Davagh Forest and OM Dark Sky Park

Davagh Forest, in the southern Sperrins, is best known for the OM Dark Sky Park and Observatory and its mountain-bike trails, but it is also a fine daytime flying location surrounded by wild Tyrone upland. The car park and visitor building give a clear staging point, and from height the drone takes in ranks of conifer, patches of open blanket bog, the winding red and black bike trails and the rounded Sperrin summits beyond. Being genuinely remote, it is a quiet spot with clean air and, at night, some of the darkest skies in the UK, though night flying brings its own legal and practical challenges you should think hard about before attempting. As Forest Service NI land, drone use is not automatically permitted, so contact the forest or the managing council before flying and avoid the marked bike trails when riders are out. Wind funnels over the ridgelines and the nearest shelter is far away, so plan conservative battery margins. There is no controlled airspace for miles, which simplifies planning. Autumn light on the bog and heather, or a crisp winter day with snow on the Sperrins, gives the most striking results, and the low sun angle up here works in your favour most of the year.