Please make sure you have read/understand all the information below and agree to the booking terms and conditions before placing any bookings.
Where do we go to attend an event?
All our Dalby Forest stargazing events take place at our cozy Stargazing Hub located at the Dalby Forest courtyard.
You can find help on finding our venue locations on our where to find us page (link below).
What time do events start?
Our events start at different times depending on the time of year. Please refer to your booking confirmation or our event booking pages to see the arrival time for the event you have booked onto. The time stated on your booking is a recommended arrival time and event activities usually start around 15 minutes after the time stated on your booking.
Is there public transport available to Dalby?
Although there is a bus service that runs during the daytime to a bus stop just outside of Dalby Forest, unfortunately there is no bus service during the times of our events. Taxi services from the local town of Pickering may be able to help you reach our Dalby Forest event location if you cannot travel to us by car.
What happens if the weather is bad?
Don't worry if the weather isn't great, we still have lots for guests to enjoy in the event of bad weather. The only time we cancel events is if the weather is deemed dangerous and the forest is closed to the public.
You can find more information on our events on our about events page (link below).
Do I have to pay for parking?
Due to changes implemented by Forestry England, all visitors to Dalby Forest from February 2024 onwards will be required to pay a £3 parking fee in order to use the Dalby Forest car park facilities. This fee must be payed before you leave the forest after attending one of our events. This fee goes straight to Forestry England and is a reduced fee compared to the daytime parking charges of £5-£10. Before you leave an event, you will be issued a one-time-use code to use at a parking pay station. This code will allow you access to the reduced parking fee of £3. If you have a Dalby Forest Membership or a Forestry England National Membership you will not need to pay for parking.
Where are my tickets?
We run our events on a ticketless system. Upon making a booking you will receive a confirmation email and you will be added to the guest list for your chosen event. You don't need any proof of booking, all you need to do is give your name when you arrive.
Are stargazing events wheelchair friendly?
We believe our events should be accessible for all and we have welcomed many wheelchair using guests to our Dalby Forest stargazing hub. Our Dalby Forest Stargazing Hub and the courtyard area is fully accessible for wheelchair/mobility aid users. Guests have access to wheelchair friendly toilet facilities and we can arrange parking right next to our event area. Please contact us for more details on event activity accessibility (such as using telescopes and our planetarium dome).
Do you hold events during summer?
The skies in the middle of summer, never truly become dark enough to offer clear views of most deep sky objects and the skies throughout mid-summer do not become dark until very late at night. Due to these reasons we currently do not hold stargazing events in the mid-summer months, but we are still available for private hire should you wish to arrange a late night stargazing session with us at this time.
When are your next public stargazing events?
Our standard schedule for public stargazing events dates starts from October and runs through to April. Our scheduled public stargazing events are usually released and uploaded to our website towards the end of summer.
Other Important Information
Please make sure you have read and understand the following information before placing a booking:
PLEASE BE AWARE: Due to changes implemented by Forestry England, all visitors to Dalby Forest from February 2024 onwards will be required to pay a £3 parking fee in order to use the Dalby Forest car park facilities. This fee must be payed before you leave the forest after attending one of our events. This fee goes straight to Forestry England and is a reduced fee compared to the daytime parking charges of £5-£10. Before you leave an event, you will be issued a one-time-use code to use at a parking pay station. This code will allow you access to the reduced parking fee of £3. If you have a Dalby Forest Membership or a Forestry England National Membership you will not need to pay for parking.
Please see our 'FAQ' page for answers to frequently asked questions.
Please see our 'Where To Find Us' page to help you know how to find us in Dalby Forest.
Make sure to fill in your contact details correctly in full so we can send you confirmation of your booking.
Please leave a contact telephone number in case we need to contact you about any last minute event cancellations (although cancellations are very unlikely we may need to contact you with short notice.)
Some e-mail services such as hotmail, may send your confirmation to your junk folder. If you can't find your confirmation e-mail, please check your e-mails junk folder.
We have a limited capacity for our events and pre-booking is essential to attend an event. Every person in attendance at our events must have a booking in order to be added to the guest list for any event.
Children under the age of 6 may attend events free of charge with an accompanying, paying adult. We welcome guests of all ages, however we recommend only children from the age of 6 and upwards attend events as they will benefit more from our sessions.
Childrens tickets are for ages 6-15. Guests aged 16 and over require an adult ticket. All children must be accompanied by a paying adult.
It is advisable to dress warm. It can get a little chilly at Dalby Forest on stargazing nights, so make sure to wrap up and be prepared for all weather possibilities! A hot drink is included in your booking, and we have an indoor heated space should you need to warm up.
You may wish to bring a torch! Dalby Forest is very dark at night and you will need a torch to light your way to our stargazing hub from the car park. During an event, please be considerate of others when using a torch. Bright torches ruin your night vision, please only use small torches during events. If you have a torch that emits red light only, feel free to use this. Red light has less of an effect on your night vision.
It is not recommended to bring dogs to events. Guide dogs and Support dogs are permitted.
Please note mobile phone signal is very poor within Dalby Forest.
If you believe you will arrive late to an event please text/whatsapp us on 07540131077 or email us at contact@astro-dog.co.uk we cannot recieve calls in Dalby Forest due to poor signal.
Public events run for roughly 2-2½ hours.
Refund/Cancellation Policy + Terms and Conditions
Our stargazing events take place even if the weather is not ideal. Should the skies be cloudy, there is still lots for guests to enjoy.
We only cancel events if the weather may be considered dangerous and the forest is closed to the public.
REFUNDS CANNOT BE ISSUED ONCE BOOKINGS HAVE BEEN PLACED.
BY PLACING A BOOKING YOU ARE AGREEING TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
In the rare event of the forest being closed due to dangerous weather, we will give you a choice of options:
Change the date of your booking to another possible event date.
Receive a gift card equal to your booking total, that can be redeemed for another event or in our store.
Be issued a full refund.