A major national campaign was recently launched at Kirkdale in Dumfries & Galloway.

With the help of the Galloway Astronomy Centre local children from Kirkdale gazed at the Dark Skies of Galloway which form part of the national Snowdrop Festival for the first time this year.

Seven Gardens in Dumfries & Galloway are among over 50 gardens across Scotland opening their gates to green fingered visitors over the next two months to celebrate the second ever Scottish Snowdrop Festival. The Festival showcases the best snowdrop gardens across Scotland, many of which open exclusively for the festival.

For this year’s festival VisitScotland has teamed up with Dark Skies Scotland www.darkskyscotland.org.uk in a unique partnership to bring some stargazing events that enhance the tranquillity of the gardens and their mystical white snowdrops. Scotland has some of the largest areas of dark sky in Europe offering spectacular views of the stars and galaxy!

The Dark Sky stargazing events are taking place exclusively in three specially selected snowdrop gardens, one of which is Galloway’s very own Castle Kennedy Gardens near Stranraer on the 16 February. These three gardens offer family afternoons of astro fun.

VisitScotland has teamed up with some of the country’s most spectacular gardens including:

• Kirkdale,
• Broughton House Gardens (National Trust for Scotland),
• Fleet Valley National Scenic Area,
• Galloway Forest Park,
• Castle Kennedy & Gardens,
• Dunskey Gardens
• and Danevale Park in Dumfries & Galloway.

Assisted by its partners Dobbies Garden Centre, Scotland's Gardens Scheme and the National Trust for Scotland the VisitScotland Scottish Snowdrop Festival will take place from the 1 February until 16 March. To find out more about the Snowdrop Festival visit www.visitscotland.com/snowdrop.  

Picture: James (aged 9) Hannay learns to stargaze with www.darkskyscotland.org.uk at Kirkdale, one of the locations for this year’s VisitScotland Snowdrop Festival