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Where are you all??

Gottzi

By Gottzi
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cgarry

cgarry

Posted
Posted

I am wondering if we could get permission to go onto some farmland or on to Wimpole Hall grounds or some such if we say we are the SGL-Cambridge group; perhaps have a regular slot or something? Seems to me there are several (obvious) issues:

1. Being out with expensive kit on your own could be risky

2. Finding a central location where a number of us could meet - reduces point 1.

3. Finding a location big enough (for more than one person) and dark enough with sufficient parking

4. Has a pub not too far away for pre-starwatching drinks and food

I am out north west of Cambridge... I will start to look out for sites over this way

That all makes a lot of sense. Having permission to use a site rather than picking a random out-of-the-way car park is the way forward in my mind as it reduces the chances of running into doggers and general trouble makers. A regular slot is also a good idea as getting people out at the time same gives us safety in numbers.

Cheers,

Chris

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Donkeiller

Donkeiller

Posted
Posted

Don't think you need permission to use the site where I have set up a few times at Wimpole.

It is simply a wide grass verge- not fenced off farmland and not an "official" carpark.

The upside is that the skies are quite dark, the downside that the occasional car does go past, so

you have to take measures to preserve your night vision.

Doggers- just the once but it put me off.

There again if there were a few of us.....

we could join in!!!

(Joke)

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ccbmedic

ccbmedic

Posted
Posted

Hi all,

Im in Lowestoft but split my time between home and a caravan site that has dark skies near Ipswich. Ive been trying to sort out a get together for some time at the campsite but to date only Squeaky has been and we get together regularly. Its a shame as the site is quite good and I'll let Squeaky tell you for himself. The site does have a day/night visitor fee of a bank breaking 2quid but I think thats fair enough as you are using their site afterall. warmth food and drink are provided by myself and my caravan certainly has a 'all is welcome' approach. The site is easily accessed from the A12 and set some distance away from the roads so theres no noise and more importantly any car light pollution. The vast majority of people on the site know Im a geek and can see when Im setup by the bright red power LED so use side lights when entering and leaving the site, which I think is thoughtful. If you would like to join both Squeaky and myself sometime please do so, you'd be made most welcome. If you would like further details please drop me a line. I'd love for us to have a gathering sometime and the the site owner who is a personal friend is jumping on the bandwagon also, so thats a star party catered for once we have numbers!!! Theres other things in the pipeline for the site over the winter, all Astronomy related but I cant say anything as yet. The owner and myself just need to work out finer details.

Best Wishes,

Chris :icon_salut:

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ccbmedic

ccbmedic

Posted
Posted

Chris has a good site. Good skies, good horizons, good company and passably decent coffee ;)

Well Squeaky, as you've come to learn...If you dont like my coffee...Make your blumming own sir!!! hahaha

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SmokeyJoe

SmokeyJoe

Posted
Posted

Hello, just arrived in Norfolk, beautiful county you have here, skies are amazing, even in the daytime! As for the night skies......oh wow! I have had two clearish nights since I got here, not managed to get my scope out but I'm still blown away, looking forward to some serious faint fuzzy hunting!:D

Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

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AndyZ

AndyZ

Posted
Posted

Hi, I'm based in Peterborough. I've just started out and I am looking for any recommendations for viewing sites, I don't mind driving a little to get there. It would be nice to meet up with some members. I can't make Kelling this year, but looking to book for 2013.

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russ.will

russ.will

Posted
Posted

I can only speak from experience of my parents back garden slap bang in the middle of Milton, but; The whole of Cambridge is due south, along with the bonus of Cambridge Business & Science Parks bathed in white light too. It's not great.

Russell

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badgers

badgers

Posted
Posted

Central Cambridge.

LP B-awful.

Any darker in Milton?

I'm central Cambridge too, but my views are all to the North side of the city which is slightly less polluted than the south side.

The industrial estates on Newmarket Road throw enormous amounts of light up into the sky.

Milton is likely a bit better, I've often thought of searching out a spot up around the Landbeach area.

I go down the M11 to Duxford some nights, it's quite an improvement, the M11 doesn't throw light upwards, only issue are planes landing at Stanstead flying through shots.

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russ.will

russ.will

Posted
Posted

Okay, here's an idea.

Rampton has a recreation ground. It's a village of a few hundred people strung out along three roads with minimal street lighting. The rec is up the end of the most southern of these roads and is, in turn, 100yds from that road. There are a few houses to the north of the Rec, but there are also low trees that block their light, whilst to the south there is basically nothing. I live on the village green, in the middle of the village and suffer less LP than some of the sites I have scoped as potential dark sites, in this thread. Hell, I spent last week in Overstrand on the N. Norfolk coast with the Dob, and on the two clear nights I got, I didn't see anything I can't see from my back garden.

I'm not saying the rec is perfect, but it offers a low, east, west & southern horizon and with Parish Council permission, cars can be driven on to it. One of the council members is my next door neighbour and we regularly swap power tools, as she is restoring a 17th century house. If people were interested enough to come have a look (If weather Rubbish, we will repair to The Black Horse, listed by Camra for real ales) then I'll put in a request.

With it being so local, to me at least, I could provide facilities such as tea/coffee and bacon sarnies. It would be no bother to haul my tent's cooker/grill the few hundred yards at the same time as my scope.

Anybody interested in at least having a look?

Russell

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