For the first time, women with a keen interest in astrophotography were invited to Enlli to be part of a special residency in April during International Dark Sky Week.

Everyone was welcomed at Cwrt, loaded the luggage and off we went on Benlli III across the Swnt. After unpacking and exploring the house, Hanna gave us a talk about the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights to the majority. A large topic on everyone’s minds since the displays in May and October last year. Pictures of Enlli’s dark sky taken by other astrophotographers were also shown as part of this, demonstrating different astrophotography techniques. That evening, we were out until the early hours taking pictures of the dark sky and the Manx Shearwaters. Everyone was in awe of how clear the stars were. Seeing the Manx Shearwaters above our heads, calling, was such a unique experience.

On the second day we walked down to Storws and Solfach to see what could be spotted. Hanna is also an expert in birds too, so we all got to learn a bit more as we explored. A lovely day made better by a swim in the clear waters down in Cafn. We witnessed another amazing sunset whilst enjoying Meriel’s homemade lasagna. Unfortunately, it clouded over as night set in therefore we decided to head back to the house and into Plas Bach’s garden. We welcomed the Manx Shearwaters in as it darkened, their noise increasing every minute. We spoke about light pollution and how important it is to reduce it for the sake of wildlife, using the Manx Shearwaters as an example, whilst looking over at Ireland, Enlli’s closest source of light pollution.

We walked up the mountain the next day where we spoke of the island’s history. It was possible to see the island in its entirety, and the old perimeters of each farm as was. Very useful to put everything we had learnt during the last few days into context. Mari Huws, the Warden also gave us an interesting talk on how Enlli received its Dark Sky Sanctuary status, and all the hard work during the application process. This reinforced how important it is for us to play a role in reducing light pollution at home also!

A big thank you to the women who came, and we hope to host similar events in future! A heartfelt thank you to Hanna Baguley for her knowledge, and to Tŷ Pellaf’s family for the fantastic feasts during our stay! The nighttime services from the Chaplain, Adrian Botwright were also a great comfort to the group, and an opportunity to explore the connection between spirituality and the dark sky. Once again, thank you to Colin for taking us to see all the birds on the island’s ledges on the way home!