Seall

Press release · Embargoed until launch

New free app scores Scotland's dark-sky spots for tonight's sky

Seall, a new free app made in Scotland, shows stargazers, campervanners and walkers which of around 10,000 viewpoints, castles, dark-sky spots and other places across the country are worth heading to tonight. It works in the glens where phones have no signal.

Seall (Scottish Gaelic for "look") gives every place a score from 0 to 10 for the night ahead. The score weighs up layered cloud from the Met Office forecast, the moon, the chance of seeing the northern lights from that spot, how dark the sky gets there, and the wind. Viewpoints get a sunset score instead, which checks the cloud at golden hour and whether the view faces the sun going down.

The app is honest about Scottish summers. From late April to mid August the sky never gets fully dark this far north, so Seall holds scores down and shows the date proper darkness returns instead of sending people out on a grey night.

All six of Scotland's officially designated dark-sky places are marked: Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park, Tomintoul and Glenlivet Dark Sky Park, Moffat, the Isle of Coll, North Ronaldsay and the Isle of Rùm. Alongside them sit Munros, beaches, lighthouses, waterfalls, standing stones and 29 long-distance trails. A wildlife layer shows 21 species, from puffins and minke whales to the red deer rut, only in the months they are usually around.

Seall was built for people who travel by campervan and car. Each spot lists its nearest car park with spaces, fees, height limits and whether campervans fit, along with the walk in from the car, how much climbing there is, and an OS grid reference. Filters pick out free parking and official overnight spots.

Because much of the Highlands and islands has no mobile signal, the map of Scotland and every place in the app are stored on the phone. Sunset, darkness and moon times are worked out on the phone too. The forecast needs a signal, so the app suggests checking the score before setting off.

Kyle Kennedy, who built Seall at Scottish software studio SYNF, said: "Seall is built to answer the two questions people ask before a night out in Scotland: is it worth going tonight, and can I park when I get there? We've kept it free, and it keeps working when your phone loses signal."

Seall is free on iPhone and Android with no ads, no account and no tracking. Your location stays on your phone. A one-off Seall Pro upgrade costing £9.99, with alerts for good nights and a home screen widget, is coming later. Seall will never be a subscription, and the Tonight score and offline map will always be free.

Seall is available now from the App Store and Google Play. More at seall.app.

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Notes to editors