Undecided Milky Way locations

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A_S

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Andrew
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Hi all

Has anyone got any good milky way locations where I can catch the core with interesting foreground?

Based in the midlands which is rather annoying as I’m a long way from dark skys with the exception of the Peak District.

I’ve been upto parsley Hay a couple of times to test my tracker and even in the car park on my own it feels a little creepy… so ideally somewhere fairly easily accessible and safe to go on your own….!

I know I won’t fulfill the criteria exactly but any suggestions to get started would be a help. I’m thinking perhaps somewhere in the north Cotswolds might work or a trip up the A5 to north wales (that viaduct by llangollen?) or maybe broadway tower in the Cotswolds if not too much light pollution?
 
Anywhere that's a Bortle 4 area or lower will be dark enough. I'm in Bristol, we often shoot local in the Mendip Hills as although only 10 miles away, it's south of Bristol so the direction works out. Obviously not so good for North Facing star trails though but, still doable.
 
Thanks, Yes thats an option but still a long way away, what sort of foregrond interest is there to shoot with the Milky way?
 
I wasn't recommending that you drive down to the Mendip Hills.

I was saying that's where I shoot locally that's a Bortle 4 light pollution and still dark enough for Milky Way.
 
ah i see thanks

Yes peak district has some bortle 4 I think.... would be good, if there wasnt so much cloud at the moment :D
 
Cloud spotting is good where I live 24 hours a day :(
 
The Mendips aren't worth a 2 hour drive! :ROFLMAO:

For 2 hours for you I'd be heading to Snowdonia or the Elan Valley.

Also, that's why you need to take every clear sky chance you get in this genre of photography.
 
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Yes as I a, finding out.n getting the moon and weather to line up…

Surprised there haven’t been more suggestions - anyone?
 
This was one of my first Milky Way photos from a couple of years ago.


*** by Lee, on Flickr

I'm not showing it off, I would pick a better one if I was doing that! But I'll add a Google Map pin below so you can see just how close to Bristol this spot is - I live within Bristol & this is a 7 mile drive from my front door!

www.google.co.uk

51°21'04.4"N 2°37'07.7"W · Wally Ln, Bristol BS40 8XS

Wally Ln, Bristol BS40 8XS
www.google.co.uk www.google.co.uk

Also, you can shoot with the moon out but obviously it needs to be in the opposite side of the sky!
 
Show off all you like! I am not complaining!!

Was the sky tracked? Or single shot?
 
A_S said:
Hi all

Has anyone got any good milky way locations where I can catch the core with interesting foreground?

Based in the midlands which is rather annoying as I’m a long way from dark skys with the exception of the Peak District.

I’ve been upto parsley Hay a couple of times to test my tracker and even in the car park on my own it feels a little creepy… so ideally somewhere fairly easily accessible and safe to go on your own….!

I know I won’t fulfill the criteria exactly but any suggestions to get started would be a help. I’m thinking perhaps somewhere in the north Cotswolds might work or a trip up the A5 to north wales (that viaduct by llangollen?) or maybe broadway tower in the Cotswolds if not too much light pollution?
Click to expand...
Try the long mynd, Shropshire used to live in Telford and the long mynd was further up. Also the wrekin is a good spot, use the app photopills it helps plan your shots.
 
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I've seen Milky Way photos from Chesterton Windmill near Leamington Spa.
 
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Hi Andrew,

You may find this website handy to narrow down foreground prospects, Light Pollution Map.

Good suggestion by Lewis (Craiketbaby) above, but be aware that unfortunately Chesterton Windmill currently doesn't have any sails (best to know in advance to avoid disappointment).
I'm currently based in the light pollution capital of London myself so the Midlands isn't my go-to area so no suggestions I'm sorry, although I'd like to explore up there more. We still manage to get some milky way shots around 1-1.5 hours drive from London though so reckon you've got it easier than we do! :)

Good luck & kind regards.
 
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Thanks all

Went upto Magpie mine in the peaks last night. Went up in the day first to check it out but when I got there at 1.30am and the car park was empty, place was eary and creepy... I ended up sitting there for half an hour and then driving home...! Wierd feeling. need to get over that fear somehow
 
Tbh you can pick out the Milky Way in plenty of places that aren’t ridiculously dark, I live about 3/4 mile from my town centre and was able to pull out a Milky Way shot from a 25-30 second shot.
 
Andrew wrote, "Went upto Magpie mine in the peaks last night. Went up in the day first to check it out but when I got there at 1.30am and the car park was empty, place was eary and creepy... I ended up sitting there for half an hour and then driving home...! Wierd feeling. need to get over that fear somehow"

To be fair that's probably close to my first solo astro expedition. :) Well done for giving it a go!

You eventually get over it but of course listen to your instincts if you do feel uncomfortable at any stage. To be fair, after a few attempts I gained confidence and ended up finding that if it is a known location for astro, around half the time I'll end up meeting another random tog or two and have a bit of a chat whilst we're waiting. If you haven't already, do purchase a red headtorch so that you don't ruin other tog's pics too much as you navigate or set up (bright white light = ~20 min night blindness as you probably already know).

Other suggestions include asking for a buddy in your area for astro either on here (?) or your local Meetup.com photography group in the discussion section. I do run some Meetup groups (way down south) and the astro workshops are popular for that reason - people obviously don't feel comfortable going out late at night by themselves.

Good luck!
 
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Good idea - I’ve been meaning to try Meetup but last time I looked most groups were city and street photography rather than landscape and Astro, in the midlands at least! I’ll look again or maybe set one up…

In terms of meeting other photographers - I was expecting someone to be there - as I thought it was a pretty obvious place to go which in part is what spooked me a bit I guess. Maybe I’d have felt the same if someone was there though and wonder about the reasons for them being there before I walked up there and saw the tripods etc…
 
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