Wild night out: how a nocturnal walk in the woods can reconnect us with nature

More than 80% of us live under light-polluted skies but it's not too late to embrace the darkness

• Hear more on our podcast: what can a wild night out teach us about ecosystem health?

I'm having my first wild night out" in 18 months in Devon with the ecologist and author Chris Salisbury. We are here to enjoy the darkness by walking in woods, canoeing on the river and breaking into song (for Salisbury). Far away from the dulling effect of streetlights and strobe lighting, this is a very old-fashioned night out.

For most of us, the transition from light to dark is a quiet one, but in the woods on the Dartington estate near Totnes, twilight brings with it a burst of energy. It is 8.30pm and this is rush hour. There is a cacophony of screeching, snuffles and scuffles, as songbirds return to nests for a night of rest, while nocturnal creatures such as badgers and foxes are taking their first tentative steps out, off to find food and mates under the cloak of darkness.