April 2023
Northumbria is somewhere I have long wanted to visit and never had the opportunity. Yesterday that changed and the adventure with my family began.
A gorgeous gentle walk along the daffodil lined Tyne near Wark was a great start. We saw deer and oyster catchers. We then ate dinner at Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant (great fish) before paying a fairly hefty £55 for a family ticket to the Dark Skies Observatory. However, as anyone who has been to an established Observatory will know, this was a great experience. The weather was ideal for star gazing, although ironically the moon was slightly too bright with 90% luminosity (which spoilt one’s night vision a little); and we witnessed satellites, a shooting star and some great close ups of the moon through the telescope. The informative talk also included explanations of black holes and super novas and took around 1 hour and 45 minutes. The temperature dropped after ten pm, but that didn’t deter a number of hardy individuals.
We turned in around eleven, looking forward to breakfast, and anticipating the next day.
The Adventurers 