Holidaying in the LOT (Dept 46) France - Bring your telescope

[davefrance]

Last night I went to the inauguration of a new public viewing site in the Lot department at Carlucet in the Quercy Black Triangle. Villages in the triangle are being encouraged to apply for "Villlage of the Stars" status which involves taking measures to reduce their light pollution and adhering to a set code of practice to ensure dark skies. They are then given a star rating.

Three villages have so far opened up an area for public use, they are..

Carlucet 

Reilhac

Limogne en Quercy

Other villages with star rating (but as far as I know, no public space)

Bio

Couzou

Espedaillac

Vidaillac

Beauregard

Information about the area can be found here http://uk.parc-causses-du-quercy.fr/

[RichM63]

Blatant publicity, this guy should be BANNED!!

LOL Nah only kidding. France does indeed have an active governmental award system for introducing Dark Sites, and save cash by not having artificial lighting.

For Dark Sites,

Visit; Dave's area, Ollie's area, or my area Brittany.

WE HAVE THE LIGHTS TURNED OFF WHEN PERFORMING ASTRONOMICAL ACTIVITIES!

Bangs head into forgotten Lamp Post.....duh

[davefrance]

Blatant publicity, this guy should be BANNED!!

LOL Nah only kidding. France does indeed have an active governmental award system for introducing Dark Sites, and save cash by not having artificial lighting.

For Dark Sites,

Visit; Dave's area, Ollie's area, or my area Brittany.

WE HAVE THE LIGHTS TURNED OFF WHEN PERFORMING ASTRONOMICAL ACTIVITIES!

Bangs head into forgotten Lamp Post.....duh

What's a lamp post?

[RichM63]

Sumpthin left over from 1789...

[davefrance]

Vive la revolution

[LukeSkywatcher]

I have not been to France in about 35 yrs, but it would NOT take much convincing for me to pay a return visit. Ive never been to the SW. Dark skies or not, its a country that i'd love to explore some more.

[dweller25]

Thats a great scheme Dave - we visit the Loire every summer and the skies are fantastic. Thought about coming down to check out your area but it's a 6 hour drive - big place France  !

[NickK]

The north is quite light polluted, although if you go towards the Somme and a little inland it's all farms - many with places to rent for a week etc. They have decent sky although they can be just as prone to cloud as the UK.

Olly's is good - dark skies.

I get to see a lot of the north (Sandrine is from Dunkerque) and family members dotted around from Abbeville through to Lille. Still yet to get to Brittany.. 

[Owmuchonomy]

Last night I went to the inauguration of a new public viewing site in the Lot department at Carlucet in the Quercy Black Triangle. Villages in the triangle are being encouraged to apply for "Villlage of the Stars" status which involves taking measures to reduce their light pollution and adhering to a set code of practice to ensure dark skies. They are then given a star rating.

Three villages have so far opened up an area for public use, they are..

Carlucet 

Reilhac

Limogne en Quercy

Other villages with star rating (but as far as I know, no public space)

Bio

Couzou

Espedaillac

Vidaillac

Beauregard

Information about the area can be found here http://uk.parc-causses-du-quercy.fr/

If there is a nice caravan site you are aware of in this area (or any other dark sky area for that matter en francais) then let me know please.  Even better if it has something for the wife to do!

[Qualia]

Chris, you might fancy a quick read of this brief report I made a couple of years back. The camping site I stayed at was amazing; it was only for over 18 year olds, the staff were all British, extremely friendly and very helpful, and the site was very well-equipped (swimming pool, tennis courts, kitchens etc) and really, really peaceful. Tip-top. The area of Quercy has loads of fabulous sites to visit to boot

[davefrance]

Thats a great scheme Dave - we visit the Loire every summer and the skies are fantastic. Thought about coming down to check out your area but it's a 6 hour drive - big place France  !

It's a long drive but the roads are much better and quieter than UK especially if you avoid July and August. If you travel on a Sunday there are no lorries (except livestock and food). I never use the auto routes there is so much to see on the way down. South West, South East both gorgeous places to visit.  

[Davey-T]

Haven't been to France for many years, the last time I drove down through Andorra to the Costa Del Sol in Spain with wife, three kids, mother and father in law , roof racks piled to the sky

only room for some 10X50s and saw nothing of the country as everyone insisted on going like a bat out of hell by the quickest route.

Got stopped at the Andorra, Spanish border by guys with sub machine guns who seemed to think we were drug smugglers and insisted on unloading everything from the car to search it.

May be able to go back sometime soon now I don't get the nightmares so often and the memory has faded a bit, just need somebody to have my wife for a couple of weeks 

Dave

[davefrance]

Haven't been to France for many years, the last time I drove down through Andorra to the Costa Del Sol in Spain with wife, three kids, mother and father in law , roof racks piled to the sky

only room for some 10X50s and saw nothing of the country as everyone insisted on going like a bat out of hell by the quickest route.

Got stopped at the Andorra, Spanish border by guys with sub machine guns who seemed to think we were drug smugglers and insisted on unloading everything from the car to search it.

May be able to go back sometime soon now I don't get the nightmares so often and the memory has faded a bit, just need somebody to have my wife for a couple of weeks 

Dave

Those guys do look a touch menacing don't they. Touch wood, never been stopped at the Spanish border but there are always cars on the side of the road with the boot being emptied and searched. I have noticed that it is not always at the border, sometimes a few kilometers away. Can't help with the wife I'm afraid, one is enough.

[Ludd]

Had a lovely stay in the Lot valley a few years ago, a bit downstream from the Quercy region, near Fumel.  Lovely skies, gorgeous countryside.  I've posted this here before, but it's worth reposting to reinforce what Dave says about this region.

I know a fellow cycling astronomer who has a place at Montcuq (there's a v funny silly short film about this village, look for it on youtube).

[davefrance]

Had a lovely stay in the Lot valley a few years ago, a bit downstream from the Quercy region, near Fumel.  Lovely skies, gorgeous countryside.  I've posted this here before, but it's worth reposting to reinforce what Dave says about this region.

I know a fellow cycling astronomer who has a place at Montcuq (there's a v funny silly short film about this village, look for it on youtube).

Lovely pic. Funnily enough I was in Fumel yesterday.

[Relpet]

On 14/05/2015 at 20:48, davefrance said:

Last night I went to the inauguration of a new public viewing site in the Lot department at Carlucet in the Quercy Black Triangle. Villages in the triangle are being encouraged to apply for "Villlage of the Stars" status which involves taking measures to reduce their light pollution and adhering to a set code of practice to ensure dark skies. They are then given a star rating.

Three villages have so far opened up an area for public use, they are..

Carlucet 

Reilhac

Limogne en Quercy

Other villages with star rating (but as far as I know, no public space)

Bio

Couzou

Espedaillac

Vidaillac

Beauregard

Information about the area can be found here http://uk.parc-causses-du-quercy.fr/

Dave,

I found you as a member through your Milky WAy pic only the other day and was intrigued by your sobriquet Quercynoise dark skies triangle.  I'd be interested to know how things are proceeding there.  To be candid there ain't many amateur astronomers close to my village but I am generating interest by giving the occasional informal star party.  Somebody seems to have shot out the nearest street light (wasn't me, guv, honest), which helps, but because I'm halfway up a valley the lights along the main road through the village can be bothersome.  Especially irksome for about 9 months of the year is football.  Floodlights on match night and practice nights are not turned off until everyone has left the bar.  Quite late, as you can imagine.  The lights are so stong illumination bounces off our barn wall making the observation yard as bright as a moonlit night.  In the next village the residents are demanding a street light outside every house, regardless of the fact that no one will walk 50 metres at night, preferring to take the car.  If a request for a street light is made it is met.  So making a dark triangle here seems a remote prospect, in spite of our being in a truly rural location with what should be almost unpolluted skies.  What's happening around here seems quite contrary to government policy, but that's Gascony for you.  Any ammunition I can shove in front of the mayor would be appreciated.

Thanks

Peter

[davefrance]

54 minutes ago, Relpet said:

Dave,

I found you as a member through your Milky WAy pic only the other day and was intrigued by your sobriquet Quercynoise dark skies triangle.  I'd be interested to know how things are proceeding there.  To be candid there ain't many amateur astronomers close to my village but I am generating interest by giving the occasional informal star party.  Somebody seems to have shot out the nearest street light (wasn't me, guv, honest), which helps, but because I'm halfway up a valley the lights along the main road through the village can be bothersome.  Especially irksome for about 9 months of the year is football.  Floodlights on match night and practice nights are not turned off until everyone has left the bar.  Quite late, as you can imagine.  The lights are so stong illumination bounces off our barn wall making the observation yard as bright as a moonlit night.  In the next village the residents are demanding a street light outside every house, regardless of the fact that no one will walk 50 metres at night, preferring to take the car.  If a request for a street light is made it is met.  So making a dark triangle here seems a remote prospect, in spite of our being in a truly rural location with what should be almost unpolluted skies.  What's happening around here seems quite contrary to government policy, but that's Gascony for you.  Any ammunition I can shove in front of the mayor would be appreciated.

Thanks

Peter

Hi Peter, I cannot find an up to date list of villages but I think Bio, Couzou and Espedaillac all have stars now. I don't know about the others. The Quercynoise Dark Triangle is still being promoted strongly and I notice more down lights appearing in the area. I am lucky in that I live about 1 km from the village so cannot see any street lights (not that there are that many anyway). The nearest footy stadium is about 1.5km so whist I can see when the lights are on ithey are not really a problem.

The local Astro club of which I am a member are holding  public "nuit des étoiles" events this year on 28th July (near Gramat), 29th July (Couzou) and 17th August (Espedaillac) 

The Day of the Night "Le jour de la Niuit" events are being held nationally 14th October . http://www.jourdelanuit.fr/

Further information regarding the Village Etoile scheme and how to apply can be found here www.anpcen.fr

It's a shame your area seems to be rebelling against the trend must be really frustrating.

  

[Relpet]

Thanks, Dave. When we were first considering buying a place in France we spent nearly a week in the Lot just before Christmas 2001.  Cahors was decorated like a jeweller's window.

Good luck with your "nuits des étoiles".  The last two national events it's chucked it down here both times.  We are hoping to spend the night at the Pic du Midi observatory in late September as a kind of tick off the bucket list.  In the meantime another gorgeous sky tonight.  Two nights running?  What's going on?

Clear skies

Peter

[laudropb]

Having visited Confolens earlier this year I can totally recommend the dark skies of SW France. I hope to return in October. Wife permitting.

[Relpet]

23 hours ago, laudropb said:

Having visited Confolens earlier this year I can totally recommend the dark skies of SW France. I hope to return in October. Wife permitting.

There's SW France and there's la France Profonde.  Confolens from where I'm sitting looks almost central but I can see the Pyrenees from our terrace: truly SW France.  One clear night forecast in the next ten days!  Must be the mountains.

Clear skies in October.

Peter

[laudropb]

It was Astrofarm I visited. 6 clear nights in a row.

[Cjg]

Agreed, fab, dark skies in France. I'd echo @laudropb's experience of the Astro Farm, it's a superb place, managed 102 of the 110 Messier Objects in March. My report of the event here. 

Sadly, Andrew who runs the Astro Farm has been banned from Stargazers lounge, which is a bit puzzling, but that's for the owners / mods I guess to deal with. 

[rockettsue]

Thanks for this post. What a shame for me though! We were going to Lot with friends that used to live there,  unfortunately we couldn't meet up because I had broken my hand last year.  I have complications and have to have it re-broken in hospital any time soon so have to wait at home. I never knew it is a great star gazing place!  Next year we will make it a definate...

[davefrance]

32 minutes ago, rockettsue said:

Thanks for this post. What a shame for me though! We were going to Lot with friends that used to live there,  unfortunately we couldn't meet up because I had broken my hand last year.  I have complications and have to have it re-broken in hospital any time soon so have to wait at home. I never knew it is a great star gazing place!  Next year we will make it a definate...

Hope you get your hand sorted and get to visit our beautiful department next year, you will not be disappointed.