Camp Bestival 2016 {Me Time}

Having looked at Camp Bestival from a family point of view, and shared some lovely images, today I got to thinking about what I got out of it as an individual trying to find some me time. Camp Bestival is clearly billed as a family festival but that doesn't mean, with a bit of planning, us grown ups can't find some time alone doing some grown up things.

We struck a good balance again this year as a family unit which gave everyone the opportunity to do the things they wanted to do. I planned ahead and booked another nature run with Nick, having loved it last year, and it didn't disappoint; with a gentle 5k+ around and beyond the festival site I can definitely recommend it - a morning run set off at 9.30 on each of the mornings and cost £5.

The nature runs set off from the Slow Motion area which also homed a yoga tent so you just know that I spent some of my me time there! Becoming a bit of an early riser I dragged myself out of bed and up the big hill onto the main site for two 8 a.m. classes; Qi Gong on the Saturday and Rise & Shine Yoga on the Sunday. Qi Gong was new to me and felt similar to Tai Chi, it was very gentle with a calming focus on balance, breath and stretching. The Rise & Shine Yoga I was more familiar with and was taken by a last minute replacement Kali - Kali Green Yogini - who has reignited my desire to move to Cornwall just so I can take some more of her classes! This year all yoga and meditation classes were free.

Camp Bestival 2016 {In Pictures}

It's that time again when we go through all of our pictures taken at this year's Camp Bestival. Between the four of us attending the family festival this year we had a DSLR, a compact camera, an iPhone and a Samsung phone all of which were constantly used to snap away taking pictures around the site. As you can imagine this resulted in hundreds of images.
Not really knowing where to start I've selected a random set of photos, in no particular order, that show some my favourite sights of Camp Bestival 2016.
Enjoy!

Camp Bestival 2016 {A Family Review}

We've been back home for just over 24 hours after leaving Camp Bestival 2016 behind us in, a just starting to get a little bit damp, Dorset. Across the weekend we were blessed with blue sky and sunshine which increased the amount of sparkle from all the space age glitter festooning the revellers across the festival site. And what a site it was again. This was our seventh year attending Camp Bestival and still there was enough to keep all four of us busy, satisfied and happy that we had had a complete weekend. The children, now 10 and 8, find new things to love every year but still enjoy repeating past experiences - you just can't get tired of Camp Bestival!

We arrived at around 10am on Thursday and easily entered the site through the well marked lanes around Lulworth Castle. Parking up was straightforward, a £25 cost, and once we had our bands safely on our wrists, and the £10 programme pack bought, we began the task of getting all of our gear to the campsite. Arriving a little bit earlier this year there was more choice of free areas but we headed to our usual camping spot that the children were familiar with - now they are older they are able to independently walk to the campsite toilets and collect water for us. Portable toilets were set up throughout the camp site and we never had more than 4 people head of us in a queue at any point across the weekend. There were times the paper and hand sanitiser were out so always be prepared and have those on you.

Once camp was set up we chilled for a bit, made some plans from the programme and later explored the site. The Magic Meadow is open on the Thursday evening with plenty of eateries, bars and entertainment going on to whet your appetite for the three day weekend to come.

Across the long weekend we struck a good balance of things for us to do as a family, as one parent with the children and as a solo adult. This post is going to concentrate on just a fraction of the things that we experienced at Camp Bestival for the children and as a family.

Yoga Festivals ~ Summer 2016

Last Tuesday I went to my weekly yoga class to be met by my yoga teacher who looked calmer, more chilled out, smilier and generally floating more than usual. The reason? She had just just returned from a weekend spent at a glorious yoga festival called Yoga Connects.

Here she had experienced a range of classes and workshops with like-minded people and listening to her positive words got me fired up with excitement ready for the summer ahead. Six weeks of summer holiday ready to be filled with fun times with my children, new memories made for my little family, a new yoga festival and fun festival times at Camp Bestival. At the latter I will be escaping for a little 'me time' in the Slow Motion area which, coincidentally, is ran in conjunction with the team behind Yoga Connects - so how perfect does that sound?!

Camp Bestival 2016 ~ Last Minute Bits to Take!

With just over three weeks to go until Camp Bestival 2016 opens its gates my thoughts are turning to the arduous task of packing! Now, with six previous Camp Bestivals, and countless camping trips, under our belts I have the campsite packing list pretty much sussed, plus some necessary festival extras. But...there are always some last minute bits to take.

Extra toiletries to keep you super fresh, electric toothbrushes to ensure no slacking on the dental hygiene, covers to keep those brushes clean from any bugs - creeping ones and airborne, sun cream, bite soothers and travel sickness bands.

1. Skin Genius - Festival Rescue Kit

2. ERiiS - Sun Protection Milk

3. Zap-It! - Mosquito Bite Relief

4. Steripod - Toothbrush Protector

5. SEA-BAND - Travel Sickness Relief

Great for keeping the children's teeth clean is the Bruah Baby KidzSonic toothpaste. With a 2 minute flashing disco light timer and 30 second pulse reminder to move anround the mouth I know my kiddos will have clean teeth whilst out camping and festivalling this year!

6. Brush Baby - Spearmint Toothpaste

7. Brush Baby - KidzSonic Toothbrush

Taking a tween or teenager? Pack them their own special bag of No Junk from Skin Genius including facial wash, face wash, clarifying lotion, tissues, plasters, mints, toothbrush protector and lavender.

And don't forget these extras from Home Bargain's Festival Range with prices starting from 12p!

Tissues - 12p, Face and body wipes - 39p, Deodorant wipes - 39p, Anti-bacterial wipes - 79p, Body wipes - 79p, Dry shampoo - 79p, Eyelashes - 89p, Floral headband - £1.49, Welly socks - £1.99, Cooler bag - £1.99, Trilby - £1.99, Sunglasses - £1.99

So, I'll be making some extra room in the luggage to take these bits along to keep us all fresh, clean and looking the part.

It's not too late to join the fun down in Lulworth from 28th - 31st July.

Everything you need to know about tickets is here

x x x

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Camp Bestival 2016 ~ A jam-packed guide!

The excitement is rising in the house of 76sunflowers as we count down the weeks to our annual trip to the best family festival on earth - Camp Bestival.
My children have grown up with Camp Bestival in their blood, having attended since 2010, and it is their summer highlight every year. I remember that first festival nervously taking a two and four year old not really knowing what to expect but if I had this toddler survival guide I would have been much calmer!

One thing we did get right in 2010 was the fancy dress and I had my little pirate and fairy happily bum shuffling and toddling around that year. Now, fancy dress at Camp Bestival is a huge thing, not essential - my boy has no desire to dress up anymore - but you will see it everywhere. Should you be short of ideas for this year's Space theme then the Fancy Dress Festival Guru herself, aka Tattooed Mummy, has a great post here for inspiration - I'm hoping she goes as one of the Clangers!

Over the years we have perfected our packing and preparation, and tweaked our list to suit our family as they grow older, but this list from Penny would have saved us a lot of time and is a great starting point if going to your first festival.

Once the packing lists are done it is always a good idea to make some plans about what you all want to try and do across the long weekend. The site is packed full of entertainment for all ages and here is a selection of things that Sarah, from the Parenting Trials, is looking forward to this year including the biggest bouncy castle in the world!

Some first time festival goers may worry about the toilet situation but this post, will put you at ease, as well as giving you some other essential things to know or do.

Food is a hugely positive experience at Camp Bestival with an array of culinary delights to suit everybody's tastebuds. Louise and her Gorgeous Boys are licking their lips in anticipation of this delicious line up!

Despite the fantastic array of food on offer it is still useful to bring some food from home for breakfasts in the tent and picnics on site. Polly, from Enchanted Pixie, has some super ideas for feeding a family at a festival to help balance the budget and still enjoy a Mexican Burrito!

For some lovely images and a review of last year's festival take a look here and here.

I hope this has whetted your appetite to join us at Camp Bestival 2016!

x x x

Yoga & Festivals {Slow Motion at Camp Bestival 2016}

Tonight I floated home from my yoga class pausing to stand and watch the beautiful sunset. Every week I have witnessed a lush Yoga Sky and I always take a moment to take it all in.

I recently progressed from front room Yoga to proper classes, having said it would be something I would investigate following a gorgeous yoga session at last year's Camp Bestival, and it has been one of the best things I have done. Every week I have 90 minutes of pure chilled out indulgence for me where I can focus on my yoga practice and channel my thoughts to positivity and some spiritual relaxation. Already I feel more appreciative of the world, particularly apt in this current climate of political upset and human anger, and a bit more connected to it.

Yoga, and all that it stands for, goes hand in hand with festivals and chilling and tonight I counted the days and realised that Camp Bestival 2016 is now just 5 weeks away. Putting a bigger smile on my face was the announcement today that Bestival's holistic zone, Slow Motion, will be debuting at Camp Bestival and bringing with it The Huffington Post UK Yoga Shala with a range of yoga; Pregnancy Yoga, Yoga for all the family, Hip-Hop Yoga and Yoga for stress. Sessions will run from 8a.m. to 7p.m. each day and I feel it will be an area I will be frequenting a few times across the three festival days!

Yoga is fabulous to participate in at a festival and gives any of you Mamas, or Papas, out there a perfect escape for a little bit of 'me time'. The yoga tent is a great retreat from the noise and crowds and gives you time to reconnect to yourself and, from personal experience, will return you to your family re-energised and calmer!

If this looks like something you would enjoy there is more information on Slow Motion here.

If you haven't purchased your tickets for Camp Bestival yet everything you need is here.

Never been to Camp Bestival before and want to read a little more? Check out my past Camp Bestival posts here.

x x x

Our little festival dream {YardFest ~ Camp Bestival}

Just over a week ago my husband staged his very own little festival in a hidden away yard in deepest darkest Wiltshire; YardFest was a gathering of friends and families to celebrate life and remember a close friend who left us far too early.
Weeks, possibly months, of planning went into our little festival dream with many things having to feature. We thought about the things we have loved at Camp Bestival and planned them in, albeit on a much smaller scale; we wanted a stage and live music, food and a firepit, a place to camp, an activity for the children, toilets! The list went on.
The husband and his friend did an amazing job getting all the necessary elements in place; booking a band, setting up a stage on the back of a trailer, ordering in the portable loos, buying in beer and cider from a local brewery, building the fire and BBQ, making tables and seating, clearing the field for parking and camping - whilst I hit the Scrapstore for a bag of tulle and netting to make pompoms!
All in all it was a great success with everyone smiling, laughing, chatting, eating, drinking, dancing and chilling with like-minded happy people - definitely my kind of a festival.
Here is just a snippet of the memories we created at YardFest...

The word has spread and we have more people interested in coming next year to share in our little festival dream.
Whilst we plan for YardFest 2017 our much loved Camp Bestival team are preparing for this year's Outer Space adventures with Fatboy Slim, Jess Glynne, Dick and Dom and a whole galaxy of astronomical amusements.
And who knows one day we might be running something like this, captured beautifully on film by the Jansch clan...

x x x

The Feast Collective {Camp Bestival 2016}

I am really excited to say that we are off to Camp Bestival again this year as official bloggers so if you need any questions answered about this amazing festival then send them my way!
Regular readers will know we have loved Camp Bestival since our first family visit back in 2010; our childrens' best summer memories always include this magical place.
In case you didn't know Camp Bestival is a yearly get together at Lulworth Castle, Dorset overseen by Rob da Bank bringing together families, camping, live music, adventures and food for everyone from 0-100+.
Year on year festivals have increasingly diversified to satisfy our taste buds. Long gone are the scattering of greasy burger vans and their place comes top notch food. Camp Bestival has always prided itself on the food it offers from the Feast Collective; a variety of food stalls and bars all conveniently found in one big tent.

This year these additions have caught my eye:
For me the Vietmanese street food of Pho Sho & American inspired ramen burgers with a Filipino twist from Pimp my Ramen - definitely a burger joint worth visiting!

For the coffee addicted husband Noble Espresso.
And for the children, 100% natural ice lollies from Polar Pops.

For all ticket info check out the website here.

Disclaimer: As official bloggers we are receiving a family camping ticket. As usual, all views and opinions are my own.

Camp Bestival 2016 ~ Mission Control

Calling all space cadets!

Space is the place at Camp Bestival 2016 with a brand new Mission Control tent added to the already out of this world line up announcements.

Over to Camp Bestival ground control...

5…4…3…2…1… BLAST OFF! Exclusive to Camp Bestival, the Royal Albert Hall’s resident Education & Outreach orchestra, Albert’s Band, will take us on a musical journey to a galaxy far, far away with their Space Symphony. This promises to be the perfect family friendly introduction to some of the most famous and recognised pieces of classical music in the universe, so don’t miss it!

Our brand new space-tastic Mission Control tent will play host to a wondrous selection of celestial thrills including the award winning National Space Centre team who will be on hand presenting exciting challenges and intriguing facts to inspire all at Space Camp Lulworth, and you’ll get the chance to win a National Space Centre family pass, too. You can witness science experiments, learn about the universe and join a mission to Mars with The Science Museum. Plus, The UK Space Agency will be taking a leaf out of Tim Peake’s exercise programme with some space-themed fitness and health activities. And don’t miss the Space to Earth Challenge a special space-themed walk around Camp Bestival, where fancy dress is positively encouraged! Come and defy gravity with us. 

You can quiz the stargazing experts from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, and be inspired by Explorer Dome presents ‘The Wonder of Space’, a family-friendly show produced exclusively for Camp Bestival. Featuring rocket workshops and chemistry shows with freezing fog, fire, flashes and big bangs, you can explore space, stars, life on other worlds, the ultimate fate of our sun, and the sky tonight, with added cosmology for the curious and the chance to ask questions about our place in the universe. 

There will, of course, be a host of stellar Mission Control action throughout the weekend, with OKIDO Magazine upping the intergalactic ante with giant squishy monsters, a spacey episode of Messy goes to Okido, and a huge, collaborative Space Mural. You can also send a message on a Space-Ready Postcard and work on the longest Space-Themed Bunting ever created. You could also get involved in the greatest building experience in the universe, with Brickies Lego Space Academy and their space-themed LEGO® building workshops, or enjoy Urban Astronaut; a cautionary environmental tale that combines stunning design and a unique, travelling flying machine with simple storytelling and a moving dance performance. 

Get ready for World Record Breaking Bubble Inc Shows from Samsam Bubble Man, who holds 10 Guinness World Records for Bubbleologist, and Gobbledegook Theatre’s inventive and interactive art that will surprise and delight in unexpected places as they mix up their musical Cosmic Cocktails with Dorset-based group Everyday Sunshine.

As ever, The Science Tent will be a mix of science-based performances, timetabled science, technology workshops and drop-in sessions. Be like Tim Peake and join The Rasberry Pi Foundation and Code Club in their Astro Pi Workshops. Explore comets and asteroids, learn how to cook up your own hairy star, make a CD hovercraft, and then make a human hovercraft! Launch a paper rocket, make a sound straw, and join the Silly Science Team’s Slime Workshop. We have tons to stimulate and fascinate every age group...and that includes you mums and dads!

We’ll also have woodland-based workshops aplenty as The ATE Trust presents…Woodland Warriors and Space Agents. Investigating a crashed spaceship in the Dingly Dell, ATE’s Space Agents might need your help to examine the space wreck, learn useful phrases in intergalactic languages, or to keep a lookout for strange-looking creatures. They will also be running space-themed ‘Cosmic Crafts’ workshops alongside our ever-popular woodland crafts. And there will be a Final Night Showcase and Procession in the Dell, with a special surprise planned for this year…

You can also let your little stars Blastoff to one of our Musical Mania workshops inspired by the adventures of Buzz Lightyear, or travel to the Planet Frozen, where you will learn the songs, dances and stories inspired by the smash hit Frozen.  

And, finally for now, keeping the cosmic wonder flowing, we’ll be showing rocket-fuelled entertainment with Aardman Animations’ classic A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit!

We’re still counting down to lift-off at Camp Bestival 2016, with so much more interstellar fun and games to be announced, so keep an eye on our website, Facebook and Twitter for all the latest sub space communications.

Ticket Info:

Camp Bestival 2016 Weekend Tickets are on sale now via: Ticketline / 0844 888 4410 

 

Camp Bestival 2016 Weekend Ticket Prices:

Adult Weekend Ticket - £197.50*

Student Weekend Ticket - £185*

Age 13 to 17 Weekend Ticket - £118*

Age 10 to 12 Weekend Ticket - £93*

Age 5 to 9 Weekend Ticket - £45*

Age 4 & Under Weekend Ticket - £15*

Babes In Arms (1 & Under) - FREE (but ticket required)*

All tickets include camping from Thursday or Friday.

*NB: please refer to the Camp Bestival Ticket Terms & Conditions 

Weekly Payment Plan:

Use our 20 week payment plan to purchase your tickets meaning that an adult ticket can now be bought at a payment of around £9 per week over 19 consecutive weekly payments following your initial deposit payment. Book online via Ticketline only: select 'Camp Bestival 2016 - Weekend Payment Plan'. Once you have signed up to the payment plan, which basically means giving your agreement by ticking the bank mandate form on Ticketline’s website, they will automatically debit your card on a weekly basis. NB: Booking fees and a deposit (£27.50 per adult ticket) will be charged with your initial transaction.  More info here.

Car Parking - £20 in advance 

Campervan Ticket - £85 per vehicle - please read Campervan T&Cs before booking 

Caravan / Trailer Tent Ticket - £96 (One car only per caravan/trailer tent – no exceptions). Please read Caravan/Trailer tent T&Cs here.

 

For further info and reviews from past Camp Bestivals take a peek here!

x x x

Camp Bestival - Looking back and looking forwards

I sat quietly at home earlier in the week and the sun was shining. It was blooming cold out but the brightness of the ball of fire in the sky made me think of Summer time and one of my most favourite things - Camp Bestival! As soon as I start to think about that magical place down in Lulworth my head becomes full of happy memories.

Last year at Camp Bestival saw us going as a family unit for the first time since 2011. This allowed me to go off and 'find myself' but, more importantly, gave us some much needed time together away from the strains and stresses of day to day life. With a myriad of things to do for families and children we once again planned more than we could actually manage but left feeling satisfied and content.
Some of our favourite things included...