Northern Lights

[March-Hare]

Anyone been? where did you go? who did you book through? Looking for recommendations that don't cost the earth!

[Mattk]

Bear in mind that there is no guarantee that they will appear whichever location you choose.

[atalanta]

Iceland was rubbish. Very very expensive ( bowl of soup in roadside caff was £8.50, other food exorbitant ), it poured with rain the whole time, (February) and from what the locals said, the lights don't happen all that often anyway. I certainly felt I had been conned by the advertisements, which suggested they appear all the time in winter.

[seadogg]

We sometimes see them looking North over the North Sea from the N.E. coast.
Not as spectacular as Norway or Canada but free.

http://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk/ is a website which gives warnings of aurora possibilities over U.K. A friend and I monitor it and pass on info to each other.

[March-Hare]

I know there is no guarantee but the brochures do make you think otherwise. ....... I had no idea it might be possible to see them from parts of the UK!

[EcclesCake]

I've seen them over Salisbury Plain!

I'm pretty sure there is an 8(?) year cycle when there is a good likelihood of seeing them in the UK.

[March-Hare]

Really Eccles !? I can't find anything on line about it .... have you got any links please?

[KARL]

The advice you have been given is correct, namely, that the lights are not switched on permanently and they appear only at times of their own choice. They are more frequently visible the further north you go and there they are also more intense. They are visible in all countries far enough north and in each of these countries they are more or less equally frequent at any given time. When visible in the UK and similar latitudes they are rather feeble by comparison. To see them you are best to be away from built-up areas, the sky must obviously be clear and it must be dark: You only see them in winter although what gives rise to them is still going on all year around. The very same phenomenon (aurora) is visible in the southern hemisphere during their winter. None of this is, nor has it been, in any way a secret although not everyone takes notice.

Your choice of place to try for a sighting (I assume you have in mind a short visit - a longer stay comes closer to guaranteeing a sighting) will depend on your preference on other things such as distance, cost, other things to do and see, etc. It so happens that the cheapest place to travel further north to from the UK is Iceland - Norway is more expensive to visit, Canada much further away, etc. I have visited both Iceland and England and the weather in both places is variable - in winter you need winter clothing in both places. Of all the places I have been to, I have never felt so cold as in England, and that was indoors. Everywhere you go in Iceland, be it airports, buses, bus stations, shops, offices, houses, etc. are warm at all times/seasons - that is nowhere near to being the case in any part of Britain. In Iceland, a jumper is classed as outdoor clothing.

I genuinely hope that you go and are successful in seeing the lights somewhere because a good display is something truly special - with most people the experience stays with them for the rest of their lives. I have been so lucky as to see some brilliant ones on more than one occasion. My wife has not been so lucky in spite of several winter visits to those latitudes. That's the luck of the draw.

[EcclesCake]

Sorry March-Hare, I can't find a specific link just references to peak times through the 11year cycle.

It was quite strange experience, driving over a well known military training area with these green lights running vertically in the sky! At the time I had no idea what is was, it was the next day that I saw reports that the Northern Lights had been visible in the South, consequently I tend to pick up on the news reports as I would like to see them again.

It seems they peaked in May this year :-(

[Kissmequik]

I've always thought they were overrated, like glorified fireworks, yeah you might ooh and ahh but is it really worth the 4-5 grand you spend to be in the freezing cold with nothing else to do on your holiday except look at the skies and pray you see some colour.

The southern lights would be a better bet in Oz, because at least if you don't see them you'll still see some great wildlife, beaches and be in great warm temperatures with oodles of things to do with our fellow ozzies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC7QroiDVQw

[jno]

I think the cycle has just peaked, but next year or two might still be okay. Some pople (eg Hurtigruten) do cruises, which might be more fun than sitting in a hotel in Iceland with an expensive mug of Bovril.

[KARL]

Perhaps somebody misunderstands: Although they are called Aurora Australis, I think anybody hoping to see them on Australian beaches will be waiting an awful long time - most likely a lifetime, and without success at that.

[March-Hare]

I certainly won't be going to the other side of the world - hence why I asked about the Northern Lights x

[spudqueen]

It's interesting that the link seadogg gives is based at Lancaster University as my Aunt (who has lived in Lancaster all her life) remembers her father waking her up to see the northern lights. This would have been in the 30's - possibly 1936?
I have a photograph of the northern lights that my Dad took when he lived in Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada. How often they appear there I don't know - but it certainly looks cold in a lot of his photos!

[jno]

KARL, spending a lifetime on an Australian beach is not necessarily an indication of failure!

[237SJ]

Book yourself a holiday in February to LA, San Francisco, Seattle or Vancouver, sit on the left hand side of the aircraft in a window seat on the way home, pull your window blind up after about 3 or 4 hours after take off and see them for free.