Dissapointed

[wookie1965]

Well went to Aberystwyth for the bank holiday weekend camping, took my scope as were I was had lovely dark skies so the site said. The weather was a let down and the site had lamps all around so no dark adapted eyes. This is he third time I have gone to a dark site and the weather has left me disappointed feel like giving up.

[cotterless45]

Nil desperandum mate , try this

http://www.browfarmcampsite.co.uk

[xtreemchaos]

dont give up mate,we all have bad nights,the weather been bad everywhere but it is a shame about the lights on the camp thay cant be use to skywatchers.cheer up clear skys charl.

[damnut]

Aber is wet!, if the clouds don't drop rain before heading up the lleyn and Snowdonia, then it is the other way round. Some lovely scenery though!!

[wookie1965]

The campsite said it is welcoming to star gazers then I get there and lamps blazing away anyway try again next year now or just go for a night somewhere close.

[ronin]

Terriable thing to say but the West of the UK has the darker skies, it also however tends to have the most cloud. When I lived over that way also a LOT of rain. As an example I recall a program about 3 or 4 years ago that mentioned the building of a reservoir in Wales to supply Manchester, it was situated there as they had on average 235 days of rain a year. If you consider that a lot of the remaining days will be cloud and no rain then statistically it is not a good bet.

I honestly think that planning a holiday/vacation based on astronomy is taking a chance, our weather just is not stable enough and it is also very local. I have had nights at a club 20 miles away and it has been cloud, head home, get out of car look up and there looking back at me are all the constellations.

I think we need to drop the primary idea of a "dark" sky, we need a clear one first, then the darker the better.

[Floater]

... drop the primary idea of a "dark" sky, we need a clear one first, then the darker the better.

Ain't that the truth!

[davedownsouth]

Going on a Full moon weekend wouldn't have helped either 

[laser_jock99]

Terriable thing to say but the West of the UK has the darker skies, it also however tends to have the most cloud. When I lived over that way also a LOT of rain. As an example I recall a program about 3 or 4 years ago that mentioned the building of a reservoir in Wales to supply Manchester, it was situated there as they had on average 235 days of rain a year. If you consider that a lot of the remaining days will be cloud and no rain then statistically it is not a good bet.

I honestly think that planning a holiday/vacation based on astronomy is taking a chance, our weather just is not stable enough and it is also very local. I have had nights at a club 20 miles away and it has been cloud, head home, get out of car look up and there looking back at me are all the constellations.

I think we need to drop the primary idea of a "dark" sky, we need a clear one first, then the darker the better.

You could also argue that quality is better than quantity? A few hours of pristine darkness is better for my soul than many hours of mediocre skies........

Shame about the OP's weekend though- two weeks earlier we had a good run of clear days & nights in Mid Wales - hence all my recent posts in the Deep Sky & Widefield imaging sections!

Sagittarius from my garden in Powys 12/08/15

[wookie1965]

I was hoping for my first glimpse of the milky way not to be as usual.

[Tim]

I should have thought the moon would have been your biggest problem anyway, not going to get much viewing with it at that illumination?

I have noticed that the west of the country seems better for astro in the spring, and the east in the autumn. Just the way the weather rolls

[Paul73]

Bad luck with the weather. Frustrating in the extreme.

If the lights are the usual low level annoying blighters, a couple of well placed carrier bags seems to help. Or, a couple on mins in the car, whilst being less than ideal, is will worth the effort.

Paul

[laser_jock99]

I should have thought the moon would have been your biggest problem anyway, not going to get much viewing with it at that illumination?

A very good point indeed - even if had been clear at the weekend your views would be hampered anyway.

[Stu]

Don't be downhearted Wookie, just roll with the punches

You will get lucky sooner or later. I had five lovely clear nights with no moon recently in Devon, the forecast was pretty much for rain all week but it didn't happen.

Keep trying, but do keep an eye on that moon, makes a big difference even at a dark site

[Adrian Condon]

Hi,

Sorry to hear of your troubled visit.

I go to a number of star parties....
My favourite site is the Galloway star party  held at Dunroaming Campsite, Kirkinner ... the next party starts in two weeks time.

http://www.drumroamin.co.uk

The owners really do make the site astronomer friendly... red lights, windows of the facilities block are covered.

The skies there are really some of the darkest in the uk.

I do an 800 mile round trip twice a year, February and November, this year 2015 add September, so that 3 visits.

Is it worth it?    YES.

On the cloudy nights we use the facility room which has a Pool Table and talk, while having great whiskey tasting sessions.

Rain is always a problem in the uk...... so is light pollution, Galloway definitely eliminates the light pollution problem, working on the rain problem......

Cheers

Adrian

[Mark62]

Nil desperandum mate , try this

http://www.browfarmcampsite.co.uk

I stayed in the same area at the beginning of August.

It was nice and dark hears a picture of the milkyway from the stay single shot ISO 1600 20 seconds

It was visible naked eye

Mark

[wookie1965]

Mark

Thank you for rubbing it in great shots I have to go to a dark sky site.

[laudropb]

Not much we can do about the weather, apart from moving to Arizona.

I understand your frustration. You are excited and full of expectations, and then they crash.

Keep trying. It will all come good some time.

[Skipper Billy]

Some of the things that astroimaging has taught me.......

Patience

How to deal with disappointment

How to 'whoop' quietly in the garden in the middle of the night when I get it right so as not to wake my wife!!

[reddoss]

What we could do with is a list of campsites across the UK which are 'dark' at night or have minimal lighting. 

[Mark62]

Thank you for rubbing it in great shots I have to go to a dark sky site.

Sorry

Mark

[Alkaid]

I'm afraid that unless it's a farmer's field (permission sought) then all commercial campsites will have lights shining around....mostly to show the way to the toilet block during the night....we do a lot of camping and really the only way to use a scope without annoyance is to take a portable set up and walk off site for a few hours (or even the whole night).

As for the weather, my sympathies. It really can be a downer, but persevere...

[Stu]

The site I was at in Devon had bright lights at the toilet block but I was some way away from it and positioned my scope so the tent shielded the lights. This worked surprisingly well and I got some great observing in

[reddoss]

The site I was at in Devon had bright lights at the toilet block but I was some way away from it and positioned my scope so the tent shielded the lights. This worked surprisingly well and I got some great observing in

I have found that imaging at the SGL campsite at Lucksall (when these id no star party) is fine if I am down the bottom of the field by the hedge and the target I want is to the south.