South of Scotland Dark Sky Festival and Holiday Cottages for Star Gazing in Galloway
With the nights now drawing in, when staying at Corsewall Estate Holiday Cottages, close to the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park, it’s a wonderful time to go outdoors and enjoy the night sky. With very little light pollution, we’ve got the perfect holiday cottages for star gazing in Galloway.
Looking at the Moon
Excitingly, 2026 sees the launch of the first South of Scotland Dark Sky Festival, with fun and informative events taking place across Dumfries & Galloway from October 9-18.
Here is my pick of events that I will be putting on my to do list and can recommend while staying at one of our Corsewall Estate Holiday Cottages.
Events to Celebrate the South of Scotland Dark Sky Festival
I would highly recommend a trip to Kirkcudbright to have dinner at the Swally n’ Scran. From October 9-17, the celebrated seafood restaurant is offering a special menu inspired by the dark skies. I gather specials for the South of Scotland Dark Sky Festival include beetroot-cured gravadlax, squid ink and scallop risotto with Dark Sky Gin panna cotta to finish off the meal. Sounds absolutely divine!
Meanwhile at Twynholm, the wonderful Cocobean Company is running special dark skies themed chocolate workshops from October 9-18. The workshops, which will take place daily at 3pm, will show you how to make delicious night-sky inspired moons, stars and chocolate creations. You will be sure to head home with an extremely edible goody bag packed full of your chocolate creations.
To celebrate the South of Scotland Dark Sky Festival, the Glentrool Hive has two events in October: On October 9, join Alistair Scobie, trustee of the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory, to learn about Astrophotography Discovery. Later in the month, on October 17, Marc Charron, chairman of the board of trustees for the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory, presents Solar Exploration and a presentation on solar eclipses and images.
Places to Visit During the Dark Sky Festival
In the pretty fishing port of Kirkcudbright, you’ll find the Dark Space Planetarium. Visitors of all ages can enjoy custom-made interactive exhibits, learn about the planets and take a virtual tour of the solar system. Throughout October, the planetarium’s Dark Sky Festival’s programme of events includes film screenings including Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day and Derek vs Derek and performances of the music of Queen and Holst’s The Planets.
While in Kirkcudbright, sticking with the dark skies theme, next door to the planetarium, you can visit the Dark Arts Distillery which sells a range of spirits including Sky Garden Galloway gin inspired by the Dark Skies Park and Kirkcudbright’s reputation as a popular artists’ colony dating back to the 19th century.
Dark Art Distillery Gin
Holiday Cottages for Star Gazing in Galloway
Or organise your own event and let the stars come to you, using the skills and knowledge of local Dark Skies Park Ranger, Elizabeth Tindal, who will tailor-make an evening to suit. Elizabeth can meet you at your holiday cottage on Corsewall Estate, set up a campfire and armed with a power telescope can help you find your way around the wonders of the stars and constellations. It’s a great activity to organise during the October half term and makes for a fascinating evening for all ages.
Book a Star Gazing Evening with Dark Skies Park Ranger Elizabeth Tindal at Corsewall Estate Holiday Cottages
We have good availability throughout autumn and winter across all our holiday cottages for Star Gazing in Galloway: – visit www.corsewallestate.com to book your Galloway dark sky holiday cottage. To book a star gazing evening with the Dark Skies Park Ranger, visit Elizabeth Tindal’s website: https://www.freelanceranger.com/stargazing.html
Elizabeth Tindal – Dark Skies Park Ranger