The village of Kielder, just 1 mile away from the Scottish border, is England's most remote village.

Twice a year, astronomers from all over the UK descend on this beautiful little place, because the night skies are amongst the best in Britain.

Okay - the weather isn't guaranteed by any means. As you can see there are a few clouds that scoot over from time to time, and there's quite a number of aircraft whizzing by too, but for astronomy it's a thousand times better than you'll find being anywhere near a city.

This piece was shot during the Spring 2009 and Spring 2010 Kielder Star Camps. I used the usual kit of my trusty Canon EOS 350D (nearly 80,000 on the clock now...) and my old EQ2 telescope mount. You may also notice a shot in there using a new dolly track that I have recently built - it needs improvement, but at least my first shot was usable!

I hope this film brings back good memories for all those astronomers who have ever visited this wonderful place.

All images are Copyright Martin Whipp (2010)

Music by Colin Willsher, 2b media services