Star gazing

Clachtoll is not so very far south of the arctic circle. Or at least, close enough that it affects the night sky. In the months of June and July it stays light enough so that although you might not be able to read a newspaper, you can make out the colours of things that you see. At the same time, in winter we do not seem to lose as much daylight as we gain in summer.

Some years provide spectacular displays of the Northern Lights, while in the months outside of high summer, the lack of terrestrial lights is a great advantage to watching the heavens. The nearest street lights are about a mile and a half away. What you do miss are some of the constellations in the southern hemisphere.

Another phenomenon in high summer is that if you are travelling at the right time, day and night seem to reverse themselves. Think about it!