Camp Bestival Review

Yes, yes I know. It's been a while. Various stuff going on but here I am.

We attended Camp Bestival on the 28th, 29th, 30th ,31st July. As previously mentioned on here we haven't been to a festival for 6 years and it was the first time with the girl.

We were going to set off very early on Thursday morning but then a few days before hubby suggested we stay in a Travelodge on the wednesday so that we could take a leisurely drive down. So we managed to book one in Basingstoke for £30.

Best thing we did cos we then got up and set off at around 10ish and got to Lulworth at around lunctime. We were in traffic jams through villages and on roads before we actually got nearer to the site. It took about an hour of queuing to get in.

We were conviently parked up the top of a hill which we had to walk down and then up another to get to the wrist band exchange, on a very hot day when 4 months pregnant with a toddler in a pushchair this was hard work but one of those things. We got set up and then went and wandered round the site.

We thought going on thursday would give us a really big advantage and in some ways it did, we got a good camping spot in a quiet area near the edge and we had pleny of room but we noticed the people who came on friday ended up being not only parked nearer their campsite but were nearer the main arena.

We had a long walk to the main arena, well to be fair it wasn't terribly far but it was a walk down a hill and up another to get there which for a pregnant lady was quite hard and often I would get to the top and feel sick and dizzy and be out of breath. This couldn't be helped though because it was just the countryside!

As for the main arena, there wasn't really one. Ok so the campsites where separate from where the main action took place but there wasn't an area where you got your wristbands twanged and your bag searched which in some ways was nice cos it meant you could take a few of your own cans of beer in (which my hubby did) but it also meant that unruly teenagers (and there were many) could get in with stuff and get away with being louts. (they never caused a problem for us but people on the forum had bad experiences in certain campsites with them)

The entertainment and tents in the arena reminded very much of Glastobury with so much stuff going on everywhere and something for everyone. I never got to go to the Heavenly Healing area to do pilates and we didn't make it into the House Of Fairytales :(

My biggest issue was the capacity, ok so I had never been before but it just seemed very, very busy and you couldn't really find a place to just sit without feeling in the way. This would be the one thing that would put me off going in the future because it just seemed too overcrowded.

Ok so here are my best bits or I'll be here forever just recounting the whole weekend.
Music- ABC, Groove Armada, didn't really see much music but we heard lots.
Watching the girl charge around the Bollywood tent
Watching the River Cottage guys prepare mackeral in a variety of ways
Seeing Mr Tumble and the Zingzillas
Listening to Howard Marks talk about his life- very interesting man
The food was outstanding
The campsite was like being on a proper campsite, everyone was so civilised.
The WI tent.

Downers-
The cost of fairground rides :(
The queues for everything- not good when you have an impatient two year old!
The crowds
The price of food and drink
The amount of walking Could not even get in the kids craft tent due to pushy mummies pushing their child forward and yours out the way :(

The question is was it worth it? yes it was, I am so glad I went, really enjoyed it but wish we could have seen more, tiredness and crowding put paid to this. Would we go back? I'd go next year but we can't justify the cost, even with the payment plan maybe in the next few years we will be back with two children!