Dark sky hols

[faulksy]

Does anybody no of any good holiday places in the UK that have good dark skies and things for the kids to do in the day, we was looking at either holiday homes or maybe caravans, or similar. Thanks guys / gals

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[Pig]

I have also been on the hunt for this Mike, Cornwall seems the better option at the moment.

I am under strict orders from the better half   to get it sorted this week so I will let you know what I find

[faulksy]

Ok Shaun, same hear this week or no new esp lol

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[JB80]

It may depend on how dark you need but the sky was great in Scotland around Loch Ness and Highlands, plenty for kids as well if you have transport but of course as the summer draws in the nights do get shorter.

It's the only dark sky in the UK I have seen though.

[Daniel-K]

Mike let  know if you find something good!

[faulksy]

i will dan, hopeing for something good with the kids as well

[Mike73]

Its a bit of a tricky one really, you want dark skies so nowhere near built up areas but the kids will probably want something to do if its raining.

N Cornwall is the darkest place in the SW, lots of nice beaches and places to explore and also fairly low latitude for summer Milky Way. Look around the Crackinton Haven or Boscastle areas for holiday homes.

For most southerly latitudes in the UK goto The Lizard at W Cornwall, I dont go down that far to observe but I guess a cottage around Mullion will do you, nice and dark down there aswell.

[Daniel-K]

i will dan, hopeing for something good with the kids as well

NOT FOR THE KIDS MATE

[Beulah]

Kids don't need much when they go on holiday, just tons of nature.

Don't be fooled by the horrors of Haven/Butlins! (lots of light pollution too)

As a native Westcountry person I fully endorse Cornwall.  

[laser_jock99]

A inland self catering cottage in Wales. Take the kids to the coast in the day- head back into the darkness of the hills at night!

Be ware of the moon trap - check your dates!  

[faulksy]

A inland self catering cottage in Wales. Take the kids to the coast in the day- head back into the darkness of the hills at night!

Be ware of the moon trap - check your dates!  

A inland self catering cottage in Wales. Take the kids to the coast in the day- head back into the darkness of the hills at night!

Be ware of the moon trap - check your dates!  

were is this place you talk about ?

[laser_jock99]

There's plenty of self catering cottages out there. Here's one I found the internet the other day- it even advertises it's dark skies!

http://www.welshaccommodation.co.uk/

Good location though. Not too from the coast - there is a campsite there but it was closed last year (may be open again now?)

http://www.welshaccommodation.co.uk/map.php

There are other places such as the Elan Valley Estate properties.

http://www.elanvalley.org.uk/stay

[scarp15]

Northumberland could be considered to. Castles, quiet sandy beaches and very dark skies. However if intended for as a Summer Holiday destination, there will be some limitations around the extent of astronomical dark.  

[ronin]

You could try Norfolk not overly crowded and quite dark, but also think of places like the Isle of Wright and a bit further the Channel Islands, Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney. Alderney is a recognised dark sky location.

If summer then I suggest against Scotland, during the summer they do not get any real darkness at night. So likely not to be dark ironically.

Also consider weather, the West coast of the UK is known well for the rainfall and rainfall means clouds. Dark and clouds mean you see nothing. You really need clear skies first then dark skies.

[Mike73]

Also consider weather, the West coast of the UK is known well for the rainfall and rainfall means clouds. Dark and clouds mean you see nothing. You really need clear skies first then dark skies.

....infact the Westcountry is so well known for its rain that we get millions of visitors here each year just to enjoy all that love rain and clouds. 

[Knight of Clear Skies]

There are some handy weather charts on the Met Office site here. As someone who grew up in Cornwall, I was surprised to learn it's among the sunniest parts of the country, as this map shows:

From the link above you can also get a seasonal or month-by-month breakdown, the picture looks a little different then. For example, in Summer a strip of coast running from Weymouth to Whitstable gets the most Sun:

Here's a map of UK light pollution taken from this site:

Caradon Observatory in East Cornwall has a holiday lodge available, I'm related to the owner and manage the website for them. The last astronomer to stay there had free use of a 12" dob. It's a lovely dark site when the weather co-operates, there a few lights from Callington on the horizon 5 miles away and the ones to stop aircraft flying into the Caradon TV mast, but that's about it. In terms of things for kids to do, it's not as well placed as the coastal resorts but there are some local attractions. The South coast is about 30 minutes away and the North coast about 45. Plymouth is a good backup destination if it rains, especially the Aquarium.

As I've found though, the weather can be unkind. I visit fairly regularly and didn't have great luck in 2013, I have my fingers crossed for a better run this year.

Hope that is some help.

[faulksy]

Thanks so much guys, some great ideas there

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[earth titan]

Kelling Heath is good. Off there later in the year for family hols.

Also a nice place for kids, by the seaside and a steam train line along the coast.

[Joe_L]

Combine the two images and you can deceide where to live. I used the sunshine levels map for winter as a base for the frequency of clear skies - winter as that's the time of year when we have the most darkness, then I used the light pollution map as a mask.

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Nice map thanks.

Had some fantastic skies in Menorca when I was there at the end of last September. It's a real shame that there doesn't seem to be a telescope rental service on the island. I did manage to get this by resting my camera on the patio:

[laser_jock99]

Combine the two images and you can deceide where to live. I used the sunshine levels map for winter as a base for the frequency of clear skies - winter as that's the time of year when we have the most darkness, then I used the light pollution map as a mask.clear darkness.jpg

What do the colours mean in your map?

[Joe_L]

I haven't the foggiest

[Joe_L]

Black= light polluted or high levels of cloud in winter

Grey/white = low light pollution but quite frequent cloud

Orange= low light pollution, less frequent cloud in winter

[Knight of Clear Skies]

What do the colours mean in your map?

It's the Met office average sunshine hours per winter (over a 30 year period), with the light polluted areas masked out. The brown areas still showing are the sunniest locations, the grey the least sunny.

Edit: actually, I've thought of a problem. In Winter the days are noticeably shorter the further North you go, so using sunshine hours as a proxy for cloud cover doesn't quite work. Over the course of a year it should average out, but not if you are looking at a season or particular month. Joe_L's masked Winter map would make Scotland look worse than it is in terms of clear skies at night, and would make the south of England look better than it is. I'm not sure how pronounced this effect would be.

Tricky stuff this.

[RichM63]

I used to love Cornwall as a kid back in the 60s and early 70s. Never a shortage of things to do, places to explore, adventures to be tamed, quests to go on, giants to be conquered, and not one of them had anything to do with the hand of man.

Brilliant place for an adventurous/imaginitive kid to have a holiday, I never wanted to go home.

PS, now living over the water, Brittany is a pretty good dark sky destination for self catering although the cost of a car channel crossing adds up. Even in high season you can still have a beach to yourself.

Cheers,

Rich