SGL 2024 Star Party - We need your help!

[Grant]

We would really like to start organising annual SGL star parties again starting next year - I miss them and I am sure others do too.

The challenge we have is a venue - Lucksall has developed a lot over the past few years and has many more static / residential type pitches now which makes it less suitable for star parties. Lucksall has been amazing to us over the years and it is sad to move away but after the last visit we had, we concluded it was probably no longer suitable for the larger SGL yearly star parties.

We've tried very hard between the mod and admin team to find an alternative with no success - finding the right combination of decent skies, accessibility, facilities and location are proving very difficult!

Here is what we need:

• Around 100 pitches a mixture of hard standing / grass but essentially all will need electric
• Good shower / toilet facilities
• Ideally catering on site such as a cafe or room we can book for talks / quiz etc..
• Space to have a marquee
• Reasonable skies - better than most peoples back gardens is a reasonable starting point.
• Location - flexible but I would suggest for the majority of people it needs to be within say a 3-4 hour radius of London.

Ideally, we would be able to block book an entire camp site to then be able to control lighting etc.. 

It would be great to find somewhere that would welcome a whole bunch of astronomers and work with us to build this event up 🙂

Any suggestions / ideas welcome - feel free to post here or PM me.

Thanks,

Grant

[reddoss]

PM sent.

[Grant]

1 minute ago, reddoss said:

PM sent.

Thank you 🙂

[Anne S]

I've come across Haw Wood Farm Caravans and Camping near Saxmunden, Suffolk. If you look for it in Googlemaps is has lots of pitches, both hard standing and grassy areas. They also have a cafe. It's around 3 hours from London, again according to Googlemaps.

A bit of a trek for FLO (and us) though.

[City9Town0]

It's 100 minutes up the A12 from the M25 when the road is clear... therefore normally much longer!!! ☹️

[carastro]

There were a lot of suggestions made on the previous thread. 

I will put my thinking cap on though.

Carole 

[carastro]

Just found this one on the internet.  Looks quite large with electric hook up and is accessible from the London area, and Dorset is pretty dark.  Looks like 65 pitches, do we need as many as 100? 

Looks like some Glamping Lodges too.  

Says Bortle 4 on Dark Sky map. and it is central for those of us in the South. 

Sorry this is large, just copied and pasted. 

24 x Electric Grass Pitches

7 x Grass Hardstanding Pitches

25 x Serviced Hardstanding Pitches9 x Serviced Grass Pitches

9 x Serviced Grass Pitches

https://www.campsites.co.uk/search/campsites-in-hampshire/fordingbridge/hill-cottage-farm-camping-and-caravan-park

Edited August 25, 2023 by carastro

[Nicola Fletcher]

I have no idea if there’s a reason not to, but Fforest Fields in Wales looks incredible. It seems to have everything you requested although I can’t see from their website how many it could accommodate. It’s just under 4 hours from central London and I would imagine the sky is worth travelling for! 
https://www.fforestfields.co.uk

[Richard N]

56 minutes ago, Nicola Fletcher said:

I have no idea if there’s a reason not to, but Fforest Fields in Wales looks incredible. It seems to have everything you requested although I can’t see from their website how many it could accommodate. It’s just under 4 hours from central London and I would imagine the sky is worth travelling for! 
https://www.fforestfields.co.uk

I have stayed there. It’s an excellent site with loads of room. 

[RobertI]

17 hours ago, Anne S said:

I've come across Haw Wood Farm Caravans and Camping near Saxmunden, Suffolk. If you look for it in Googlemaps is has lots of pitches, both hard standing and grassy areas. They also have a cafe. It's around 3 hours from London, again according to Googlemaps.

A bit of a trek for FLO (and us) though.

One thing potentially in favour of Haw Wood that they already do an astronomy / dark sky week for astronomers in November, so are familiar with the needs of astronomers and clearly supportive of what we do. 

[Xsubmariner]

3 hours ago, Nicola Fletcher said:

Fforest Fields in Wales

+1 I have stayed at this site and it offers excellent dark skies, loverly facilities and an abundance of daytime walks.

 

[icpn]

actually Haw Wood normally do two star parties a year, one int he Spring and one in the autumn, although with Kelling messing thing s around I am not sure they will have a Spring one next year.  Not all their grass picthes have electric and I am not sure they could do 100 people. The current ones are usually very small, maybe of the order of 30 people.

[carastro]

Also found this one which seems to have a range of accommodation

This 5 star park offers a range of accommodation including camping and motorhome pitches, glamping pods, lodges and caravans. The range of superb facilities including a bar and restaurant, leisure club with swimming pool and sauna, pitch 'n' putt course 

https://www.campsites.co.uk/search/holiday-lodges-in-dorset/bridport/highlands-end-holiday-park

[DaveS]

Just along the road from me. It should be fairly dark, but it's a bit close to the LP of Bridport.

[cajen2]

On 25/08/2023 at 19:29, carastro said:

Just found this one on the internet.  Looks quite large with electric hook up and is accessible from the London area, and Dorset is pretty dark.  Looks like 65 pitches, do we need as many as 100? 

Looks like some Glamping Lodges too.  

Says Bortle 4 on Dark Sky map. and it is central for those of us in the South. 

Sorry this is large, just copied and pasted. 

24 x Electric Grass Pitches

7 x Grass Hardstanding Pitches

25 x Serviced Hardstanding Pitches9 x Serviced Grass Pitches

9 x Serviced Grass Pitches

https://www.campsites.co.uk/search/campsites-in-hampshire/fordingbridge/hill-cottage-farm-camping-and-caravan-park

Fordingbridge is very small - the nearest other source of LP is Ringwood, which isn't much larger so hopefully it'd be quite dark.

[carastro]

12 hours ago, DaveS said:

Just along the road from me. It should be fairly dark, but it's a bit close to the LP of Bridport.

Maybe you could suss it out Dave. 

[DaveS]

I'll have a look when I can get away.

[Jim Smith]

Fforest Fields...

[Daniel-K]

I have a number of spots in  North wales PM me 

[callisto]

As I live up on the Northumberland coast somewhere around the Wales area would be ideal... areas like Dorset etc is not doable for me 😔

[Mr Spock]

1 hour ago, callisto said:

As I live up on the Northumberland coast somewhere around the Wales area would be ideal... areas like Dorset etc is not doable for me 

I'm farther south than you and I agree! Anywhere south of Lucksall isn't doable for half the country.

[cajen2]

Wales is great for dark sky spots but of course not famous for its clear skies....😆. Events like Astrocamp are usually a great success there: even if it rains all weekend, it's a good social event.

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

On 26/08/2023 at 08:28, Nicola Fletcher said:

I have no idea if there’s a reason not to, but Fforest Fields in Wales looks incredible. It seems to have everything you requested although I can’t see from their website how many it could accommodate. It’s just under 4 hours from central London and I would imagine the sky is worth travelling for! 
https://www.fforestfields.co.uk

That site looks great. Easily accessible for us northerners too. I like the blurb on their website. At least they're dark sky aware:

"Dark Sky Stargazing

We have enormous skies at Fforest Fields.  When the conditions are right, stargazing with the naked eye can be an absolute treat. 

For those with a taste for astro-photography we can offer some of the best darkest skies in the country.  We sit on the edge of the Elan Valley where there are also places to seek out to stand and stare."

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Richard N]

12 hours ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

That site looks great. Easily accessible for us northerners too. I like the blurb on their website. At least they're dark sky aware:

"Dark Sky Stargazing

We have enormous skies at Fforest Fields.  When the conditions are right, stargazing with the naked eye can be an absolute treat. 

For those with a taste for astro-photography we can offer some of the best darkest skies in the country.  We sit on the edge of the Elan Valley where there are also places to seek out to stand and stare."

 

I have observed there. It’s good. They are also used to hosting big groups I think. 

Edited August 30, 2023 by Richard N

[powerlord]

Haw woods is an excellent site. I was there last week again. It's ideal I think. They are a dark site,  very few trees so good views from all pitches and the owners are awesome.

And of course, being where it is, there's better chances od clear skies than pretty much anywhere else in UK.

Stu