By Ana
· Guides
· 6 min read
Skerry sits two hours from the nearest city and there is not a street light for miles. On a clear night in deep winter the sky over the dune is as dark as it gets anywhere in the country, and the Milky Way runs straight down to the sea.
You do not need a telescope. You need a warm coat, a flask and twenty minutes for your eyes to adjust. Here is how we spend a dark-sky night, and what we leave by the door for you.
— A wool blanket from the chest in the long room
— The red torch on the hook by the door, so your eyes stay dark
— A flask of something hot from the kitchen
— The star map Ana keeps in the drawer under the stove
The reading window in the Loft, an hour after sunset.
New moon weeks between November and February are the darkest. Check the cloud forecast in the afternoon; if the sky is clear at five, it usually stays clear until after midnight.
The best spot is the top of the dune path, ten minutes from the House, where the land drops away and the whole sky opens up. Come back to a fire in the stove and the sauna still warm. That is the whole plan.
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