Star parties in the North of England

[UKAndy]

Hi,

I've never been to a star party and the one mentioned (often!) in this thread in Kelling is a bit of a way away (And sounds a bit full!)

Does anyone on the forum know of/attend any of these events in the North of England/Wales?

How do they work? Do you need a tent/caravan - or can you kip in your car?

What kind of suggestions and ideas does anyone have?

And lastly (This might sound stupid! ) - but do you actually NEED to bring your own telescope to these events - or is everyone willing to let you look at their stuff.

As I said - I've never been to one of these events and haven't much of an idea of what goes on and when..

Cheers!

Andy

[James]

Hi,

I've never been to a star party and the one mentioned (often!) in this thread in Kelling is a bit of a way away (And sounds a bit full!)

Does anyone on the forum know of/attend any of these events in the North of England/Wales?

How do they work? Do you need a tent/caravan - or can you kip in your car?

What kind of suggestions and ideas does anyone have?

And lastly (This might sound stupid! ) - but do you actually NEED to bring your own telescope to these events - or is everyone willing to let you look at their stuff.

As I said - I've never been to one of these events and haven't much of an idea of what goes on and when..

Cheers!

Andy

I'm not an expert in that I've only been to two but here goes:

In reverse; taking a telescope isn't compulsory and most people will be willing to let you have a look through their scopes but there's something to be said for having your own scope with you and there's no risk of you standing around waiting/hoping for the next person to offer you a look. Some will be imaging or following their own observing program so may be willing only to let you have a quick peek before expecting you to move on.

A tent/caravan is highly recommended unless you want to sleep on the ground or unless you have a mate there willing to let you share a tent. You could conceivably sleep in your car but I wouldn't recommend it!

Not sure about the north of England star parties except of course the event at Kielder (see here) and possibly Dalby Forest? (although thats just happened)..

HTH

James

[Kai]

How do they work? Do you need a tent/caravan - or can you kip in your car?

I would take a tent as sleeping in a car is very uncomfortable,you can get a tent cheap enougth.

[Greg]

I would be more than happy for you to look through one of my scopes at a starparty as I usually have 2 or three out..

As for sleeping in the car....I would avoid it..get yourself a two man tent and some kit and away you go...

Or a caravan would be cool.... 8)

[davew]

Hi Andy,

I agree, don't sleep in the car if poss. It will feel damper and colder than a tent. Trust me I've done it.

Take a close look at the dates. Kielder can get cool in October :shock: so bring a decent sleeping bag / duvet and sleep mat.

Be prepared for the odd shower, snow fall, gale etc. This is where Kielder scores. It has a great warm room set up and coffee at a very small fee ( 10 pence last year I think ). In an emergency you could always sleep for a bit in there.

The pub is less than 10 mins away. That's warm as well ! Food is on the go from around 8.00 at the cafe until late at the pub and is very good ( and fairly priced ).

As for a scope. Bring a pair of binos. You will always find a group on the go and Richard Darn does a good job of introducing newcomers to the sky for a short while most nights. Bring a small scope if you can. The hookup field is usually full of imagers. The bottom field has less but many people want to run their own routines under dark skies. You may have to wait around for a bit but that's a great time to talk to people.

Plus, in the day small lectures and a guided trip to the new obs site organised. Also, more forest than you can cover by foot or bike in a week.

Need more info ? Just ask.

Dave.