DESTINATIONS FAMILY HOLIDAYS |UK
ABOVE: Kielder Observatory is located in the largest gold-tier protected dark sky park in Europe PICTURE: Kielder Observatory At Kielder Observatory we look for
Mercury through a telescope – the kids have more luck than the adults – and then all manage to spot the bright star Capella
the water to a wooden hut on the other side. According to a story written inside it, Freya lived on this side and a man called Robin on the other. Smaller members of the family will love reading the tale and looking out of the hut’s glass-fronted viewing platform, trying to spot the pair sailing on the lake.
DARK SKIES
Another spot that will excite children is Kielder Observatory in the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park. Up a two-mile access track through a forest, its angular building is designed to look like a ship sailing above the landscape, and it offers knockout views of Kielder Forest and Water. We arrive for a Young Explorers event and, after an entertaining talk
36 26 MAY 2022
on stars and all things space, we’re guided around the observatory. Despite it still being light at 5.30pm, we look for Mercury through a telescope – the kids have more luck than the adults – and then all manage to spot the bright star Capella. Next we see what our guide describes as a “beautifully spotty sun”, caused by disturbances in the sun's magnetic field, before the kids are allowed to be hands on, standing on Mars rock, picking up real meteorites and touching a piece of the moon. The Lyrid meteor shower is expected the night we visit, so the children go to sleep with their heads full of meteor facts and history. “Mummy, can I have a Roman shield?” Zac asks as I tuck him in. “I think I’ll need one to protect me.” TW
WHERE TO STAY
Children will love the excitement of staying in a woodland lodge at Landal Kielder Waterside. Facilities include lodge hot-tubs, a pub and restaurant, indoor swimming pool, playground, bird of prey centre and activities such as archery. Three-night breaks for four people cost from £335.
landal.co.uk
A 15-minute drive from Housesteads Roman Fort, in the village of Wark, Battlesteads Hotel & Restaurant offers two family rooms plus luxury lodges. There’s an on-site dark sky observatory and a restaurant. Family rooms are priced from £195 per night for four people.
battlesteads.com
BOOK IT
McKinlay Kidd offers a six-night Northumberland Dark Skies & Nature holiday for £795 per adult from May to September, with child prices on request. This includes B&B accommodation, dark skies observatory experience, a day’s guided walking tour of Hadrian’s Wall and a boat trip to the Farne Islands. Itineraries can be personalised.
mckinlaykidd.com
travelweekly.co.uk
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