Camp Bestival 2015 ~ Review & Tips

I've bombarded you with images galore, here and here, from Camp Bestival 2015 and you may have guessed we have had an absolute ball but I've not put down many words. So here is my overall review of Camp Bestival 2015 with some helpful tips thrown in for good measure.

We arrived around 11:00 on the Thursday morning, following the clearly signed roads into the site where we parked up with ease - this year managing to pull up at the bottom of the car park thus avoiding the hill down. This is purely pot luck and has nothing to do with the time you get there. The car park is on a hill so be prepared with a trolley or buggy to get your things from car to camp, and back again. Trolley hire is available for a £50 deposit then a £5 half hour charge.
Tip: We always bring our trusted Phil & Teds which, with a few bungees, does a fantastic job.

We chose to camp in our usual spot in the valley of Purple Camping. Toilets were a few minutes walk away, showers a bit further - we had a trug! The campsite toilets were kept well stocked with toilet roll but we always bring our own just in case and they were cleaned well on a regular basis.
Tip: The portable loo doors are noisy so my tip is don't camp too close unless you want to hear a constant thudding of doors all night.

Onsite toilets are scattered around with a choice of chemical toilets or compost loos. As on the campsite these were well attended with toilet roll aplenty and clean. Some toilets are located near a water point but many aren't.
Tip: put a small bottle of hand sanitiser in your pocket.

The festival site itself is a short walk uphill out of the valley - you can camp a lot closer and avoid the hill on a daily basis - and is partly open on the Thursday night.
Tip: Head up on the Thursday evening and get your bearings onsite.

The site is a decent size which means a lot of walking. We planned a few activities we definitely wanted to do and some we might do should the mood take us, this way we weren't too stressed going from a to b on a timetabled mad scramble and actually found a lot of things that we had never even thought about. You can buy a Camp Bestival bag for £10 which includes a lanyard programme, book programme and colouring book and pencils. Be wary though that performance times do change and these are only sporadically displayed on the Castle Stage screen. My beady eyed girl spotted that Ella Henderson had been moved earlier but the husband missed most of Marcus Brigstocke as his comedy slot was moved forward.
Tip: Make a few plans but also just go with the flow.

Food is plentiful onsite but prices can add up. Some example costs were; a large pot of macaroni cheese and bacon £7 with a smaller child's size at £4, wood fired pizzas £10/£9, corn on the cob £3.50, pie and mash £7.50 with a child's serving at £4. The quality of food is good with a great range all around the site, particularly within the Feast Collective tent. We bought dinner each night but breakfasted in the tent and picnicked for lunch.
Tip: Take plenty of snacks, drinks and pre prepared wraps and keep a well stocked cool box in your tent.

Be prepared for the weather. This year we didn't see a drop of rain but the temperatures dropped massively at night. The sun was hot in the daytime and this sun spray from P20 was a great product to test out on the family.
Tip: bring sun spray, layers, sun hats, woolly hats, onesies, blankets & wellies and waterproofs - just in case.

Take some spending money. As well as food there are other stalls to entice you to part with your well earned cash. Bars are plentiful selling beer, cider and ale for £4 - £4.80 a pint - cocktails, wine and spirits were also available. You can take alcohol onto the campsite but this is not supposed to be taken onto the main site. Other ways to spend your money include; the carousel at £2.50 a ride, the FairyLove tent, Tell Tails, postcards, charity stalls, Fire Toys - the boy bought a diablo for £12, Bubbles Inc, face paint tents and clothing stalls.
Tip: go armed with bubbles, glowsticks, and face paints.

At night the main music acts hit the Castle Stage. In the past we have always camped up on the field from 6 onwards but this year we decided to explore elsewhere in the evenings. On the final night we chose to watch the fireworks from the side of the castle and this gave us a fantastic viewpoint without being huddled tight and fenced in on the main field - it also meant we could exit the site quickly at the end as we had to head home on the Sunday too.
Tip: the bandstand on the Kid's Field showcases a wide range of music - we had a ball on the Friday night dancing to the 'Fabulous Lounge Swingers'. Also head into the Dingly Dell in the dark - it is beautiful and the children going to the play park at 22:40 is one of their favourite moments!

x x x

Disclaimer: I received family Camp Bestival 2015 tickets in return for previews and reviews of this year's festival. As always, views and opinions are my own.