Astro Dark Sky Camps

Living in Bortle 8, I go regularly to camps sites with other Astronomers to enjoy the benefits of darker skies.

Photos of some of the campsites I have been to:

Our current campsite in East Sussex

We have been going here since 2014

Our Group camping at our East Sussex Campsite

Mine and Julian's Van

Same View at Night

The Glamping POD, always in demand

Relaxing during the daytime

Sunrise, fantastic views of the Eastern Horizon (in fact good horizons all round)

Photo by Fay Saunders

Tuesnoad (Near Pluckey in Kent)

2007

Tuesnoad (Near Pluckey in Kent)

2007

Tuesnoad (Near Pluckey in Kent)

2007

Real camping - no electricity

Various Trips to Kelling Heath Star Party

I have been attending this for over 10 years, about 300 Astronomers in 3 fields. On Saturday they organise events and Astro Traders come and sell their equipment.

The OAS Group 2010

View from my pitch

Kelling Heath has a Red squirrel conservation programme, though this is a local grey squirrel, lots of wildlife and nice walks at the site

Steam Railway runs behind the campsite, you have to Hail the train at Kelling Halt or it won't stop, and coming back to Kelling it can't stop due to the incline, so coming back you have to continue to Holt and then get off it on the way back.At Kelling Halt the driver and guard hang out of the train to see if any-one needs to get on or off.

Woodland Walking

Weybourne and the Sea seen from Kelling Halt Platform

My kit by the Caravan

Julian and his home made Dobsonian & seat

Lunch with my friend Ian

Sitting by the kit as it gets dark

Toadstool on the way to the washrooms

By the end of the week it had turned into this

Tweaking kit waiting for dark

Giving a talk at Kelling Heath on Astroimaging, with the signer signing for the deaf group

This was an interesting experience - Kelling Heath September 2012. The four corners of where my tent was pitched are marked with a number of items. I kept feeling the floor had become very spongy underneath my tent, and eventually I realised that moles were burrowing underneath.

April 2016 Kelling Heath

Mark Shelley one the the OAS members took this amazing night video with his modified Sony A7S, wandering around the field at 4am.He says he forgot to put an IR/UV filter on it and so it was picking up IR as well as visible light and also incandescent light, so the video in this link makes everything look lighter and brighter than it really was. It was in fact so dark you couldn't see you way around without a red torch and Mark said he almost bumped into some-one because he could not see them coming in the darkness. It is a very sensitive camera and even on video it shows the milky way and deep sky objects, but I hope this will give you some idea of the atmosphere at Kelling. The voice on the recording is that of Mark who kindly allowed me to post his video on my website:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3Ky5pyZvsINeXFiY2dsS21TSVE/view?usp=sharing

Kelling 2016

Some members of UKAI (Uk Astroimaging) posted this drone video on their forum:https://youtu.be/Syc7P2-3IJkPosted with permission from UKAIScreen shot from it. (My van is in the foreground, by the Red car and green tent).

UKAI Gravity Star Party - Salisbury

April 2011

Relaxing round the Campervan

The UKAI Group

The Whole Group

Isle of Wight Imaging Party - September 2012

It was luxury having a chalet

Mine and Anna's Kit

IOW Imaging party

High Halden, Kent

October 2011

Setting up for the evening

Rother Valley - near Northiam Sussex

July 2010

Star Party in the Brecon Beacons Wales

2013

We were joined by the Sky at Night Team who also camped

My Tent and Observatory tent

View of the Brecon Beacons

Talk on Planetary Imaging

Lucie Green talking to a young girl at the camp

Questions and answers

Les Granges In the Alps in Provence France - August 2013

Went with Anna Morris and we took my husband and her mum who was over from the USA, the weather was fabulous.
The kit I used:Takahashi FSQ106N @ F5Mount - Takahashi EM200Guidescope - ST80 and an Atik guide cameraTwo computers and lots of moths and the occasional spider

A special Astronomy holiday at Etoile St Cyrice in a tiny village in the mountains in Provence in France.
Nearest actual village is Orpierre famous for rock climbing.
I decided to fly to Marseilles and hire a car and drive up to Les Granges and hire Olly's kit, but Anna wanted to drive (from Suffolk) and take her own kit.

Anna Lugging her kit up the hill

Location

The Gite

Inside the Gite

There were lots of things to do during the day too, beautiful scenery and villages to visit.This is a nearby gorge. I have never seen such blue water in a river before, and the locals made much use of it. We visited this on our way back to the airport, so no time to stop and picnic or swim.

Nearby lakes where you can swim

Etoile St Cyrice highlighted in Green

Orpierre, famous for Rock Climbing

Notgrove - Camping in the Cotswolds 2021

In 2020 a group of us from the Astro Forums formed a Whatsapp Group and since we came from different parts of the country, most of us hadn't met in person. So we decided to create our own mini Astro camp to meet each other, and obviously if there were clear skies could do some Astrophotography too. We found the most central location with dark skies and found a place in the Cotswolds with 8 Cabins in a row, and other accommodation if needed.

We had a great week with 2 really clear nights, and on the cloudy nights we gathered in the "games room" which was reserved specifically for the Glamping PODS and chatted and did some Astro presentations.

We had such a great time that we decided we would do it again in 2022

On the field behind the cabins

We pitched our Astro kit on the field. The first 2 days were really hot, so we sat under the trees for shade.

In the Games Room

In the Games room another night with others who arrived later in the week.

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