Hi.
Thinking about going up for new year. It's there or kielder.(se if we can catch northern lights)
Anyone recommend any good sites or CL's.
Cheers
Len
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New Year is popular in Edinburgh given the fireworks, street party (if it’s happening this year) etc. But you should be able to get onto Mortonhall as it’s big enough to handle the Edinburgh Festival in August & is open all year. Reviews on UKCS. Night bus from the site entrance. We’re there most years in autumn.
You won’t get Northern Lights from Edinburgh due to light pollution, it’s a city. You’ll need to head up to the Moray coast.
Kielder is several hours drive south, and you’re comparing apples & oranges, like London v. Dartmoor. The UKCS site search will show you what’s available there. I don’t know what’s open all year.
Fireworks - guaranteed (not only Edinburgh).
Aurora Borealis - not guaranteed. Download the free App called AuroraWatchUK, sign up for notifications look at the maps. We’ve had one notification every night for the past week but we have too much light pollution where we live & don’t see them here. Recent photos online have been Moray Firth direction but the north coast of Norfolk can see them sometimes too.
If you decide on Edinburgh I can highly recommend Linwater Caravan Park near East Calder, we have stayed there many times.
It is a relatively short drive into Edinburgh but if you drive about a mile from the site towards Ratho you can watch the fireworks at Edinburgh.
For Edinburgh, I agree about Linwater site and using the P&R for the bus.
As for the Aurora, The Moray coast is probably the place to be, but no guarantees you'll see any. It is possible to see the Aurora (if it's particularly strong) in Edinburgh from high ground such as Arthur's seat or Blackford hill.
------------- Two drifters off to see the world.
I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.
My brother was telling me they have been up to Scotland many a time hoping to see the aurora and the only time he saw it was just a faint colouring nothing like you see on TV.
He also told me about the number of times he has been told "the best place to see them is ?". When you get their if the locals aren't out they are not going to show.
He says he will wait for another sighting on the Scarborough coast.
As I said, sign up with the free AuroraWatchUK app & look at the map. My knowledge of where the Aurora is seen in Scotland comes from the BBC news & photos app, not from locals. Good sightings get their own articles. My own experience says any light pollution will scupper your chances, as I have seen them from my garden until neighbours installed security lights. Plus read up about camera lenses: filters can help because some of the light isn’t in a visible spectrum.
Quote: Originally posted by Bridlington on 31/12/2022
My brother was telling me they have been up to Scotland many a time hoping to see the aurora and the only time he saw it was just a faint colouring nothing like you see on TV.
That's because humans have pretty rubbish night vision. Cameras, with the correct settings, "see" so much more. Don't be expecting what you see in photographs and video to be like what you'll see with your eyes.
Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!