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The first noticeable aspect upon arriving in the rural landscape of Gogoyan, nestled within the expansive Ceredigion countryside in west Wales, is the overwhelming darkness. At first, the sky is blanketed with clouds, obscuring any view of the stars. However, as the night advances to around 10:30 pm, the clouds part, revealing a breathtaking canopy of stars stretching infinitely in all directions.
Accompanying me are Siân and James Harrison, a couple passionate about stargazing who have traveled from Cardiff to experience the clarity of this remote night sky. Our guide for this celestial journey is Dafydd Wyn Morgan, the owner of Serydda, an astrotourism company. Lying on a blanket beneath the stars, we focus on Jupiter, a luminous presence in the sky. Dafydd points out constellations using a green laser, highlighting Orion’s Belt, a favorite of his. James shares his fondness for this constellation too, noting that the region around it is a stellar nursery where new stars are continuously born. “I’ll focus on something and it’ll be 150 million light years away,” James reflects. “I can’t quantify that.”
Dafydd’s sessions, which he calls “star bathing,” are designed to blend the experience of stargazing with a sense of tranquility and wonder. Using a smart telescope, participants lie back and connect with the sky above, while learning about the celestial sights and the myths woven around them. Rather than emphasizing scientific knowledge, Dafydd explains, the focus is on the emotional impact. “It’s about the feeling at that precise moment… how it makes you feel emotionally,” he says. Since starting Serydda in January 2025, inspired by years of collaborating with astrophotographer Alyn Wallace (who passed away in 2024), Dafydd has hosted workshops attended by over 100 people, many of whom return to explore other dark sky locations. Star bathing has seen growing interest, reflected in a survey by Booking.com where 72% of 27,000 respondents expressed interest in visiting dark
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