I am risking life & limb & going to Kielder. I decided to go a couple of weeks ago & got the last hook up. I will do it over a couple of nights. I was thinking of going in march but was asked why not October. May have to learn to drive a snow plough...
(Edit: Post-topic-split subject edit only -- Rick)
QuoteI am risking life & limb & going to Kielder.
Blimey Fay, I thought Kelling was far enough.
I'm actually going to the Salisbury Star Party the weekend before the OAS DSC, so hopefully will not miss out, but all depends on the weather.
QuoteSnow, October - are you kidding ?
Yes I've heard something along those lines too.
Carole
hope you like rain,
its very wet in kielder this time of year.
Are you going up the A68?
thats a very nice run this time of year, just past darlington
Mac.
Fay,
You're turning into a real trooper!
Mark
I am having a lot of sleepless nights over the journey. I know there is a big risk with the weather. but if the sky is good, it is supposed to be the best. I am doing the journey in a couple of leaps, & stopping in an inn on the A1 to break the journey. It was mentioned that someone hires a 6 berth caravan & if the ground was bad, I may be able to share, not sure yet. I think I had a brainstorn when thinking about this!
I will go the way of the SatNav, Mac, which is probably that route.
So Fay will this trip to Kielder be with your new friends that you made at Kelling ?
Is that why your old OAS friends are being cast aside ?
:cry:
no new friends, my little chick
Fay,
It's the Kielder Forest Star Party I presume?
I originally thought maybe you had randomly decided to drive there ...
You better take a red filter for your screen -it looks like their rules may be even stricter than Kelling.
Mark
It's supposed to be the darkest site in England, even so I think you're very brave to go all that way. Is this by chance part of some competition you're having with Carole ? Carole how will you respond to that - will you be goinggto the Orkney or the Shetland islands perhaps ?
Robert
According to the simulator at http://www.need-less.org.uk/ some interesting LV Mags are:
High Halden 5.15
Rother Valley 5.31
Kelling Heath 5.55
Exmoor (International Dark Sky Reserve) 5.95
Kielder Forest 6.74
Galloway Forest (Dark Sky Park) 6.77
yes it is the star party. I am familiar with a few of the attendees via various forums. If the weather is bad, it is bad, but if good, it is good. I think Mike went up there and had a week of mist
QuoteI will go the way of the SatNav, Mac, which is probably that route
Fay - did you know that SatNavs are only reliable for 2hrs of Navigation. Apparently after that they loose accuracy - it's something to do with triangulation & the curvature of the Earth..not quite sure what... Anyhow you need to be careful on a long journey like that you could end up anywhere..... I'd take some printed maps just in case..
Cheers, John.
Quote from: MarkS on Oct 11, 2011, 08:11:54
Fay,
You're turning into a real trooper!
Mark
With the weather they may get up there, Fay will be a Stormtrooper. :lol:
Tony G
hope you are having me on, John, I will be relying on that 100%!!!!
You may never see me again......................................
PS
i am doing the journey over a couple of days though
I was told that any southerner that has gone up there, never goes again!!!!!!!!
Quoteany southerner that has gone up there, never goes again
That would be because they rarely make it there the first time and never find their way back home anyway.
Still, I'm sure your new
other forum friends will take care of you :(
Quote from: Fay on Oct 11, 2011, 12:45:30
I was told that any southerner that has gone up there, never goes again!!!!!!!!
Doesn't that tell you something :roll:
PS. I must admit I'm impressed with your determination. Don't forget to make sure everything works
before you go !
Quotehope you are having me on, John, I will be relying on that 100%!!!!
Fay - I am a bit worried - you are relying on technology to take you the length of England yet you couldn't figure out how to play the game with the Red Hats the other day :-( ......
Good Luck.
John
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
QuoteCarole how will you respond to that - will you be going to the Orkney or the Shetland islands perhaps ?
I've already responded.
I think you're very brave Fay driving all that way, it would take me probably 2 days or more to get there if I tried. I drove up to Mull on the Western isles of Scotland a few years ago but took about 3 days to get up to Northumberland, admittedly it was a holiday and we were taking in places we hadn't seen before in England. Plus I was driving an old Dormobile which would only go about 45 mph and had drum brakes, I guess that was quite brave (or mad depending on your point of view, but it was loaned to us FOC).
I hope your efforts are rewarded Fay. I'd love to go, but can't face that journey.
Carole
I'm getting more nervous everyone saying I am brave!!!!!! Beginning to think I am daft
Quote from: Fay on Oct 11, 2011, 12:45:30
I was told that any southerner that has gone up there, never goes again!!!!!!!!
I knew a girl who made that comment once?
:ferret:
When I drove up to Kielder it took my 7 hours 20 mins and that was towing a trailer.
It's a straightforward enough drive.
Very funny Robert....... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
QuoteCarole how will you respond to that - will you be going to the Orkney or the Shetland islands perhaps ?
Aha! I believe it is Carole who is organizing the trip to Iceland.
Beat that Fay!!!!!! ;)
Tony G
I thought you would be busy packing by now Tony...... ;)
Well i've done the trip from London to Darlington in 2 hours on a CBR600, before the days of speed traps. :cheesy:
and its only another two hours from their to kielder, at normal speeds,
you should get there in 7 hours easy
a word or warning thought, fill up before you leave the A1, because when you get into the sticks there there are very few petrol stations.
Mac.
Thanks Mac, yes have been advised about fuel. Also, from Yorkshire I will be meeting up with some one & will be following the rest of the way. So not on my own all the time.
Mac, the problem is, I am a very nervous driver, I would be ok if it wasn't for that. I pray it will not be raining on the day. I am only doing around 3 hours before I stop for the day.
Quote from: Fay on Oct 11, 2011, 19:42:16
I thought you would be busy packing by now Tony...... ;)
Not quite yet, a few searches and other legal stuff that I haven't a clue about.
It's not like going to a car front, and getting a new model, is it.
I don't understand the search thing really, because you could buy a property with no problems or known issues, and then the government compulsory purchase your property, to build and Olympic stadium, or motorway.
Anyway Fay I was reading up on what they call 'The Great Crested Kielder Tent Raider' and here are some photos.
No wonder the southerners don't return, it's most probably because they are devoured in there sleep.
Here are some photos of some of the spiderlings.
It has been said earlier..........YOUR BRAVE!!!!!!!!!!!
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6226/6234834611_ea7da70a1f_m.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/92954543@N00/6234834611/)
(http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6153/6234834603_1b18dc2759_m.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/92954543@N00/6234834611/)
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/92954543@N00/6234834603/)
OH Yuk.
When I put my tent away at Kelling there was a HUGE spider with a HUGE body on the outside. Luckily my friendly neighbour removed it for me.
Carole
QuoteI am only doing around 3 hours before I stop for the day.
well that should gve you enough time to get to north london.
:cheesy:
Or the Dartford tunnel on a bad day!
All days at the Dartford Tunnel are bad.... Fay If I was you I'd book a hotel just north of the River !!!!! :lol:
Oh crikey. if i had that near my tent I would die|!!!!!! At Mikes, the other night, I was sitting on his settee with the pure white cover, and I saw movement over my shoulder. It was a huge spider 1" from me, everyone wondered where I was off to!!!!!! It was nearly on me!!!!!!!!!!
Stop being such a baby :roll:
Good thing about Keilder being so dark is that you wouldn't see it 8)
Until you woke up the next day in a web cocoon :suspicious:
I may have to get the fishing bed out again, to get me off the floor. I never realised they were that big when camping....
QuoteI never realised they were that big when camping....
and fast, especially the hairy ones :lol:
:(
Supposed to be going to Salisbury Star Party tomorrow. Weather is looking decidedly grim, only tomorrow looks any good, but I have arranged to meet a couple of people there who are buying things off me that they actually want to try out to make sure they will work on their kit OK, so am thinking of just taking my pop up tent and leaving out anything I can get away with so if I need to pack up in the rain it's not such a chore.
I think this is going to be my last DSC until next Spring.
Carole
Phew ! That's quite a sentence Carole...
Packing up in the rain is always a chore, that's one of the reasons I try to avoid DSC's where the weather looks dodgy.
I love the idea of a Sainsburys star party,
I wonder when Tesco and Ocardo will start. ;) :cheesy:
Lidl and Aldi have their's during the day. :lol:
Some people think they are at the lower end of the market.
Tony G
I am sitting in my tent at the Salisbury Star Party.
Not a good day all in all, as the journey was difficult with the M21 closed at Bromley common for roadworks and tons of traffic was piled up on the diversion, wasted half an hour on that. Then the M25 was congested and wasted more time in jams on that, so a 2 1/2 hour journey took nearly four hours.
Then the ground is impossible to get tent pegs into as it's all stones underneath and ended up having to get some help using a really strong steel tent peg and normal hammer to break through the stones before a normal tent peg would go in.
Now it is windy and hazy so no Astronomy likely tonight!!!
It can only get better.
Hmmm... Wet weather warnings to the west... :brolly:
Oh dear Carole. I will be starting on my epic journey today. I feel worn out as did not sleep much last night, a good start
Safe journey, Fay!
Don't get too wet, Carole!
Mark
Didn't realise quite how far Keilder is - 2/3 rds the distance to Ollies in the south of France and probably almost the same time getting there due to the traffic :o
I certainly hope you get some clear weather !
Robert
dont forget I am not doing it in one leap Robert. I will feel like Frodo Baggins, when I set off :lol: :lol: :lol:
Good luck Fay.
QuoteWet weather warnings to the west...
Yes was in two minds whether to come or not, but Last night was forecast to be clear (but it was very intermittent, and by the time I had set up it had clouded over, and as it was very windy (and apparently there is a rogue new family living in the village and lots of stuff has got stolen), I decided not to leave my scopes out, then of course by the time I took them off it had cleared again !!!! However it was very windy and and I think it was going to be in and out all night, so went to bed.
Since the weather forecasts seem to change daily I decided since it was all paid for to come down and see how it goes, at least i am meeting some like minded people from the forums.
Carole
It's been windy almost all day and raining. Spent most of the afternoon chatting with a group of people from SGL in a large tent which was nice, but none of them want to go out anywhere tonight, either got some work to do or studying, or some such. So retreated to my wet and windy tent.
Well this evening was the last straw. Sitting at the laptop in my tent I could see drips coming down from the ceiling of the tent, and had to unplug everything electrical except the hook up which is vertical, and retreat to the inner tent otherwise I would have absolutely nothing to do.
I even brought the "covered and polar aligned mount indoors".
I think I am going to pack up and come home tomorrow, I can't see any dry weather at all apart from tomorrow evening, but I don't think I can face another two wet days. As it is I'll be packing up in the rain.
Should have trusted my intial instincts and not come at all, but half the time you can't trust the weather forecasts.
Only good thing to come out of it was meeting a few people I have chatted to on the forums.
:(
Carole
Carole,
Sorry to hear your report but I'm not surprised - the weather forecast for the SW was dismal.
Let's hope Fay has better luck at Kielder!
Mark
Fay,
YOU NEARLY THERE YET!!!!!...YOU NEARLY THERE YET!!!!! ;)
Tony G
Na,
Fay's just been spotted near the dartford tunnel.
(http://theroadtochangeindia.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/foreskin-press-bridge-bandra-worli-giant-traffic-jam-snarl.jpg)
She is the one at the front holding everything up.
Well my sister in Corwall yesterday got a right load of rain!
And its heading north east! As in Kilder.
Fay might have to wade in that 4x4 of hers.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2611/4106371705_d517d439e5.jpg)
Well as you can see from my post above I was pretty fed up last night and if I could have packed up there and then I would have. I realise now that the drips inside my tent were condensation and not the tent leaking, I had been cooking.
Correction, it seems that other people had rain dripping inside their tents who hadn't been cooking, so must have been the driving rain and wind after all, but I guess the cooking steam added to it.
The rain and wind stopped late last night and would you believe it, they saw the aurora at 1am (in colour this time) and I missed it!!!!!
I can't believe I have waited alll my life for this and booked to go to Iceland next year to see it and it happens twice in a month where I have been camping. I duly castigated my new found friends for not waking me up.
Well this morning it is sunny which will give a chance to dry a few things out and cheer me up at the same time. Although some rain is forecast for this afternoon a clear night is predicted so I'll give it one more night. Apparently a picture of the aurora has been posted on SGL - but not taken from this site. My chums who saw it said what they saw was like the 3rd picture.
http://stargazerslounge.com/imaging-widefield-special-events-comets/161125-fantastic-aurora.html
Quote from: Carole
The rain and wind stopped late last night and would you believe it, they saw the aurora at 1am (in colour this time) and I missed it!!!!!
Apparently, on Monday the Aurora was seen as far south as Atlanta, Georgia:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=northern-lights-show-as-far-south-a (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=northern-lights-show-as-far-south-a)
In European terms, that would be as far south as Northern Morocco!
We just need some lucky timing ...
Mark
Quote from: MarkS on Oct 26, 2011, 08:26:43In European terms, that would be as far south as Northern Morocco!
Remember you need to use geomagnetic latitude, not geographical latitude, for that sort of comparison. North America (http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Aurora/globeNW.html) has a huge advantage over Europe (http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Aurora/globeNE.html) on that score.
Quote from: Rick
Remember you need to use geomagnetic latitude, not geographical latitude, for that sort of comparison. North America (http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Aurora/globeNW.html) has a huge advantage over Europe (http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Aurora/globeNE.html) on that score.
Thanks Rick - I wasn't aware of that. I just naively assumed it was centered on the geographic pole.
I've just learnt something there.
QuoteThanks Rick - I wasn't aware of that. I just naively assumed it was centered on the geographic pole.
uhhh...! Mark fancy not knowing that & you call yourself an Astronomer... Schoolboy stuff indeed...!!! ;)
No more aurora last night, but according the the web the activity had died down from Saturday's CME so wasn't expecting it really.
I decided to brave one more night as it was forecast to be clear all night.
It was clear until about midnight, then clouded over, but there was a huge ground mist from all the rain over the last few days.
I managed to get about 3 hours imaging done but problems getting my darks and flats done in the rain (another story)
Rained the rest of the night, everything is soaked again.
Have had enough.
Packing in gaps of rain.
I wonder if Fay has arrived at Kielder, I've lost track of when she left.
Hope she's having better luck with the weather.
Carole
I would think Fay would be arriving today sometime but that's only a guess.
Did anyone fit a tag to her before she left ?
Robert
Well I spoke with her Monday night cause I got stuck in Blackburn on business & I am sure she said she was in Grantham for the night which is only 120 miles from Bromley so based on that it'll take her 3-days to get to Kielder which is about 360miles (if she doesn't get lost of course).....
Haven't heard from her since Monday night...
Quote from: JohnP on Oct 26, 2011, 12:49:25
Haven't heard from her since Monday night...
Do you think we need to arrange a search party. :o
Tony G
Ooh - a party - Can I come ? :D
only if you bring a case of stella.... oh & some cider for Tony so he can hang around on street corners while we look for her.... :D
A couple in a camper van at Salisbury Star Party were leaving today and driving from there to Kielder, I told them to look out for Fay, though I think it might be rather a large star party there, but you never know, they might bump into her.
I packed up and came home today. We had hail stones this morning as if we hadn't had enough bad weather. The afternoon however was nice and sunny with rainy intervals, every time my tent dried it would get wet again. Luckily it was dry (ish) when I eventually packed it away mid afternoon.
Glad to be home and in the dry and warm. Nice crowd of people and nice to actually meet some of the people that chat on the forums. All very friendly.
Carole
Carole,
Are you coming to DSC?
Mark
QuoteAre you coming to DSC?
I can't unfortunately as I am singing in a concert on Saturday evening, and final rehearsal Friday evening.
Shame really as I could have just left the car packed from Salisbury and come straight there.
I looked at the weather forecast for Sixpenny Handley (Where the Salisbury Star Party was) for last night and it looks like more rain all night, so made the right decision to come home, I was having to come home today anyway because of the above.
Carole
Any-one heard from Fay, she seems to have disappeared into a black hole :cheesy:
Carole
You might well be right - I sent her a text yesterday to see if she'd arrived but no response.
Has she got her phone on :idea:
probably,
but i doubt that there is service in Kielder,
Mac.