from the Dark Skies bench
Stars, sights and sounds
Tucked along the hedgeline of the Recreation Field, opposite the Pavilion, you’ll find me — far enough from the lights to see the stars. Each month brings something new — in the sky, in the air, and in the quiet sounds around me. I’m facing slightly to the east of south, by the way.
Sit a while, and I’ll tell you what you can see, hear and smell tonight.
We haven’t published the January post yet.
Month by Month guide
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January
January arrives with long evenings and properly dark skies — the sort that make it easy to see what’s going on above us. The cold…
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February
February settles in with nights that still feel deep, but with just the faintest hint of change. The cold hangs on, the grass crackles underfoot,…
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March
March turns up with evenings that finally feel like they’re stretching their legs again. There’s still enough darkness to see the sky clearly, but the…
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April
By April, the days are stretching, yes, but there’s enough night left to see the sky settle into its spring pattern. Sit with me as…
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May
May settles in with evenings that finally feel like they’re giving us a bit of extra time. The light hangs around, but not enough to…
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June
June drifts in with a darkness that barely wants to form. The evenings stretch themselves thin, the sky holding onto its blue long past the…
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July
July arrives with a darkness that takes its time. The evenings linger, warm and loose around the edges, and the last birds don’t quite know…
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August
August brings a darkness that feels softly earned. The heat of the day lingers on my wooden back, but the evenings slip in earlier now,…
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September
September settles in with a darkness that feels newly earned. The days are still warm enough to fool you, but the evenings arrive earlier, quiet…
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October
October arrives with a kind of darkness that feels honest. The evenings cool, the grass crackles underfoot, and the skies over Fownhope stretch wider with…
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November
November brings the kind of darkness I was made for. The evenings close in early, the air sharpens, and above Fownhope the stars return in…
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December
December settles in with a darkness that feels almost ceremonial. The year leans into its longest nights, the cold sharpens the air, and the sky…
With thanks to Wye Valley National Landscape for funding the bench, and to The Fownhope Flag for a contribution towards the design work. The idea that eventually became the bench — and this from the Dark Skies bench website — began in the Parish Council’s Environment Group.