Camp Bestival 2011.

[QueeferSutherland]

Has anyone been?
Going?
Is there a festival thread somewhere?

DH booked tickets today. I haven't been to a festival in an age, and DH has only been camping once. We are taking the 3 DC who will be 1, 3, & 9.

Any tips/reassurance?

Thanks, sfxmum. Thought I should attempt to make DD's first festival experience a good one and show Mr Winefairy it was not a crazy idea.

Glad to hear it's all in the soil! You have made me think positively so I'm now frantically making lists. Wellies are still top of the list though. Come to think of it, MN wellies would have been a fabulous idea for easy identification....they missed a trick there!

Rosie we have a garden trolley like this. DS is 4, last year we would get him ready for bed and put him in the trolley in his sleeping bag. He would (eventually) fall asleep, we stayed out then just lifted him and his sleeping bag onto his bed when we went to bed.

Robert Dyas one is cheaper, slightly smaller and doesn't take as much weight - but that's 150kg rather than 300kg, so plenty of capacity for small children!

We may bite the bullet and hire one, it feels a bit like a waste of money but there's no way I can fit a trolley in the car, and then it would have to live in my garage which is also a bit stuffed ...

Coo-eee! I will be going for the second year running, and can't wait!

Just started thinking about my outfit. Am bidding on this. Currently pondering whether to make or buy summit for my 9 year old son.

Waves at other Camp Bestival Banterers! (Even though I am not MM over there.)

Hello MotherMucca, dress looks fab! I won my ebay action for a theatre costume medieval surcoat last week so just need to make the long dress/chemise to go with it.

I'm also making the DCs costumes and will probably end up making DHs as he's being fussy.

I'm using this one for me
early medieval

this one for DDs

something like this for DH He has been dissuaded from codpieces.

Is the dressing up day just on the Saturday?

just found this for boys - looked fab?
knights outfit

Ooh, thanks for the links, Lucia.

The main parade is at noon ish on the Saturday - if memory serves me correctly. However, I saw plenty of people dressed up all weekend, it's anything goes, v relaxed.

Have fun!

Hello campers! My finger is hovering over the "buy tickets" button on the CB site. Think it's been the glasto coverage that has given me pangs..

DH and I got married last week so we could justify the cash by having it as our honeymoon..? We'd be taking DS who'd be just 2. Not been to a festival with him but went to loooaads in my 'enthusiastic' 20's pre-DS.

As yet I have NO tent, sleeping bags, costumes, or anything remotely useful. Hold on, I have a box of wine...

SHALL I DO IT? Will you (virtually) hold my hand? EEP!

DO IT!

Box of wine is a very very good start. In fact, were in not for the 2yo I'd say sod the tent etc, just take the wine. :o

I do sympathise with the finger-hovering though, I'm going with a friend and we were egging each other on to buy tickets, each terrified that they'd click and the other would change her mind!

Ew, bit sweaty, sorry about that, it's warm here today!

go on, it will be fine and the child will have a great time, can you borrow a tent and the rest of the gear, don't worry about costumes

Bestival bestival rah rah rah!!

Go on, you know you want to! Come on, Blondie, Primal Scream and Mr Tumble, surely that's an offer you can't refuse.

Also, I have it on good authority that there will be grown men dressed as princesses...

Hullo, just following all the hits back from my blog. ;)

About the parking - you pay on site when you get there. I'm feeling a bit faint thinking about the trek from the car park to the actual camping bit now - it was heinous last year. Mind you, we're thinking about buying a trolley to take with us this year so it shouldn't be so bad.

I loathe camping but managed to survive last time - just about. My husband is starting to bang on about buying a stove and making me cook all sorts of vile slop on it (we're vegan so our slop is very vile indeed) but I'm having none of it.

On the plus side, I have discovered some of my hideous goth clothes that I seem to have missed when I Ebayed all of That Sort Of Thing a few years ago and so now have a Medieval outfit to wear. A bit gutted that I also sold all my re-enactment gear but c'est la guerre.

I am getting pant wettingly excited now!! Have even set up a google spreadsheet of things we must not forget (big frozen box of wine is now top of the list - thanks for that). Does anyone know what time the campsite opens on Thursday by the way? We're going to be camping in Dorset for the 3 days prior (making it in to a proper holiday) so will only be a hop, skip and a jump away.

Campsite opens at noon although I believe the car park opens at 10am.

I'm sharing your excitement. Can't wait. I've solved the problem of how to keep the wine chilled for the duration by buying an Icey-Tek. I envisage a queue outside my tent!

I am counting on most people only turning up on the Friday, we are not likely to leave London before 10am
any reliable long range weather forecasts?

Im not sure they are that reliable but the met office long range forecast is predicting higher than average temps by the end of July. Fingers crossed!

Loving the icey-Tek Winefairy, that looks absolutely great. Wondering just how many purchases I can hide from my husband now!

thank you Rosie a ray of hope sacrifices have to be might be offered

sfxmum I could do a sun dance (as opposed to a rain dance) but ill look stupid Luciadilammermoor i have been gradually introducing 'purchases' into the house in the last week but DH has noticed the dining room is full of new boxes.
I told him its essential stuff he says its tat (but then his idea of camping and mine differ wildly!)
I think the last straw might have been the Cath Kidston picnic rug, in my defence i told him it was in the sale and its better than the old towel he usually suggests we use

I'm going to borrow my parents' old coolbox - I have a brand new Coleman Xtreme (wanted an IceyTek but the 25l was too small and the 45l too big, so we have the 36l Coleman) but I'm scared someone might decide to wander off with it. We only have two adults in the group, so I'm thinking one frozen bag of white wine and one bag of red wine for when the white warms up or runs out should do us ... that's eight bottles of wine between two people over four nights, and we are supposed to be supervising young children! :o

Hello all

Can I join in? CB virgin but can't wait to go!!! Kids are 2 & 5.

Haven't read all thread yet but can someone tell me how far walk form car park to campsite is? Not sure if we're going thurs or fri yet, depends on when DH finishes work

Sfx - of course it will be sunny all weekend

The walk from the carpark to the camp site was about 20 minutes and mostly uphill so a bit of a trek. My husband refused to hire a trolley though (he's bought one now thank God) and made an almighty fuss all the way there so it may be much quicker for other people.

madameG did you use the tractor? where we parked it went down hill then the tractor took us up, from then one it was reasonably flat and we used the trolley, there was still some bitching but hey, they gave us cocktails at 11am when the tent was just about up, that is what I call a welcome

vbus yes sunny of course

Hello vbus.

Have you visited Camp Bestival Banter

Very friendly people over there too. Watch out for the trolls, though. They are veh tedious.

We have been every year and are going again (4th one) - just me and dd (11) as dh is 'done with festivals' (old gimmer) and I couldn't cope with ds (6) on my own as he won't stay put, besides I don't think I could keep him up for the bands I want to see
It's expensive (the tickets and when you get there) but I do enjoy it and I couldn't stay away from Blondie.

I've got to admit, I'm not finding the forum very helpful ... some gems, but the troll:useful ratio is high.