DAYSOUT
Kent After Dark cont...
night sky. Dungeness’ s minimal light pollution and flat, open landscape make it one of the county’ s standout locations for stargazing. On a particularly clear night, you may even spot the Milky Way shimmering overhead as a faint, milkywhite band of glowing clouds arches across the sky, creating a nighttime experience like no other.
For an experience that combines festive charm with a wildlife encounter, make your way to Port Lympne Illuminated( portlympneilluminated. com), where the award-winning Port Lympne Reserve is transformed into a secret after-dark world. The reserve’ s resident wildlife curl up for the night in their enclosures, while illuminated animals take their place, bringing the landscape to life after dark.
PORT LYMPNE ILLUMINATED
Bigger than ever, this year’ s event features brand-new installations and a new range of species to uncover, with holographic tigers prowling and roaring through the woodland alongside towering giraffes and glowing rhino figures scattered across the reserve. While making your way along the illuminated paths, you may even see some of the reserve’ s real residents in their enclosures. The sound of a roaring tiger or wolves calling in the darkness adds another layer to the experience, creating a memorable festive adventure that you can truly relish as night falls.
LATE-NIGHT LEARNING
Late-night expeditions don’ t always have to be spooky( although, we do love a ghostly experience here at iK). Whether you’ re indoors discovering the county’ s extensive history or outside beneath the stars, there is plenty more to explore when the light begins to fade.
Starting with a trip to Maidstone Museum( museum. maidstone. gov. uk), on Thursday 26 November you can discover How Julius Brenchley Explored the World: Talk & Tour with Samantha Harris. Beginning at 7pm, the evening will uncover the fascinating life of Julius Brenchley, who was born in Maidstone in 1816 and spent much of his life doing something most Victorians could only dream of- travelling the world, from the Pacific to the Far East.
During the nighttime guided tour, you’ ll be taken through the museum’ s World Cultures Gallery, bringing Brenchley’ s extraordinary journeys back to life through a selection of objects he collected during his extensive travels. With fewer crowds and a peaceful evening setting, the experience offers a unique opportunity to see the museum in another light while discovering the story of one of the 19th century’ s most avid explorers.
If you’ re after something a little more spooky this November, one of Kent’ s most popular cultural heritage sites, The Historic Dockyard Chatham( thedockyard. co. uk), is bringing back Ghost Tours- Slips and Shipsways. Step into the shadows, torch in hand, for an immersive experience designed to take you beyond the standard visitor route and through the ships’ more hidden pathways uncovering some of the many legends from the dockyard’ s 400-year history.
As you step aboard the historic ships after dark, you’ ll feel the atmosphere shift as you discover verified accounts of historic deaths that happened aboard, as well as supernatural stories passed down through generations of dockyard workers and young cadets, including the mysterious red-headed ghost of HMS Gannet; if you’ re lucky, you may see its shadow roaming the decks and the darker quarters of the ship.
THE HISTORIC DOCKYARD CHATHAM
Of course, away from the wonders of Kent’ s chequered history, the night sky can provide an educational experience all of its own. This November, Bore Place( boreplace. org) will host a stargazing walk on Thursday 19 November, in partnership with the Edenbridge and District Astronomers( edenbridgeastro. org. uk), where the county’ s night sky will be admired from the 500-acre estate.
During the evening, learn how to identify stars and planets visible above the Kentish countryside, while discovering the fascinating myths and stories ancient astronomers used to explain the heavens. If cloudy skies threaten to put a dampener on the evening, the session will move indoors for an illustrated talk about the constellations. If the skies do remain clear, prepare to look upwards and discover the celestial wonders shining above Kent. www. insidekent. co. uk • 39