From Aberdeen to Penzance, from Aberystwyth to Hull, skywatchers were out in force yesterday to see the best solar eclipse in a generation.

The event sparked huge interest as people across the UK scrambled to get the few remaining solar eclipse glasses, join official viewing events or head to some of the best spots to witness the eclipse.

It wasn’t quite the total eclipse that could be seen in Cornwall and the Channel Islands on 11 August 1999, but for most people there was a far better chance of seeing it – 27 years ago much more of the country was covered by cloud.

Most of the UK saw more than 90 per cent of the Sun covered by the Moon. Sky gazers were warned not to look directly at the eclipse with the naked eye or even with sunglasses, as it can lead to permanent damage.

Timings varied, with Edinburgh and Glasgow among the first to start observing the eclipse at 6.08pm, Manchester and Liverpool at 6.13pm and Truro in Cornwall at 6.18pm.

It reached peak overage between 7.05pm and 7.16pm, across the UK, before drawing to a close at 8.10pm in the far south-west of England.

The i Paper has put together some of the best pictures from the event, not just from the UK but from around the world.

According to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, viewers in Cornwall were expected to see an eclipse of about 95 per cent; in Pembrokeshire, Wales, around 94 per cent; westernmost parts of Scotland between 92 to 94 per cent solar coverage; and in the south-western tip of Ireland approximately 97.5 per cent coverage.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich offered a live stream after it sold out its viewing event and its eclipse glasses, selling 15,000 pairs in the last month.

The National Space Centre in Leicester also sold out tickets for its partial solar eclipse event and had no eclipse glasses available.

A young boy watches the solar eclipse at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, London (Photo: Yui Mok/PA) People gathering to watch the solar eclipse on Calton Hill, Edinburgh (Photo: Jane Barlow/PA) Molly the dog is held with eclipse glasses over her eyes during the solar eclipse at King’s Stairs Gardens in Bermondsey, south London (Photo: Aaron Chown/PA) People watching the solar eclipse at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, London (Photo: Yui Mok/PA) Attendees watch as the moon fully passes over the sun’s horizon during a partial solar eclipse at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Marche-en-Famenne, southern Belgium (Photo: John Thys/AFP via Getty)

For many young people, it was their first chance to see such a full eclipse, while for others it brought back memories of August 1999.

At Parliament Hill at Hampstead Heath, north London, Nicole Mwananshiku, 27, told The i Paper: “I think it’s amazing that everyone’s come together on top of a hill and something we can all enjoy for free in London.

“The last one happened just at the same time when I was born so it’s quite cool that it’s 27 years on.”

Thousands of people ignored the advice of the City of London Corporation not to gather at the viewpoint, one of London’s highest points.

Stephen Douglas, 56, from north London, said: “I may not see another one. I’m very much looking forward to it and seeing it go dark.”

Pyramis Ray, 63, from Finsbury Park, London, said: “I’ve come here because you’re up high and you’ve got good horizon. This is my last chance [to see it in the UK].”

He said he wanted to make an effort for this one because he missed the one in 1999. “I was in London, the weather was a washout.”

Shortly before the eclipse, Steve Hill, 57, from London, said: “I’m looking forward to seeing the city plunged into darkness in a kind of zombie apocalypse fashion.”

A spokesperson for the City of London Corporation, which manages Hampstead Heath, as a registered charity said: “Hampstead Heath is under immense pressure from prolonged dry weather and high visitor numbers.

“To help protect the Heath, we are asking people not to travel there to watch tonight’s solar eclipse. Those watching on TV will get a much clearer and safer view than with the naked eye.”

Crowds at Primrose Hill in north London watching the solar eclipse (Photo: Henry Nicholls/AFP) A woman holds up a sign asking for special eclipse sunglasses on Primrose Hill in north London (Photo: Henry Nicholls/AFP) People queue around the block from 6am in Weymouth, Dorset to buy eclipse glasses amid high demand (Photo: Finnbarr Webster/Getty)

Officials at Exmoor National Park, in north Devon, said they had seen “large numbers” of people coming to see the eclipse there, while at the South Downs National Park at least five astronomy groups were holding events, with the eclipse followed by the yearly Perseid meteor shower.

According to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, viewers in Cornwall were expected to see an eclipse of about 95 per cent; in Pembrokeshire, Wales, around 94 per cent; westernmost parts of Scotland between 92 to 94 per cent solar coverage; and in the south-western tip of Ireland approximately 97.5 per cent coverage.

Meanwhile, frenzied shoppers were desperate to get their hands on a pair of eclipse-safe glasses. Huge queues mounted around the block at the few shops which had stock left.

Shop fronts were plastered with signs to indicate they were sold out of the specs, while spectators roamed viewing points looking for any spare pair available.

A convenience store in London’s Whitechapel was forced to turn away customers yesterday hoping to get a pair of the specialist spectacles.

Ali Raza, who owns the AM2PM store, said: “On Sunday we had people coming from Surrey and Southend-on-Sea. On Tuesday night a lady came from Southampton and loads of people have come from Birmingham as well. Today I already sold 6,000 pairs.

“At 2.30am we had a delivery from Spain and by 9.30am we had sold out.”

Smashing sporting events

The eclipse coincided with a number of sporting events, with swathes of stadium crowds seen turning their attention from the pitch to the sky.

At Edgbaston in Birmingham, The Hundred match was overshadowed by spectators putting on their shaded eclipse glasses.

And at the City Ground in Nottingham, Forest fans paired their bright red shirts with fiery shades to view the rare astronomical event.

Matches ground to a halt as the eclipse cast a deep shadow over proceedings.

A spectator in the stands uses special eclipse glasses to watch the solar eclipse during The Hundred men’s match at Edgbaston, Birmingham (Photo: Jacob King/PA) Nottingham Forest fans using special eclipse glasses before a pre-season friendly match at the City Ground, Nottingham (Photo: Bradley Collyer/PA) Fans attempting to watch the solar eclipse prior to the UEFA Super Cup 2026 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa at Stadion Salzburg (Photo: Leonhard Simon/UEFA/Getty)

Meanwhile, at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, spectators took to the solar eclipse viewing with as much gusto as they had the track events earlier in the day.

Many members of the crowd were seen sporting eclipse glasses, with sunshine reaching inside the stadium into the evening.

The eclipse wasn’t all that the British fans had to cheer for – Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith also won a gold medal in the 400m dash with a time of 44.17 seconds.

Interesting headgear choices

With shortages of glasses, some people had to find innovative solutions to try and view the eclipse safely.

One couple of stewards at Croke Park in Dublin dug out some welder’s masks from somewhere, throwing back to one of the popular viewing methods back in 1999.

Others had the eclipse-safe glasses on alongside other jazzy headgear, most fittingly themed around the astronomical and celestial.

Some in Spain had hand-crafted elaborate reflective silver and gold headpieces, while others had superhero-like masks around their safety-first goggles.

John Lewis reported an almost 40 per cent increase in colander sales compared with last year, after Nasa recommended the kitchen item as an alternative method of watch the eclipse safely.

Spectators worse shiny headdresses near the small village of Castell de Cabres, Spain (Photo: Eva Manez/Reuters) Stewards wearing welding helmets to watch the solar eclipse ahead of a pre-season match at Croke Park, Dublin (Photo: Niall Carson/PA) Cesar Berzal poses with protective eclipse glasses during the watch party for the solar eclipse, in Buitrago del Lozoya, Spain (Photo: Susana Vera/Reuters) Margaret Nelson wears a face mask as she observes a solar eclipse before totality in Reykjavik, Iceland (Photo: Denis Balibouse/Reuters)

In Iceland, the conditions were not so clear – not ideal for viewing the eclipse.

People did still turn out for the event, though, with one spectator, Margaret Nelson, donning a striking mirrored mask.

It did not appear to have many safety features, but given the cloud cover, this was unlikely to have been an issue.

Spectacular total eclipse in Spain

Some spectacular pictures were taken in Spain, which saw a rare total solar eclipse, so merely the Sun’s corona was left visible on the fringes of the dark Moon.

It got even darker there than it did in the UK, despite burning golden sunshine just minutes before the eclipse began.

Scientists and astronomy enthusiasts observe a total solar eclipse at the Galactica Centre near Teruel in Spain (Photo: Christian Hartmann/Reuters) A composite image of the stages of the solar eclipse before, during and after totality, as seen from Arija, Spain (Photo: Borja Suarez/Reuters) The totality phase of the total solar eclipse as seen from San Asensio, Spain (Photo: Ander Gillenea/AFP)

Many tourists had flooded to ideal viewpoints in Spain to best view the eclipse, with demand for hotel rooms along the path of totality soaring in recent weeks.

Graham Keeley, a freelance reporter for The i Paper in Spain, viewed the event from the rooftop of his apartment building.

He said of the moment of totality: “A cheer went up, then everyone in the streets started to clap. For a few fleeting seconds, the Sun disappeared totally behind the Moon.

“Before that, we had been watching behind solar eclipse glasses and counting down as the image of the Sun slowly disappeared.

“Wow, it was worth the wait and the hype.”

People from Cologne, Germany, test their protective glasses ahead of a solar eclipse, at El Arenal beach in Mallorca, Spain (Photo: Francisco Ubilla/Reuters) Crowds near the small village of Castell de Cabres, Spain (Photo: Eva Manez/Reuters) Elsewhere in the world

Spain was not the only place to see a total solar eclipse on Wednesday evening. Greenland was actually the first place where the Sun reached on its path of totality, while Iceland also saw a total eclipse (albeit a cloudier one).

Passengers aboard the Ambition cruise ship off the coast of Greenland were treated to bright, clear skies and what looked like a chilly afternoon for a fabulous view of the eclipse.

Meanwhile, many parts of Europe saw a partial solar eclipse similar to that in the UK.

Passengers on board the Ambassador cruise ship Ambition watch the start of the total solar eclipse off the coast of Greenland (Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA) Solar eclipse over the Prague Castle, as seen from Prague, Czech Republic (Photo: Eva Korinkova/Reuters) Beachgoers watch the solar eclipse in the afternoon light along the coast of Fregene, Italy (Photo: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters) People use solar eclipse viewing glasses to look at the partial solar eclipse in Brussels (Photo: Marius Burgelman/AFP)

The eclipse made a staggered tour of European landmarks, including Prague Castle and the Eiffel Tower, delighting crowds of tourists and locals alike around the continent.

Crowds were seen in Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Italy and more to enjoy the once-in-a-generation astronomical event.

The next time it occurs in the UK will be in 2081 and the next total solar eclipse in Britain will be in 2090. However, on 2 August 2027, a total solar eclipse will cross southern Spain, North Africa and the Middle East.