So. I am finally compiling the details for the Lone Parent Camping/Festival trip next summer. Any last stragglers want to join us?

[PillockOfTheCommunity]

original thread

gillybean2 - do you mean £300 including travel? or have you got to buy camping stuff too?

My brother's looking for a gang like this to go camping with as he's recently a single Dad. Does anyone know how to find single Dads doing this sort of get together? Though he would of course be pretty thrilled to go camping with loads of women and just him!! He's not a shit BTW

i am more than happy for single dads to come aswell.

I've just been wondering,

Can anyone give me a rough idea what sort of thing goes on at these festivals?

We went to a music one over the summer - just local but quite big - and it was full of extremely loud music and teenagers everywhere plus loads of drunk old hippies. It was really unfriendly especially for children as there was very little for them to do and nowhere quiet for them to get away and have a kip. There was a token face painting stall and an old bus to play on but that was it. No child friendly food, no story tellers, no acts geared towards little ones.

I'm guessing that family orientated ones are much better for kids though. Please tell me it's not all chakra workshops and tie dye and very expensive spicy food that nobody under 18 will touch!...pleeease!

FA did you end up at Glastonbury by mistake, lol

Hi Nappy; how was the Postman Pat outing for Needacoffee?
Are there any other dads coming? He might be a little timid if he's the only one LOL. I'll wait to see what the consensus is with u lot as I'll understand if you want to make it Mums only.

There are child friendly ones- Larma Tree is one and Solfest. Big kids arena with kids activities, puppet shows,etc. Pissed people naturally but a HUGE number of folks with kids.

flightattendant - that wasn't strawberry fair was it? That isn't very kids friendly but loads of festivals are aimed at families - tbh ones where you have to pay to get in tend to be a bit better. And I'm not having my chakras aligned, no way no how!

No it was Lounge on the Farm. It was really expensive as well! But our friends got us a ticket as a thankyou for somehting, so at least I didn't pay for it...

Hi, I've just spotted this thread. My dd will be 3 and we'd definitely be interested in joining u all

Has anything been decided about dates, location etc yet?

just did end of the road last weekend with 14 week old dd. quite pricey: tkts 105 each (under 5's free) food was also fairly expensive but very good, barbequed mackerel, goan fish curry, proper moroccan pastillas, gourmet ice cream, pizzas done in wood fired oven, steak sandwiches and most importantly warm cider.
quite a lot on for kids: crafts, circus tent, enchanted forest etc
altenative therapy/chill out zone (great place to breast feed) £35 for an indian head massage.
the music was very much my taste: americana/INDIE/folk/rock and DEFINITELY non EMO: Low, two gallants, dirty three, shearwater were my highlights.
DD spent the entire time in her carrier with her ear defenders, plenty of parents with prams that got stuck, very glad we left ours at home.
I did feel guilty about staying out with the baby until so late, though she was asleep and warm.
Another niggle was having to move around during a set to get away from cigarette and marijuana smoke.
The toliets.......well you put up or shut up.
I had a fab time all in all, but I did talk to a few mums who werent really into the music; couldn't handle the mud and wet; complained about prices; and left early. Much respect to the lone parents who were educating their LO's in the way of decent music!
We plan on going next year with a sturdy rear carrier.

Hi Twoboots...I would have been one of the ones leaving early then

I can't imagine getting anything resembling Goan fish curry down Ds1's throat...he struggles with a vegeburger

How much for an indian head massage??

I think you'd have to be really into the music and I'm not really up on new music - I wish I was - hmm.

Although it sounds like your LO was blissfully happy!

Yikes. I think I'd be one of the mum's leaving early too. I don't mind camping, but must have toilets that ds and myself can use.

Also my ds is a fussy eater, and we're both vegi. I've never heard of a goan fish but we don't eat fish anyhow! I think food would be a huge issue and camping wouldn't allow me any scope to bring anything much for him to eat.

Plus looking at the price of those tickets for a weekend it's not that much more for us to go away for a week on a lone parent holiday self catering where we would have a shower and a functioning toilet...

So I'm going to pass this one sorry.

how much is a lone parent holiday? i thought they would be much more than £100 for the week.

Gillybean and Pushpina please don't be put off by my review. I posted as nappyaddict asked me to review end of the road festival, as far as I know the location hasn't been finalised.

I get the impression that they are leaning toward camp bestival which appears to have better toilet and shower facilities, a wider range of food and lots of family orientated activities.

My review comes from the perspective of a couple of selfish music fans whose dd is exclusively breastfed, so I don't know what it will be like next year!

In fairness there appeared to be lots of veggie options felafel, halloumi, veggie bugers/pizza/wraps/pitta etc. I met one lone veggie mum and dd, who did a lot of their own cooking.

In terms of the shower/toilet facilites, the showers looked clean (i didn't use them out of laziness) the toilets did get a bit of a clean twice a day, one family seemed to know the cleaning rota and hence missed out on the worst bits!

Hope this helps!

We would be going to one which has a known reputation as being GOOD for young families. Don't know which one yet, but all those I have suggested I have read very good things about their suitability, which is why I haven't suggested some others.

May is too early for me and September too late.

No problems with a Single Dad coming along.

It was started as a FESTIVAL trip, not a Lone Parent holiday. Yes, festivals are expensive. But they are expensive for everyone. I would really like the chance to go to one, but would have to take my children, so started this thread as a way of doing it with other adults there so we could all help each other out. If I wanted to go to Butlins for a week I'd go to Butlins on my own, I want something different

Sorry, just realised that comes across a bit narky

Just this was started with a specific aim, not something random, and gillybean has made me feel a bit like she was getting at me for wanting to spend my money on a camping trip.

I am happy to copy the reviews done by Junior magazine on the festivals we are considering, but rest assured I did research things fairly well before starting this up.

At any festival there will be good and bad parts. At the ones I am suggesting there are Family areas which should be very drunk and drugged people free. There are Family only camping areas at some of them with a no noise after a certain time rule, which I think shows a commitment to making the festival family-friendly.

If any one hasn't emailed me yet it's
reallyshouldgetoutmore
@
hotmail.co.uk

have replied to the emails sitting in my inbox

please ignore my stroppy ramblings, in hindsight the HUGE 5yr olds birthday party we held yesterday was a bad idea when I had work today and am away for work the rest of the week, leaving me tired and narky

Im with you on this pillo as a lot of others are aswell, I wouldn't otherwise attend a festival as its not something my friends like so it would be nice to try something different, as long as I get a clean toilet and a shower it will be all fine, otherwise its baby wipes and a bucket

they wychwood one is 29th - 31st may. is that too early?

Hi Pillock, I got your email. If you are going to the Dorset one I might be able to join you as its near family. I'll bow out and see what you decide.

If not I'm thinking of going to the Solfest which is near to me. Be great if you can do that one but it is way up north.

I think it is nappyaddict, for me anyway. I can't even think about doing anything outside of Summer hols, hadn't realised just how much they rule your social life!

CAMP BESTIVAL - is on 24th July around that weekend, the security guys said it was the best festival they have done, dingle people really took it on board that it was a festival for families, they had the garden on the cstle lawn, bouncy catles, toddler play area, stage for plays, music, beer tent, children's disco and playing up box and storytelling tent and feeding/changing tent. also main stage, knitting tent, come dancing building, lots of different food, meat and veggie. Three areas of camping, loud (nearest) quieter and family camoing furthest away. They ahev taken on board some comments and are going to hopefully have loos for children and more loos big enough for prams as well. We loved it and are going next year.

I don't need any persuasion to go to Camp Bestival, it's my favourite from what I've read so far

pillock - if you have school age kids they should be on half term that week.