users can also search on the offers page to find the best deals available.  Pitchup.com features over 5,000 camping and caravanning sites/parks throughout UK & Ireland with France recently added into the equation.  It enables users to search for all types of parks and sites from the major brands right through to one off campsites which may not have previously had a web presence.