About this photo
Beadnell Aurora
Gary Woodburn
About this photo
Dunstanburgh Lunar Halo
Gary Woodburn
About this photo
Dark skies at Embleton Quarry Nature Reserve, looking north, with the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) active. Photograph taken on 21st March 2017.
About this photo
Dunstanburgh Milky Way and Aurora
Gary Woodburn
Embleton Quarry is a community owned nature reserve run by local volunteers.
The quarry is designated as a Local Wildlife Site and hosts various interesting habitats, including some rare whin grassland on the whinstone ridges of the old quarry. The quarry is also designated as a Northumberland Coast AONB Dark Sky Site and has dark sky measurements comparable to those found at some Kielder Dark Sky Park sites.
The site has a diverse history. It spent almost 100 years as a functioning whinstone quarry (which ceased in 1961), then from 1970 to 1984 it was a council landfill site. After the landfill closed the quarry was left to nature. In 2017 ownership of the quarry was transferred to Embleton Parish Council to manage as a community owned Local Wildlife Site.
It is a great place for stargazing. You can find our more information on the Embleton Quarry Facebook page.
