Camp Bestival - Isle of Wight or Lulworth castle?

[rosieposey]

Hello, im a total camping and festival virgin (ish) I bought a large Outwell tent last year and we were going to go to a festival this year with it.

I found a thread about Bestival (only read the first two pages) but everyone on there seems to be going to Lulworth and not the isle of wight - is there a reason for this? My eldest two are 16 and 18 and fancy the line up a whole lot more than Lulworth, my 14 year old too. Me, DH and our 2 yo dont care and dont mind either one but i was wondering whey there was so many m'netters going to Lulworth instead of the IOW?

Obviously i want something for everyone (teens and toddlers alike), will be be able to take our large Outwell tent (it is a bit big but ive bought it now so i will have to use it!) I have never been to a festival before but DH is a Glasto veteran - not the same as going with a family though im sure.

I will book within the next couple of days (nearly fainted at the price for all of us £700 plus!) but its basically our holiday for this year - can anyone give me some advice, both for camping at Bestival and which one to go to?

CAMP Bestival is at Lulworth, and is a very family-friendly festival featuring Mr Tumble and the Gruffalo in addition to the bands and comedians - hence the MN angle. I'm going with DD, plus friend and her two - we've not been before, but as near-festival-virgins (erm, I went to Reading in 1994!) with two 7yos and a 4yo it's no-brainer that this is the festival for us.

It's just Bestival on the IoW, which I agree has the better line-up. Primal Scream at both though!

dontcallmebaby thanks for your reply, Ive spent all afternoon looking at both sites and have realised that one is Bestival and one is Camp Bestival I think its a no brainer for us as well - given that we have DS who is only two.

The line up is no doubt better at Bestival but i have to consider not just the older ones iyswim.

Im a little worried about the size of the tent pitches there - i.e. i might have to get a smaller 6 berth tent because our Outwell Hartford is pretty big and i have no idea how big the pitches are - any seasoned Camp Bestival goers know?

I haven't been to Camp Bestival, but a lot of friends have, and from what I've heard your teenagers are not going to find much to interest them there. My friends have said it was good if you have young kids (under 10) but their pre-teens/early-teens were getting bored. It is very much aimed at families with small children.

Mightn't you do better going to something like the Big Chill, which has children's areas and plenty of people do bring small children, but also lots more to interest your teenagers? Most of the big festivals have a family camping area and children's field for little ones.

Exe as im a festival virgin i dont really know which one to go to that will please everyone so all input is greatly appreciated I will go and check out the Big Chill's website.

I was also going to say that none of the festivals I have ever been to have had camping pitches marked out - it's always been a bit of a free-for-all and you end up with tents of all sizes at all sorts of angles and guy ropes tangled up all over the place. But it is possible that some designated family camping areas might be a bit more organised and have size limits - you'd have to check with the festival organisers. The biggest constraint is the fact that you usually have to park quite a long way from the camping areas and carry everything with you across muddy fields.

Pretty sure there are no specified pitches - except in Camping Plus, which is sold out now. Apparently it doesn't get as crowded as some of the bigger festivals though. Not looking forward to the the trek from car to campsite - we have a 16kg bell tent and an 8kg dome tent to carry, wouldn't want to do it with my Montana 6!

Can I put in a word for Latitude?

We took DD there last year with her cousins, one of whom was 2, and they all had a great time. The children's arena is brilliant, loads for little ones to do (although tbh my DNephew had as much fun running around chucking straw at random passersby - one of whom was Keith Allen...) and for your teens the music and comedy are really good. There's loads to see and do.

They have a specified Family Camping area, which does get packed - don't know if it's sold out yet or not - but is a lot quieter and 'naice' compared with the rest of the site and lets you in an hour before the rest of the festival to the children's area.

Ive been looking at the big chill and Latitude - its the most expensive of all the festivals because every child over 12 has to pay an adult ticket (thats three of mine) plus me and DH - phew!

The line up looks great for Latitude though, I just dont know which one to go for!

Don'tcallmebaby - they run tractor and trailer between car park and entrance gate.

Rosie my 15 year old nieces came last year and had a ball.

fivegomadindorset I am plumping for Camp Bestival. It will be a laugh and the older girls have accepted that the music isnt quite what they were looking for but its a family thing so we will all have a good time (and my eldest DD is really excited about the cocktail tent)

Now to decide whether or not to wear fancy dress!

Def wear fancy dress! We went last year and it was great but leaving it a while before returning. And take ear defenders for the two year old!