I was getting desperate to get some dark skies and to try out my campervan which I bought back in December.
Ivor had suggested we try the following site which is just south of Bewl Water and the opposite direction from Rother Valley when you get to the Flimwell traffic lights.
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/details.asp?revid=10001
A few of us were going to try this out a couple of months ago but the weather and ground conditions prevented it and no-one else was available last night. So I went with a bit of trepidation knowing that no other astronomers would be there, but hoped those who were would be friendly and they certainly were.
I got a brilliant night of 98% clear sky up to 3.30 am and hopefully a nice image at the end of it once processed which I will post separately.
The Campsite:
Cairds Camping and Caravan Park. It's small but this means not too many non astronomers with lights etc, 8 hook up points these are placed centrally with four points on each. The first thing the owner did was switch off the light on top of the hook up box (without me having to ask), though I did discuss that with him some 2 months or more ago and he didn't forget.
The pluses:
Very helpful owner and family, very friendly, willing to accommodate the needs of astronomers.
Small shop on site: With mostly farm produce: vegetables, eggs, bacon, home made hamburgers, sugar, tea, coffee, cakes, sweets, soft drinks. He is open to suggestions and I suggested some ready meals and he said he will need to change his licence but is willing to do this.
Glamping POD being constructed, ready soon with plans to build another. This has a double bed and a futon and en-suite and some sort of kitchen area. Would suit those not wanting to camp. But if sharing might have to put up a partition which I suggested and he is having a think about it.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8_bzQrEPG6Q/U10LRLT767I/AAAAAAAAAog/90-P5C0RTxU/w640-h480-no/IMGP1510.JPG)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jQ__d3d9vhk/U10LQCVu_kI/AAAAAAAAAoc/5zFX2yvX8u4/w640-h480-no/IMGP1509.JPG)
The owner also has a B&B just down the road he says and if any-one wanted to stay there they could also use the field for Astronomy.
VERY nice toilet and shower.
Plans to build a 2nd one, but meanwhile there is additionally a portaloo. No light visible from outside. Until this is made it could be a problem during busy times if some-one is taking a shower as happened to me and I had to use the portaloo.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-M-Jf0t56xlM/U10LTe6OIlI/AAAAAAAAApQ/bTymvgB5bCM/w480-h640-no/IMGP1511.JPG)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8C1WT5oG7Kc/U10MC-nyJCI/AAAAAAAAApM/dDM1Jgr_GLk/w480-h640-no/IMGP1513.JPG)
Sky: Good horizon everywhere except some trees in the Southwest direction, but much of South is clear. Some distant slight glow on the horizon from towns, but not too bad. I could see the milky way, but it rose out of the slight glow quite late and wasn't particularly outstanding (is this normal for this time of the year?). Nice dark skies, though not as good as Brecon Beacons or Tuesnoad.
This is my campervan and my set up with the SSW sky behind:
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--OLaHrKuOgU/U10LOXM1SzI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/JYH5rySR15A/w640-h480-no/IMGP1504.JPG)
The Southern horizon:
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Mk3JSHc5-Ak/U10LOW8tQCI/AAAAAAAAAoI/vmj_LDjaiC8/w640-h480-no/IMGP1506.JPG)
This is the glamping pod as the sun set:
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CeJKMhzQipA/U10LOd8wBfI/AAAAAAAAAoM/sBQLkfTF7B0/w640-h480-no/IMGP1505.JPG)
Stray light:
I was aware of a small country road running alongside the SW – W side of the site. I saw about 6 cars per hours up to midnight and very few after that. The lights did not trouble me at all as I pitched on the opposite side of the field and they were not pointing towards the field.
My Campervan:
It was so much better not having to pack and unpack both ends of the trip and I packed up and had left within 2 hours of getting up, normally I would have taken 5 hours to do this and been absolutely exhausted afterwards.
Would I go there again – most definitely.
Thinking of going again on Thursday, and if the USDC campers want to join me he says he has more more people there as it's a bank holiday weekend but can fit about 10 tents in even if some have to go the opposite side of the fence (can still reach the hook up if you have a long cable), otherwise if you prefer to go to Rother Valley I can pack up and join you on Friday.
Carole
I was there at midnight after Herstmonceux and it was certainly very dark, I couldn't see any lights from the gate so thought no imagers were there.
Impressive horizon, no obvious light pollution patches, it's up a hill so less chance of mist. Looks good.
Awe Shucks Duncan, shame you didn't come in it would have been nice to have some company. I was hidden behind a wind shield which is probably why you didn't see any lights.
Carole
An excellent write up, glad to hear it was a good trip and the campervan was a success. Following my late night reckie I'm pleaseds to hear the road didn't end up being a problem.
I guess the big test will be when there are other campers on site.
Well done Carole.... well worth the reckie then. Glad your weekend was a success and you got some imaging done. Our Herstmonceux visit was stunning; lovely clear skies (like you) and some great views of Mars. Even managed to see the south polar cap and smudges of details.
Doug.
Thanks for the info. Carole. Perhaps we should book this place for the May DSC and give it a trail run as a group?
Obviously being a small camp Mike, there is a chance of it getting booked up. But as he said, some tents could go the other side of the fence if necessary. Also being small I don't think he would like us booking the place and then changing our minds at the last minute if the weather wasn't good.
I'll E mail you his e mail address so you can discuss with him.
I'd quite like to go there again on Friday/Saturday - the forecast is good. But if every-one else prefers to go to Rother and there is space, I can do that too. I don't want to have to move everything from one camp to another. I'll start a separate thread on UDSC as keen to go.
Carole
I have started a new thread so as not to get muddled up with my other thread.
I'd like to go on Friday and Saturday and the weather forecast looks OK ATM. Sunday looks good too but I have a prior engagement.
Who's up for it and where shall we go?:
Rother valley (are there spaces?)
Cairds Camp site where I went on Saturday (I know you guys don't trust me after stairs farm :oops: :oops:)
Blacklands (lots of people)
Carole
yes that is the trouble with us, we usually cancel if forecast is not good, which is difficult for the campsite owners, dont know the answer. looks ok, well done Carole
I'd like to come for a night but I want to check the mount post rebuild before lugging it to a field. I liked to try Cairds as it's nearer and easier to get to, but my vote shouldn't count until I can confirm my mount is in working order.
Quote from: Fay on Apr 28, 2014, 15:35:46cancel if forecast is not good, which is difficult for the campsite owners, dont know the answer.
I seem to remember that the early DSCs were paid for in full in advance, and we didn't get anything back if we cancelled. We did, however, have the field to ourselves...
That would be nice Ivor. Yes I'd like to go to Cairds too, but didn't want to influence the majority decision. We'll see what happens with your mount and what others say.
Carole
Yes I remember that Rick. Not sure how that worked though, did the OAS foot the bill if no-one went?
Carole
Quote from: Carole on Apr 28, 2014, 16:53:39Yes I remember that Rick. Not sure how that worked though, did the OAS foot the bill if no-one went?
I think Greg collected money in advance from those wishing to attend, and paid the field's owner. You paid. If you didn't go, you didn't get your money back.
Quote from: Rick on Apr 28, 2014, 17:02:02
Quote from: Carole on Apr 28, 2014, 16:53:39Yes I remember that Rick. Not sure how that worked though, did the OAS foot the bill if no-one went?
I think Greg collected money in advance from those wishing to attend, and paid the field's owner. You paid. If you didn't go, you didn't get your money back.
That sounds like the fair way to do it - In the days of Penny's Field and Tuesnode particularly.
Unfortunately in the days of proper campsites with proper toilets and electric hook ups, the temptation is to stay in the warm when the weather turns crap and save the money.
Any campsite owner should clearly be compensated for any financial loss, however I think we should propose two processes one for in and out of season. Between October and March the site is closed so he's not losing out as no one else would be booking.
Quote from: Ivor on Apr 28, 2014, 17:59:38
Any campsite owner should clearly be compensated for any financial loss, however I think we should propose two processes one for in and out of season. Between October and March the site is closed so he's not losing out as no one else would be booking.
What throws a spanner in the works "out of season" is when someone is employed to "open up".
Blacklands is always open so not really a problem in that respect, Rother Valley isn't but will accommodate, but they do get miffed if there are bookings on a bank holiday and it rains.
There is a can of worms on the horizon :-?
Good work Carole & loving the new van.. Excellent m51 image as well - Nice one, John
PS - Did you note if there is a pub or takeaway anywhere near.. (just to put icing on the cake so to speak)..
yes can of worms. i would like to book a pod, but if weather turns i either go & sit inside out of the rain, or dont go and lose £110!
Thanks for the comments John.
QuotePS - Did you note if there is a pub or takeaway anywhere near
You have to pass through the village of Ticehurst (I think it was called) on the way to the camp and there were some shops etc there and I would imagine a pub, but I didn't really stop to look around. If I go again I'll take the time to suss that sort of thing out. The village is about 7 minutes drive away but we get nice dark skies by not being near anything.
Could try a ride through on google Earth, assuming it's been imaged.
Carole
Knowing certain club member's preferences I'd already checked where nearest pubs were, which is Burwash 2 miles by road or across the fields.
Google Earth with the 2008 & 2009 DMSP overlays indicates that Caird's Farm has similar darkness as Rother Valley:
(http://www.markshelley.co.uk/webdisk/ImagingDarkSites.jpg)
Being on a hill it probably wouldn't suffer the same mist problems we experience at Rother Valley and Blacklands.
I'm very tempted for this weekend ...
There are two things I did not like about Rother valley, and that was the bank of trees right behind us which meant we couldn't image anything to the south, plus it always seemed damp there, and if you sat out at night all your clothes etc were really damp as was my seat if I left it and came back to it.
I'd still be happy to go to Rother Valley, just not every time.
Well it looks like so far:
Me
Mark possibly
Ivor if his mount is working
Duncan indicated last week he might be interested if his knee is better.
I am presuming Cairds campsite.
The owner thought he could fit in about 10 if we wanted to come.
Carole
I am also up for this weekend, in my half done van. If the weather is ok
Great.
So are you guys happy to try out the Cairds camping site or would you prefer to go to Rother valley?
I think some of you have stated you'd like to try out the new camp site.
Carole
I have been trying to work out whether I can go and need a bit more info.
Is the camp for 2 nights or 3? I am looking at http://www.rother-valley.com/ (http://www.rother-valley.com/) so I hope that I have the correct site. On here it says that electric pitches are £24 on bank holiday weekends and must be taken for 3 nights (I am assuming that we would be having hookups).
Does the society have any agreements/discounts/deals with the camp site?
Lee.
I am not worried where we go as long as I have the postcode
Quote from: LeeH
electric pitches are £24 on bank holiday weekends and must be taken for 3 nights
That's a potential problem with the BH weekend - prices go up and minimum stays are imposed (or must be paid for).
Not sure if those arrangements apply to OAS. Also RV often can't accommodate us during the busy periods so we might have to go elsewhere.
Mike is the organiser so I am sure he will give a more definitive answer.
We normally go for Friday and Saturday as normally most people go back to work on a Monday, but being a BH weekend members might stay for 3 nights, and if the weather is good some of us who have retired go down early and stay longer.
Carole
Weather forecast not looking so good, but hopefully it will change again before the weekend - hopefully for the better.
Carole
Bummer, just had an E mail from Cairds campsite and he says there will be too many on site to be conducive to Astronomy. He must have taken some more bookings since I last spoke to him.
I suspect we could have the same problem at Rother Valley which appears now to be £25 per night, I never remember it being that expensive.
So assuming the weather picks up - suggestions - is it worth contacting Rother Valley?
Otherwise I guess it will be Blacklands as they can normally accommodate us when others can't but noise and lights!!!!
Any-one checked out whether Tuesnoad might have got it's act together and got electricity?
Any-one got a contact for Tuesnoad?
Carole
Quote from: Ivor on Apr 28, 2014, 16:07:55
I'd like to come for a night but I want to check the mount post rebuild before lugging it to a field. I liked to try Cairds as it's nearer and easier to get to, but my vote shouldn't count until I can confirm my mount is in working order.
Even if your mount isn't right now, enough of us have done rebuilds to help you get it sorted at a DSC. So don't let that put you off!
I liked the look of Cairds ( from Google and at night) and I think it will be great off season if we could effectively book the whole place as it looks like it will be accessible when Rother Valley is not.
Quote from: Carole
Rother Valley which appears now to be £25 per night, I never remember it being that expensive.
Yes Rother prices have gone up a lot, especially with the new weekend tariff. I used to pay £24 for 2 nights on a standard pitch (without electrics). That would now set me back £36 for a Friday & Saturday stay. I don't pay much more than that for a longer stay at the Kelling Heath Star Party and with free electrics.
Mark
Oh dear, just check with Cairds campsite and now doesn't look like they can fit us in, must have taken some more bookings. This is the problem with BH weekends and a small site and not booking in advance.
Carole
It's funny that the reason we moved to Rother Valley was that Blacklands put their prices up - Take a look at Blacklands prices now -
http://www.blacklandsfarm.co.uk/prices (http://www.blacklandsfarm.co.uk/prices)
Take a look here -
There are now references to DSC and uDSC all over the place - It will all end in tears :roll:
(Edit: Threads merged. It was indeed getting stupid... -- Rick)
Wow, that's a no brainer price wise. Actually I quite like Blacklands, despite the crowds and lights.
As I seem to have started this thread off, I'll ring Rother Valley and Blacklands and see what they have available, assuming the weather picks up.
Carole
Thanks for moving the thread Rick, what started out as a report has now developed into an event.
Carole
Yep thanks Rick
What about this place, it might be very cheep. ;)
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.1467265,0.7286944,148m/data=!3m1!1e3 (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.1467265,0.7286944,148m/data=!3m1!1e3)
Mac.
I was just looking at that Mac on google earth. If they've got hook up I'd be prepared to go there when it's not soggy ground, but I don;t have a phone number to ask.
Doubt they will have hook up anyway.
Carole
im sure you can just run a mains cable from the womens toilet.
Im sure Frodo and Daisy, will enjoy the past time of Sheep Chasing.
http://vimeo.com/3485209 (http://vimeo.com/3485209)
Mac.
I'd need to be certain about power supply. So has any-one got a phone number for Tuesnoad. I found one for Tuesnoad Farm which does fencing, but I am not sure it is the right farm. I could ring this number but if the wrong one I am not sure how to describe the one we want.
Also, Cairds just got back to me and said they could take my camper and 2 tents, so depending on how many finally decide to go that might be a possibility, but he thinking other campers might be doing barbecues with logs going on past Bank holiday experience, so might not be ideal anyway.
Carole
Tell them it's the one covered in sheep shit where members had to resurface the entrance due to the lazy owner :!
:lol: :lol:
I don't think any improvements have been done at Tuesnoad - I sometimes cycle past and take a look.
Cairds is more or less full.
Rother will charge us 3 nights at Bank Hol rates even for a single night.
Blacklands is a possibility but might be very busy.
There is one more possibility - descend on my place for a night. I can offer a darkish sky (weather permitting), electrics and no camp fires or distracting lights. We can wait a few days until the weather forecast firms up and then decide which night to choose; Fri, Sat or Sun
I can't promise a Chilli this time but there is good fish & chips not far away.
Alfie (our Cocker Spaniel) and Oscar (a friend's Collie mongrel) will be in residence but they shouldn't cause a problem. Nor should the new born filly in the next field.
Mark
Oh Mark i could do a one nighter.
That would be really great Mark, if I bring the camper that would free up a bed for some-one else.
Thanks.
PS. has any-one tried out Romney Farm, I'd like to give that one a try at some point, and it has glamping lodges there. I soppose I could always do an independent trip, maybe with Fay in the glamping lodge to suss it out.
I am sure Cairds will be OK when it's not a bank holiday weekend, so we should consider using it another time.
Carole
Quotedescend on my place for a night
£20 per person per night OK ? :lol:
Oh dear I can't do Sunday, so hope that night is not chosen.
Carole
At present Friday night is looking more promising weather-wise. But I would prefer Saturday night from a practical point of view. Let's see how the forecast pans out over the next couple of days before deciding.
For those who are interested but don't know my address, send me a Personal Message. As usual, bring a sleeping bag if you want to stay over (and a mat for the hard floor).
Mark
Quote from: Carole on Apr 29, 2014, 08:28:57
Mike is the organiser so I am sure he will give a more definitive answer.
Not for uDSC's ;)
That would be great Mark. Saturday night would be my preference too as I can't do Friday.
QuoteMike is the organiser so I am sure he will give a more definitive answer.
Not for uDSC's
Mike, Rick merged two different threads, one about the May DSC and one about the UDSC and my comment was regarding the one at the end of May. It got a bit confusing with different threads but merging them also caused confusion.
carole
That's a very kind offer Mark, looking forward to meeting the dogs! I can do any night.