Camp Bestival: An A-Z of our first family festival (part 2)

As you may have read (here) we headed to Camp Bestival for the first time this summer. Not only was it our first family festival- it was my first EVER festival.

There was so much to do, see and take in – that the simplest way for me to describe the whole experience was to make it as easy as ABC…

NOISE CONTROL

Of course there is noise. But, there is good noise and bad noise
– good being the music (although avoid sitting right at the back of the castle
stage if you can as I could hardly hear the lyrics to Alison Moyet) and the bad
being those when you’re  fast asleep in your tent and can hear a party going on
next door (but really isn’t that part of the fun!).

For little ones I defo recommend Edz Kidz ear defenders – not only do they look the part they protect ears from 6-months by reducing the sound to a more comfortable level. These ones are light, sturdy and fold up for easy carrying.  Miss M wouldn’t wear these at first but as soon as she saw all the cool kids were she popped them on happily.

OVER PACKING

One of the hardest things I found was packing. As being in the UK you have to be ready for any weather situation – so, sunhats got thrown in the bag with wellingtons and rain macs. I probably did
over pack as always (OK, I did). But, even if I didn’t manage to shower as much as I would have liked it was nice to pop on some fresh clothes every day.

My packing pile…

Miss M’s packing pile…

* Here’s a few things I’m glad I took and a few I wished I had*

* Loose jersey trousers from H&M

* Comfy and stylish sandals from A Piedi

* Several vests and tees – it was nice to change these often (and I wore some to bed

under my PJ’s too)

* A hoody (I wore this to bed – as it was so cold at night)

* Flip-flops to wear in the communal showers

*A lightweight and crease resistant summer dress

Next time I’ll remember:

* A small robe – to wear after a shower, to bed and in the tent

* Bed socks! It was so cold we had to buy some thermal socks each.

* A large wrap or shawl for chilly evenings or as an extra blanket

*An over shirt to protect from the sun.

PROGRAMME

The Camp Bestival programme is a bit like gold dust. For £10 you get a handy canvas bag, lanyard, kids colouring book and stacking pencil and of course, the sought after programme and information guide. I managed to grab one on the Friday afternoon but by early evening they were all gone. It’s a bit of a shame as you really need it to ensure you can plan what you want to see and do easily.

(Maybe an option to add it when buying your ticket – then you’re sure to get one on entry for those who want one?)

The Camp Bestival 2015 Programme

 

QUEUES

To be expected I know. Plan on queueing for everything – rides, face painting, the loos, showers, food and drink. If you have young ones be prepared with suncream/umbrella, snacks and water to keep yourselves going. One thing that impressed me though was the lack of pushing in – that made for a much more friendly time for all.

 

RELAXING

If you’re coming for some chill out time then think again. Walking, dancing, queueing and plenty of fun and games will mean there really isn’t much time to chill. OK, so there may be chill out areas but
really grabbing a small nap or a sit down to read the papers with an over excited kid is not really going to  happen is it?

WE found taking ourselves away from the main parts and sitting near the craft tents and having an impromptu picnic or drink helped keep our energy levels up.

Although, the new spa and wellbeing area was constantly packed – here you could try yoga, RENspa treatments and even bathe under the stars (on a hot tub bus no less).

Maybe for those without a toddler…

Our pink canvas rucksack came free with the special weekend edition of the Guardian newspaper (and also a Mr Tumble magazine)

 

SUNSHINE

I think a big part of what made for a fantastic weekend was the weather. If it had rained I’m sure my views would have been very different…

 

TANGERINE FIELDS

Tangerine Fields are the home of pre-pitched tents for festivals and events. This means you
can arrive to a fully erected tent, tipi or boutique set up  – with ready to sleep on airbeds and new sleeping bags (from £110) – so all you have to do is turn up.

This was the best option for us as we have no camping equipment and didn’t want to splash out when it may be something we only do once or maybe once a year (plus putting up tents/wigwams/flatpack furniture almost causes a divorce in our house!)

I have to say our experience was brilliant – yes, the pitch may be the furthest away but you have your own 24-hour security guarded area, private loos and hot showers and a pamper parlour (hair dryers and mirrors). I would definitely recommend and not hesitate to book with Tangerine Fields again.

PICT: Camp Bestival

 

UNDER DRESSED

By this I mean fancy dress. We didn’t enter into the spirit of the fancy dress element – this being our
first time and all – but some of the costumes were so creative. The theme was Wild – and people really did go wild. Going wild for me was sporting a flower headband, face paint and a logo t-shirt. Maybe next year.

VIP

We did have press tickets – which gave us entry into Camp Bestival for the weekend. But, really the best wristband was the woven CB one itself.  I was a little *sad* to cut it off – as for a moment I felt like a cool festival-goer!

 

WAGON WHEELS

I had read about Mr Trolley’s trolley hire at Camp Bestival but by the time I’d got myself organised they were all booked. So, we splashed out on a Tuff Terrain Wagon and I have to say it was a godsend. Not only for lugging all our stuff around but it was the perfect shelter for Miss M to take a little nap too.

Miss Marnie was obsessed with her wagon – I only wished I had decorated it a but more and there were loads of cool ones covered in bunting, fairy lights and mobiles. There’s even a Pimp my Trolley
competition. A buggy would have been fine also – but we were entering the festival spirit and it’s now a handy wagon for the garden.

 

 

 

X-TRA TIME

Camp Bestival runs from Friday until Monday morning – although you can arrive on Thursday to pitch up your tent and have a wander. I’m not really sure it’s enough time to see and do everything – but in terms of money spent and the tiredness levels it’s plenty.

My only downside was on Sunday night even before the massive fireworks finale it feels a little like its ‘shutting up shop’ (with food stalls running low, attractions closing and tents coming down) especially as Sunday is when you’re trying to grab those last few special moments before the journey home later that night or the following morning.

 

 

YOU’VE GOT MAIL

One great touch was The Curiosity Convenient Store and the postcard cart where you could
send a postcard from the middle of the festival. Miss M sent one to nanny and enjoyed a little stamping too.

 

 

ZZZZ

Don’t expect to get much of it!  But, hey we’re mothers we can handle it!

WANT TO READ MORE? An A-Z of our time at Camp Bestival Part 1 can be found HERE.

 

V. I. BE HONEST: We were given tickets to attend Camp Bestival for the weekend but all other costs were most definitely our own. With special thanks to Mothercare for kitting out Miss Marnie’s whole festival look.