Lakeland holiday-park plans big switch-off for starry nights

Guests at a Lakeland holiday park will be invited to take part in a series of dark deeds next year.

Skelwith Fold Caravan Park in Ambleside is to ask holidaymakers on six designated nights to extinguish their caravan lights, and to enjoy one of England's biggest star attractions.

More than 7000 stars will be visible, says owner Henry Wild, including the Milky Way and far-off galaxies which few people will ever have glimpsed before.

The number compares with the few hundred stars - at best - normally seen from town and cities where light pollution masks the universe's spectacular nightly display.

Skelwith's voluntary switch-off nights, monthly in spring and summer, are part of its support for the British Astronomical Association's Campaign for Dark Skies of which the park is a member.

The Lake District is already identified as one of Britain's best dark-sky areas for star watching, and Skelwith Fold's location gives it other special advantages, said Henry:

"We are elevated above nearby villages, and also have a natural shield from outside light in the form of a surrounding forest - which means that clear nights can be breathtakingly beautiful.

"If we can also persuade guests to douse their lights for half an hour on selected nights, they should be able to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle," he added.

But according to Henry, it's not the pretty celestial sights which prompted Skelwith Fold to become a campaigner for darker skies with the British Astronomical Association.

Light pollution can have a devastating effect on wildlife, he says, and especially on the types of animals and birds which to which his environmental-award winning park plays host.

"Owls and other night-hunting birds are threatened because light pollution reduces their number of feeding habitats - and bats are also affected as the light draws insects away from where they feed.

"Under light polluted skies, birds often chirp through the night which prevents them from resting properly and can disrupt their breeding patterns.

"By contrast, nights at Skelwith are completely quiet, and our dawn chorus begins much earlier because birds don't have to wait until the sun has overpowered the light pollution," said Henry.

Unceasing light can also affect trees, he added, and has also been blamed on ill health in humans.

Henry hopes that Skelwith's extra-starry nights will not only provide a mind-boggling display of the universe, but also inspire people to think more deeply about themselves and the planet:

"Your own problems can often be reduced in significance when you see the bigger picture, so in some ways we're offering a break for the mind as well as the body," he commented.

Switch-offs will be advised on the morning of favourable forecasts, and will be optional for the park's touring guests and holiday home owners - but every lost light will make a difference, said Henry.

The 130-acre park was recently praised by The Prince of Wales for its success in re-introducing red squirrels, and botanist David Bellamy has described Skelwith Fold as a "wildlife wonderland".

More information about the park is available at skelwith.com.