Wester Ross Dark Skies Festival

Wester Ross Dark Skies Festival

Wester Ross Dark Skies Festival. Throughout November Wester Ross Biosphere will be celebrating their spectacular dark skies to promote understanding and the benefits of spending time in the dark.

Check out the programme of activities by clicking here.

The programme has been developed with a range of local organisations and the overall project has been supported by funding from the Communities Programme and NatureScot.

The project came about because there was a desire to try and extend the tourist season into the winter in Wester Ross and a Dark Skies Festival was one way to try and do this. It is also a great opportunity for local people to find out more about their dark skies. In march 2022 Wester Ross Biosphere hosted a ‘Dark Sky Tourism webinar’ as a way to give local business a way to see how other areas have approached Dark Skies projects.

Wester Ross UNESCO Biosphere is a community-led and owned non-governmental organisation. Their goal is to create a forum to share knowledge and best practice by working collectively with our communities and stakeholders. This webinar will provide a chance to learn more about the potential opportunities our dark skies provide for communities and businesses using case examples from Galloway and Southern Ayrshire up to Shetland!

Panelists on the webinar were:

• Hannah Dalgleish, Postdoctoral researcher in dark skies and society, University of Oxford
• Catriona Waddington, Wild Skies Shetland
• Elizabeth Tindal, Freelance Dark Sky Ranger, Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere
• Jeannot McCarthy, Corwar Dark Sky Glamping, Galloway Forest Park

The webinar was a great success and as a result many Wester Ross businesses suggested hosting their own Dark Skies Festival, hence the current event.

You can view the webinar on YouTube –

Highland Experiences is an official supporter of Wester Ross Biosphere under its brand Gairloch Canoe and Kayak Centre.  Why not come kayaking with us?