Dark Skies & Stargazing

Jura's night sky is dark. There's no light pollution from the west, just the beating Atlantic all the way to America. To the north, empty moorland and to the east, the Kintyre Peninsular. Craighouse has a few streetlights that fringe Small Isles Bay, but from Knockrome, four miles north, you're in deep, inky darkness.

The best stargazing months are October to March — long nights, often clear between the weather fronts. Summer has the midnight twilight which is beautiful in a different way but not ideal for deep-sky viewing.

The telescope is free for all guests — just ask us and we'll set it up for you and show you how to put it away when you're finished (if rain is forecast). On a good night you can see Jupiter's moons, Saturn's rings, the Andromeda galaxy, Orion nebula and star clusters that look like a single point to the naked eye but explode into thousands through the lens. There is no such thing as empty space! We're not astronomers — we're just two people and two children with a big telescope, a fascination and a lot of dark sky — but we'll point you in the right direction.

The Northern Lights reach Jura occasionally in winter. We've seen them a few times — green, shimmering over the land and reflected in the sea. You can't plan for it, but you can improve your chances: check the aurora forecast (AuroraWatch UK is free), pick a clear night between October and March, and get away from any lights. The hot tub is not a bad vantage point to while away a few hours skygazing.

If you see them, you'll remember it. If you don't, you'll still have one of the best night skies in Britain.

If you're into astrophotography, Jura is a gift. A tripod, a wide lens, and a clear night is all you need. The Paps silhouetted against the Milky Way is the shot — set up on the road south of the retreat looking west, or walk up the back onto the hills. The different lenses we have mean you can get some pretty memorable shots if you have the right equipment to connect to it.

For star trails, the single-track road gives you a clean foreground with no light interference. For the Milky Way core, summer evenings (June-July) give you the galactic centre low on the southern horizon — though the twilight means you need to wait until midnight or later.

We're happy to leave the site lights off if you let us know you're shooting. Just ask.