Camping at Great Redford is the perfect way to see the dark sky’s at night.

Pembrokeshire is one of the leading places in the UK for stargazing and dark skies thanks to the lovely low light pollution and tranquil peace and quiet. 

If you’re visiting and want to spend a night under the stars, you’ll struggle to pick a better location, as the county benefits from a designated Dark Sky area and expert astronomers who can guide you on where to go and where to look. 

Great Redford is ideal for star gazing with very limited light pollution.

The National Trust car park at Broadhaven South is a designated Dark Sky area – this means its protected from light pollution and there are no buildings or trees that will disturb your sightline to the stars. Pop along to the car park as the sun goes down and marvel at the sky lighting up like few other locations in the UK. It’s about a 40 minute drive from Redford Caravan Park and the car park and beach are part of the beautiful Stackpole Estate. 

The Broadhaven South car park is a particular highlight as its certified as being one of the few places where the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye on a clear night. 

Aside from Broadhaven South, there are seven other locations certified by Dark Sky Discovery which are excellent for star gazing. 

They are: 

Garn Fawr National Trust car park (SA64 OJJ)
Kete National Trust car park (SA62 3RR)
Martin’s Haven National Trust car park (SA62 3BJ)
Newgale Beach Pembrokeshire Coast National Park car park (SA62 6BD)
Poppit Sands, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park car park (SA43 3LN)
Skrinkle Haven, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park car park (SA70 7SD)
Sychpant, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park picnic site (SA65 9UA) 

1.Try to plan your trip for a full moon – that will make sure the night sky is suitably lit 
2. Find a local stargazing event to guide you – you’ll get much more out of the experience 
3. Mix up when you go – try the same spot at a different time of year and see how the constellations have moved 
4. Use an app such as Star Walk on an iPhone or Google Sky on an Android to check what you should be able to see from where you are standing 
5. Look out for the International Space Station – NASA has a website dedicated to tracking where it is 6. Take a blanket and some food and drink – it gets cold! 
7. Check out the moon properly – you might think you see it all the time but a pair of binoculars will show you its craters and detail 
8. Don’t look directly at the sun. It sounds obvious but it’ll damage your eyes – just like your mum used to tell you! 
9. Stars twinkle – planets don’t 
10. Follow astronomers on Twitter – you’ll pick up some great tips on when and where to go.

Stargazing – The amazing dark skies of the National Pembrokeshire Park provide wonderful night sky viewing opportunities for stars, planets and the moon all year.  

Stargazing has been a fascination for humankind ever since we first looked up and pondered the magic and movements of the night sky. Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences and connects us to both the mysteries of the past and the present knowns and unknowns of the entire universe. Have the night sky enthral you with ancient legends and be the glittering backdrop to your very own epic adventures at Great Redford Wild Camping Park 

What is difficult to capture in words is the experience that people gain from looking up at the sky on a clear night in a place that is free from light pollution – where the stars and the full magnificence of the Milky Way can be appreciated.  

When the sun goes down and the night sky darkens the whole universe reveals itself above Pembrokeshire and all you need to do to experience it is step outside.  

Some of the highlights of the night’s sky included watching Venus and Mars on the western horizon at sunset and Jupiter shining in the eastern sky. You can also spot the Big Dipper and Orion.  

While the naked eye can see lots of large stars and planets, if you use binoculars, telescopes or SLR cameras you can see the planets, nebulas, and black holes in much more detail.  

Great Redford is the perfect place to star gaze. With limited light pollution it provides uninterrupted night sky’s.

Pembrokeshire is one of the leading places in the UK for stargazing and dark skies thanks to the lovely low light pollution and tranquil peace and quiet. 

If you’re visiting and want to spend a night under the stars, you’ll struggle to pick a better location, as the county benefits from a designated Dark Sky area and expert astronomers who can guide you on where to go and where to look. 

Great Redford is ideal for star gazing with very limited light pollution.

The National Trust car park at Broadhaven South is a designated Dark Sky area – this means its protected from light pollution and there are no buildings or trees that will disturb your sightline to the stars. Pop along to the car park as the sun goes down and marvel at the sky lighting up like few other locations in the UK. It’s about a 40 minute drive from Redford Caravan Park and the car park and beach are part of the beautiful Stackpole Estate. 

The Broadhaven South car park is a particular highlight as its certified as being one of the few places where the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye on a clear night. 

Aside from Broadhaven South, there are seven other locations certified by Dark Sky Discovery which are excellent for star gazing. 

They are: 

Garn Fawr National Trust car park (SA64 OJJ)
Kete National Trust car park (SA62 3RR)
Martin’s Haven National Trust car park (SA62 3BJ)
Newgale Beach Pembrokeshire Coast National Park car park (SA62 6BD)
Poppit Sands, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park car park (SA43 3LN)
Skrinkle Haven, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park car park (SA70 7SD)
Sychpant, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park picnic site (SA65 9UA) 

1.Try to plan your trip for a full moon – that will make sure the night sky is suitably lit 
2. Find a local stargazing event to guide you – you’ll get much more out of the experience 
3. Mix up when you go – try the same spot at a different time of year and see how the constellations have moved 
4. Use an app such as Star Walk on an iPhone or Google Sky on an Android to check what you should be able to see from where you are standing 
5. Look out for the International Space Station – NASA has a website dedicated to tracking where it is 6. Take a blanket and some food and drink – it gets cold! 
7. Check out the moon properly – you might think you see it all the time but a pair of binoculars will show you its craters and detail 
8. Don’t look directly at the sun. It sounds obvious but it’ll damage your eyes – just like your mum used to tell you! 
9. Stars twinkle – planets don’t 
10. Follow astronomers on Twitter – you’ll pick up some great tips on when and where to go.

Elusive and enchanting – from the dusk and dawn chorus, to the bird calls of the night, in the mystical welsh woods.  

Whilst most birds go to bed at dusk and rise again with the cacophony of the dawn chorus others save their energy for after dark. Nightjars and owls are nocturnal birds which can be heard calling at night in the Welsh National Parks. Their calls provide an audio adventure within the night soundscape. Nightjars are best listened for after dusk on warm, still, summer evenings and are usually first noticed through the male’s very distinctive churring song. With five species of owls in Britain you may be treated to a range of calls from hoots to screeches.   

Listen out for the supersonic squeaks of nature’s only true flying mammal and watch their furry acrobatic missions in the night air.  

Bats are truly fascinating!  Say hello to the only true flying mammal in our universe! There are 16 species in Wales and our National Parks have some outstanding populations including the rare Greater Horseshoe Bat and well as more common bats such as Pipistrelle and Dorbentons.

Find these brilliant creatures tucked away twinkling in gardens and hedgerows.  

All too often, as we travel in our cars from one bright street lit area to another, we are unlikely to notice the magical tiny lights of glow-worms in the hedgerows. However these twinkling mini-beasts are actually beetles not worms and are one of nature’s little wonders. Dark moonless nights are ideal for discovering these twinkling mini-beasts. Once darkness falls look for glow-worms from late May to early September, although they will be most abundant in mid-July.  

Experience the amazing sight of badgers emerging into the dusk from their setts, foraging for food and playing in the moonlight.  

Badgers are a protected species and the opportunity to watch them is an experience to be cherished. Badgers are seldom seen in the day and they usually emerge out of their setts at dusk to forage for food . They live in family groups or clans and so when badger watching you may be lucky enough to see cubs playing. 

Foxes aren’t usually aggressive to people or pets, they will run away unless directly threatened. Foxes can learn to trust people who aren’t harming them and become bolder around these people. It’s important not to hand-feed foxes, or tame them, as this could encourage them to approach other people who don’t want to get close to foxes. 
Foxes are most active at night, at dawn or dusk.