Top five places to see stars

The National Trust has identified the five best locations on its land to stargaze including Stonehenge and Friar's Crag in Cumbria

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The curse of light pollution is an increasing blight on the restful occupation of star-gazing into clear skies. However, the clear skies of summer can be the perfect time for this contemplative activity. This year, the National Trust has offered a guide to their best five places to see the stars:

1 Black Down, Sussex: Get closer to the stars on the highest point in the South Downs, just over a mile from Haslemere

2 Teign Valley, Devon: Discover the stars at this beautiful area on Dartmoor National Park and close to Castle Drogo

3 Stonehenge, Wiltshire: Soak up history in this most atmospheric of places at night and enjoy the wide skies of Salisbury Plain's chalk downlands

4 Mam Tor, Derbyshire: Escape the bright city lights of Sheffield and experience the tranquil blackness of the Peak District's dark skies

5 Friar's Crag, Cumbria: There's nowhere more restfully contemplative place than Friar's Crag in Keswick which juts out into the spectacular lake of Derwentwater

The Trust is also keen to highlight the Perseids meteor shower of shooting stars which is due to peak on the night of August 12 - it should be a cracking show as the moon will be only a crescent. For more information, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/darkskies

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Pic: NTPL

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Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.

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