Festival season; it's not all about Glastonbury

 Every year when Glastonbury weekend comes around my social media feeds are full of people talking about it - some watching it on TV, some reminiscing about the time they went, some lucky folks actually there. And, always one to not miss out on something, I think maybe I should try and go one year - after all I may be old but not as old as some of the performers.

Then I look at the crowds, think about standing for hours, walking between tent and stages, queuing for toilets, and acknowledge that it's not really for me (unless, you know, I could go along as a VIP or maybe a headliner's guest)

I've come to festivalling late in life, so maybe it's age, maybe it's just that I like things a little quieter but I prefer something smaller, more intimate, less hectic, more relaxing, with a mix of music, activities, and ideas.

One of my favourites is Timber Festival, almost on my doorstep in the National Forest, to which I've been several times as one of their 'pioneer' bloggers. Held this year on the 7-9th July, talks will be headlined by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path and Landlines, music by The Go! Team, Keston Cobblers Club, and Sister Wives. At the heart of the programming lies the forging and maintaining of our relationship with nature in general, and trees in particular.  Workshops range from guerrilla gardening to writing, foraging walks to yoga, printing with leaves to learning how to decoratively fix holes in clothes. I find there's always something new to discover.

A logical sort of progression from Timber is The Green Gathering, at Piercefield Park, near Chepstow, 3-6th August. It maybe has a 'hippie' sort of vibe but I think there's a lot that all of us could learn from it. As the 'original off-grid festival', the whole event is powered by renewable energy, and there are folks around to show you how it's done, and how you could do it too. At the speakers Forum you'll find experts discussing green issues such as climate change, building a greener Britain and Wales' Net Zero initiative. In the craft area you can learn the skills necessary for a more sustainable life - mending tools, making things from wood or willow, even having a go at making a trinket at the Nowhere Forge  - or in the Campaigns Field you can learn about social and environmental issues. It's not a totally serious weekend though. There's an eclectic array of musical artists from folk to psychedelic sounds via politically-conscious singer songwriters.  Anyone who follows me on either Twitter or Instagram will know I grow my own veg and fruit, turn it into meals, jam and pickles, knit, sew, and am generally looking out for ways to live a greener life, so in many ways this is an obvious choice for me.

If that's a bit too 'out there' for you, I'd suggest a gentle relaxing weekend in Capability Brown parkland at ALSO festival on Park Farm Estate, Compton Verney, in Warwickshire. The setting is wonderful, with the original landscaping making level areas by the lake just right for camping pitches, food marquees, and stages. 

This year -14th-16th July - is ALSO's tenth anniversary and there'll be as wide a range of speakers as ever, including Jess Philips MP, Sara Pascoe, Robin Ince, and Jeffrey Boakye, music to dance the night away to, an organised run or dance workshops for the energetic, paddle-boarding and swimming at the lake, or just chill out in the beautiful parkscape. A new addition is the food festival within the festival, with a wider range of bookable lunches, masterclasses and tastings. 

This is an event that I was invited along to last year but just because I went for free doesn't mean it wasn't any less special.

photo credit: The Big Feastival

For food lovers there's a treat at The Big Feastival 25-27th August in the Cotswolds. I stumbled across this festival last year, when Kathy Slack (whose cookery demonstration I'd seen at ALSO), announced she was appearing. The emphasis, perhaps obviously, is on food with over 20 chefs cooking and inspiring festival-goers,and Feast on the Farm with Pasture offers a three course sit down lunch or dinner for anyone who thinks fine-dining belongs only in a restaurant. The offerings from street food traders looks wonderful too.

photo credit: The Big Feastival

This is also, of my chosen list, the festival with biggest music headliners - Sigrid, Tom Brennan, Blossoms, and Rick Astley,  I think it was rightly described as 'Glastonbury but with lots more delicious food'.*  There's also a vintage funfair, a fire pit with cookery demos (you'll never look at your backgarden bbq the same way again), a craft corner, children's entertainment in the Big Top, a chance for both adults and children to get hands on with M&S cookdery classes, and a hot dog eating competition (most? quickest? with least tomato ketchup on your top? I know which one I'd win)

photo credit: Department Two

 Now if you still thought these festivals sounded too large and busy, then there's one, or a series, designed specially for you. For several years The Good Life Experience festival was held in early September at Hawarden Castle in North Wales, but now the organisers have decided to change to a series of Summer Camps held on four weekends throughout July. 

photo credit:
Department Two

In form they're much like the festival was - celebrating the good things in life with food, music, workshops, talks, lake swimming, and paddle-boarding - but with far less participants so you can actually get to know your fellow festivallers/campers. There'll be evening feasts prepared by chefs like Romy Gill or Valentine Warner, a secluded castle garden to explore, new activities to try, new skills to learn. As co-founder Charlie Gladstone puts it "Summer Camp will be a retreat, a place to recharge and to explore new places and ideas". 

It sounds idyllic to me.

There's one event left which I'd recommend for anyone interested in a different slant on the news -  Byline Festival, which has been running in Sussex for several years but is now moving to the Dartington Trust near Totnes in Devon. It's mission, in the words of sister orgainsation the Byline Times,  is to shed light on 'what the papers don't say' and is packed with speakers such as Jonathan Pie, Bonnie Greer OBE, Joanna Scanlan, George Monbiot, and Carole Cadwalladr, with the serious talks interspersed with good food and dancing. There's one regrettable snag though - it's so popular that it's sold out! There is a 'wait list' though in case of any ticket returns.

Another snag prevents me personally from packing up my tent and spending all summer under the festival skies - after a series of unfortunate mishaps with twisted ankles and pulled leg muscles walking on grass is too hazardous for me, and the thought of putting up the tent makes me shudder. Hopefully I'll be back to full fitness for next summer. Fingers crossed.

*by Zahra Surya Darma Conde Nast Traveler

Mishaps with a tent; not as prepared as I thought

A month ago we were packed and heading off to Timber festival. With Covid disrupting life, it had been a while since we'd stayed in the tent but I assumed I'd soon get the hang of it again. 

Preparation is important, especially after a gap, so we practiced putting up the tent and inflating the air-beds, and everything seemed fine. I practiced getting up off the floor. I dug out my alleged 'festival' clothes, varnished my nails, and was ready to go.

But thing didn't run to plan; I should have seen it as a sign when I realised about 10 minutes from home that I'd forgotten my hairbrush! We got there, put up the tent without too much trouble, went back to the car for a second load of clothes/inflatable beds/shoes, and everything seemed fine. But heading downhill to the festival proper I began to realise what a strain carrying things from car park to campsite had been. By half past eight I exhausted, and longing for a comfy bed. When we returned to the tent in the evening one of the beds had deflated, and even on the other I just couldn't settle so we decided to take the easy way out and go home for the night, returning in the morning.

 For a festival half an hour away from home this, while not ideal, proved a workable solution, but a couple of days later I received an invitation for ALSO festival. This wasn't an opportunity I wanted to pass up on, although being in Warwickshire there was no way I could nip home each evening.

 So ... we tested the beds again - this time actually sleeping on them for a night at home - and they were fine; they presumably just hadn't been closed properly. We were ready to go! Sort of.

I'm at stage of age and fitness (ie old and unfit) where I can't go out one weekend, exhaust myself, rest during the week, and be ready to go again the next weekend. ALSO luckily is one of the few festivals where you can drive your car onto the camping site, so no problems with carrying equipment this time. 

Unfortunately it left us a bit careless about choosing where to pitch the tent. While some of the campervans and glamping tents were on flat areas beside the actual festival site, tents were on a slope above. It didn't look too steep from the car, so we chose a spot with a view down to the main stage where we could just see the lake in the distance. Very pretty - if we'd been staying in the tent all weekend - but all the events, plus food and toilets were at the bottom of the slope, and what goes down has to come back up again. Remember my legs hadn't really recovered from the previous weekend (I saw small children running up and down quite happily); a bit more thought and planning would have improved our weekend a lot. 

So, there are lessons to be learned for another time, whether at festivals or on holiday, but I haven't been put off. I like the wildness, and back to nature vibe of staying in the tent, even when it's erected in manicured parkland, and I'm eager to try it on a slightly wilder campsite.

If you'd like to read about the actual festivals rather than my mishaps with a tent, follow the links below

Timber 

ALSO

ALSO 2022

We were barely home from Timber festival when an exciting email dropped in my in-box - an invitation to ALSO festival, being held the next weekend! Would I be interested in press tickets? Ooh, YES, PLEASE! 

I've mentioned ALSO before as my kind of festival; not loud music and dancing till dawm, or at least not JUST that, but a mix of informative talks, music, and (for those wanting to do more than sit back in a field) activities. Numbers are kept to 2000; small enough to feel intimate, large enough to get that festival vibe.

 So, offered the opportunity, how could I refuse?After all, my blog and lifestyle are all about making the most of opportunities regardless of my age, and this is a festival I've been wanting to attend for some years.

Last Friday found us then, car loaded with camping equipment, heading south to Compton Verney, in Warwickshire. The site is possibly the loveliest place ever for a festival - 50 acres of parkland re-shaped and 'landscaped' in the eighteenth century by Capability Brown, and then gradually over the years being allowed to decline into something less formal. The deliberately designed flat areas by the lake are perfect for a main stage, smaller marquees, and food stalls, while paths lead off to the Lake and Woodland stages, a waterside Rum Shack, and the lake itself, home for the weekend to swimmers and paddle-boarders.

I'd started out with a plan - who I wanted to see/hear, which workshops I might like to join in - but I soon drifted away from it in favour of going-with-the-flow, and dropping in on talks or musical performances as they caught my attention. I think the only part of my plan that I stuck to was watching a food prep demonstration from Kathy Slack entitled 'Glut'. An enthusiastic gardener she understands the way home-grown produce varies between famine and feast, and in her book From The Veg Patch conjures up delicious, new ways to use common vegetables when faced with a flood of them. 

Professor Anil Seth

Other than that I wandered in and out of several fascinating talks - Professor Anil Seth talking about how we perceive the world and the difference between 'consciousness' as seen in animals and 'intelligence' as found in computers: sports psychologist, Dr Peter Olusoga, applying his training techniques to everyday life, and Dr Alex George in his 'Live Well Every Day' event talking about mental health, lack of adequate provision through the NHS, and his campaign to improve things. Sometimes I found myself nodding wisely in agreement, sometimes I disagreed with the speaker, but they all made me think. 

Dr Peter Olusoga

Jeffrey Boakye presented a different sort of talk, taking the audience on a history of Black Britain through songs. Stop and really listen to the words, and you'll realise some of the hardships the Black communities face. I missed the beginning of this event, but wished I hadn't.  

Juno Dawson

Wandering past the Lake stage I spotted Juno Dawson, known to me as a YA author, but now presenting her first novel for adult-readers, Her Majesty's Royal Coven, and discussing the similarities between witch hunts and the attacks faced by the LGBTQ community. 

I approached the musical acts in much the same drop in, drop out way. The first on Friday evening was singer/songwriter Luke Jackson,  followed by James Graydon who 'coached' the actors for Bohemian Rhapsody, but after those I rather lost track. There were certainly 'rockier' sounds from Keg and Manor, and Ciaran Lavery tempted us back down to the Main stage when we'd already decided to turn in for the night!   Joining in with the ALSO choir or the Charleston dance ceilidh I left for others with better voices an more energy.

The weather was amazing. Just perfect for lounging around, sipping a non-alcoholic Seedlip spritzer, or eating buffalo-milk ice cream. 

With both bacon cobs and fresh fruit for breakfast, organic lamb burgers sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, and Trinidadian street food from Heart and Soul BBQ, the food was great. If you wanted something more formal there were Ukrainian, Syrian, and Balearic cookery demonstrations/dining experiences to indulge in with tables set out beneath the trees. 

There are probably more things I wish I'd done than things I did. Certainly one of those feasts. An event or experience that clashed with something else. A talk about doughnut economics, because it's something I've heard about but never made sense of. I didn't go swimming in the lake, or try paddle boarding. I didn't learn to make a (non-alcoholic) Bloody Mary or go on a foraging walk. Sometimes there's not just enough time for everything, but I think the feeling of 'didn't get to see everything' is a better one to leave with than 'seen/done it all'; it tempts you back another time.

I have to, out of fairness, mention that it wasn't totally idyllic. We pitched our tent too high on the surrounding slopes. It gave us a great overall view, but left us with a trudge down to the festival area and back uphill at the end of the day or if we'd forgotten anything, and quite a way to go to the toilets in the middle of the night.  And those toilets, though very nice proper flushing loos, weren't really numerous enough and got blocked too quickly. The first could be avoided with a little fore-knowledge; the second happen anywhere with 'off mains' facilities. 

To any readers who maybe think festivals aren't for them, I'd say, give it a go. Stretch your mind a little. Try something new. Come away inspired. 

The way to the woods

Next year's event will be held 14-16 July, and super-earlybird tickets are already on sale here

Summer festivals - 2022

 The last couple of days have turned warm and sunny, a(nother) heatwave is forecast for the coming week, summer is here. And that means festival time! I suppose it really kicked off at Hay with the Book Festival and How The Light Gets In taking place at the end of May/first week of June, but now I'm seeing setlists and ticket warnings popping up everywhere over social media - and I'm beginning to think I've dithered too long trying to decide where to go. Should it be somewhere familiar, or break out and go for somewhere new? Just one event, or as many as I have the energy for?

You'll notice that there's a similarity to the festivals I've chosen to talk about. Not Glastonbury or Download. There are obviously plenty of music festivals around to choose from but I'm looking for something a little different.- something that's like a microcosm of how I feel life should be. There should be talks and discussions to stretch the mind and inspire me, music or drama to entertain (comedy if you must, although it's not really my thing), good food, and something to perhaps help me step out of my comfort zone - the mere thought of camping was challenging enough at first, but I survived; now I'm thinking of wild swimming or fire walking.

First chronologically comes a new festival - Kite, at Kirtlington Park, Oxfordshire which I've discovered too late as it's on this weekend. One to note for next year, it promises a mix of music and ideas, so seems like my kind of event.

 

At the beginning of July, it's time for Timber Festival to return to Feanedock in the National Forest. promising three days of  'music, forests. art, ideas', a chance to unplug and recharge among the tree. This is a special place of regenerated woodland on old industrial sites, and the area just goes to show what can be achieved when nature's allowed to flourish. I've attended on two occasions (before the pandemic) and enjoyed it immensely; so much that when 2020's event was cancelled, I watched on line and took part at a distance.  

The smaller Eerie stage, hidden among the trees

At its heart, Timber holds the belief that we should all slow down and pay attention to the natural world around us - for our own good, and for that of the planet - and the acts and activities reflect this. 

There are two music stages, with The Orielles, Holy Moly and the Crackers, and Penguin Cafe headlining,  and one given over more to discussions. 

 Oral historians, organic food growers, environmentalists and poets will be talking about the importance for them of working with rather than against nature. There's a special feature on slow food, 'clean, and fair for both people and planet' which is something which interests me greatly, from my standpoint of back-garden vegetable grower. throughout the three days there'll be wellbeing walks, a light trail inspired by nature, yoga and tai chi sessions, opportunities to try your hand at woodwork, forest bathing or circus skills - whatever takes your fancy.

 

Having been I can say it's definitely a family-friendly festival with activities and entertainment aimed for both young and old (although I have joined in some of the 'young' activities too) Oh, and, yes, there's firewalking. It's said to be empowering, but to me just seems terrifying. I'd probably miss that.  

The following weekend, 8- 10 July, it's the turn of ALSO festival, held in 50 acres of lakeside parkland at Compton Verney in Warwick. 'Where ideas run wild' is its motto, so you can see why it appeals to me. 

To get your mind unfurling psychologists and authors discuss what makes you 'you', unveil gendered emotions, the hidden culture of bi-sexuality or the universe around you. Sort of like TED talks in a field, that might leave you with your opinions changed or at least challenged.

It's not all sitting around listening though. There are plenty of practical things to occupy you for much longer than three days - cookery and craft workshops, a foraging walk, double dutch skipping or dance as new exercise routines, and guided wild swims.  

 

 And, of course, there's music - it wouldn't be a festival without it - and with everything from DJ sets to a Gospel Choir via rock n roll and folk there's surely something for everyone.

 Camp Good Life in September (16th-18th) promises 'bonfires, harvest. mellow mist, apples, lingering wood smoke, foraging, strong booze and giant feasts'. Honestly what could be a better way to round off summer? Held in the shadow of two castles at Hawarden in North Wales, it's obviously about the things in life which make us feel good.

There's a music tent, another for speakers with talks that cover anything and everything - the history of Wales from the 60s, confessions of a whale scavenger, rockclimbing, and the birth of pop'. A marquee adjacent to the bar provides a space for evening DJs. There are craft areas, campfire cooking sessions,  and this year weekend campers are being offered a free meal each day. You can go wild swimming or paddle boarding in the lake, or take your canine friend along for the dog diving competition - because this is a family festival that believes dogs are an integral part of the family.

They claim to have the best festival loos, incredible showers and the best on site farm shop (possibly the only one)

It sounds like a celebration of the best things of life - food, music, family; quality not quantity. With this in mind numbers are limited, and possibly even sold out by now. But, all is not lost, as the Good Life team are also putting together a series of Summer Camps in July. Described as micro-festivals they'll have speakers, workshops and good food. And during August you can stay at the small campsite, join guided wild swims in the lake, a tour of the older castle dating back to the 12th century, or time your camping trip to coincide with an evening of music or an all-day feast (some of these things are just at planning stage, and whie I've seen mention of them in e-mails, I can't find details on the Good Life Society website but I'm sure they'll be there soon)

I realised putting this post together that these festivals are broadly similar. They all have beautiful locations where you could just relax and take in the peace and quiet .You could try a new craft or activity. You could listen to speakers challenge and inspire you, then dance all night. Inspiring. Relaxing. Joyous.A wonderful way to spend a weekend.

photo accreditation; Timber - Andrew Allcock,   Also - Diccon Towns, Good Life - Department Two

Missing Out - on festivals

 Today is the first day of Timber Festival and I'm a bit downhearted that I didn't feel confident enough to go in some capacity - either volunteer or general public.

I've been twice before as a 'pioneer' - in 2018 and 2019 - blogging about the festival before and after, and tweeting during it - and absolutely loved the experience. Last year I'd intended volunteering (after all seems only fair that having had two free years I should give something back) but I hadn't got that far before Covid stepped in and cancelled everything. Last year though, everyone was missing out so there seemed a certain solidarity about not being able to go. Some of the events went online, and I had a private mini-festival at home.

This year, feels different. The festival is going ahead - and is even sold out - but I didn't dare think of going. I'm not young anymore (over 60) and, although I'm now double vaccinated, after over a year hardly going anywhere to go somewhere with people around feels risky and incredibly strange. I need more time to acclimatise to the 'new normal'.

I do wish I'd been brave enough to go though.

It's made me realise how quickly I've come to love festivals of this nature - not a young person's music festival, but one for all ages which seeks to educate and enlighten as well as entertain. Curious Arts Festival in 2016 my was first experience - a mix of bookish chat during the daytime, and comedy and music at night, held in the grounds of Pylewell Park in Hampshire. And after Timber, I'd discovered others. Also festival in Warwickshire which describes itself as an 'ideas' festival but which also has a range of experiences from yoga to wild swimming you can join in with, and The Good Life Experience in North Wales (another one which I joined online last year) are at the top of my festival 'bucket list', but although both are going ahead this year in one form or another, I've decided to sit things out for a while. 

I miss the excitement. I miss waking to the dawn chorus and sun shining through the tent. I miss festival food, and listening to, or trying, new things that I wouldn't bother with at home. I almost even miss rolling out of bed because the pitch wasn't quite as level as I thought, or overhearing late night conversations from the next-door tent. 

Hopefully next year will be easier for planning ahead because I have so much more I want to do before I get too old!

So Many Festivals, So Little Time

Once summer actually arrives there's never quite enough time to do everything you'd like to. It's certainly the case with festivals. There are so many out there - inspiring, fun-filled and delightful - but, with only a certain number of weekends for them to take place on, some are bound to clash.

Here are some I wish I could go to, if it weren't for other plans ...

Tangled Roots - photo credit; Camilla Arnhold

First, this weekend, is a new festival  - Tangled Roots at Radford Mill Farm in Somerset. It describes itself as a 'Contemporary Folk, Roots and Acoustic Festival' with music ranging from India Electric Co with their award-winning contemporary folk, to French gypsy jazz from Petites Annonces, a cappella, acoustic soul, roots Americana, and traditional Spanish music and dance from Flamenco Loco. As well as performances on stage, there'll be a choir workshop, a chance to try flamenco dancing yourself, campfire story-telling from Noah and the Whale's Matt Owens, and impromptu acoustic sessions around the site, or at evening by the campfire, that everyone can join in with.
It's location sounds idyllic - an organic farm with a stream running through the festival site

I already have tickets for a local festival this weekend - no, not Download, although that's not far from here, but a quieter affair, Wildside run by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust - but maybe next year I'll head south to Somerset ...


Also Festival, at Compton Verney, Warwickshire, is another fab-sounding event. It's a much bigger affair than Tangled Roots, offering over 200 experiences over the weekend 5th -7th July.










There will be talks and discussions to stretch your mind, music and comedy to entertain, food to keep you going, and a wide range of activities to take part in, from light sabre workshops to wild swimming.



 Where would I start? Well, what attracts me is the mix of informative talks, and hands-on experiences, so I'd maybe head to hear Margaret Macmillan on The Uses and Abuses of History, or James Wallman talk about Time and How To Spend It (as relevant to a person of my advancing near-retirement years as to younger folks), then make a flower crown, and join a foraging walk, though checking out the wide range of food on offer, from Tibetan curries to pizza, seems like a 'must' too.

This year though, Timber Festival falls on the same weekend, and I'll be covering that.

photo credit; Michael Bowles

Heading down to Cornwall later in July, you'll find another festival of ideas, Port Eliot. Running 25th - 28th July this year, this is timed awkwardly for me as it falls close to, some years actually on, a family birthday.

photo credit; Sarah Louise Bennett

 There are several stages showcasing different musical styles, so there's bound to be something for everyone, though I'd probably give the late night pop dungeon a miss :) I'd head instead to the estate's Church, the oldest in Cornwall, for some quieter acoustic sounds.

The church. photo credit; Linday Melbourne

Around the grounds you'll find a wide range of activities from river-based activities like wild swimming, mud baths, and canoeing, to star-gazing, yoga sessions, and Viking tournament games.

photo credit; Louise Roberts

The literary line-up boasts novelists, journalists, and comedians; there'll be cookery demonstrations to inspire your meal-times; and the drawing room of the house will play host to an exhibition celebrating fifty years in the fashion industry for designer Zandra Rhodes.
 An event mixing art, fashion and books with music and comedy, set on the riverside Port Eliot estate in a romantic landscape designed by Repton, sounds like another one I should catch sometime (and preferably before I'm too old to enjoy a few nights under canvas)


Looking further ahead, I've spotted another festival clash - Derby's own street festival Feste takes place the same late September weekend as Deepdale Festival in north Norfolk. Sometimes I feel a time machine is the only answer to doing everything I'd love to!