Tent Sniffing for Beginners

Every year I plan lots of things to see at Camp Bestival and we usually manage about 50%. Mainly because the festival is large, we are easily distracted and extremely lazy. So I'm making a list this year of just 5 things that I absolutely MUST see.

A couple of weekends ago I dragged Mr TentSniffer along to a food festival. I say dragged, he wasn't that reluctant but he's not really a foody so it wasn't his favourite choice of things to do. As it was mostly outside we were able to take Fizz. She was much admired and she didn't beg for food either! What a good girl. We visited a cafe called The Hungry Guest for some coffee, we couldn't really say no as they had a board outside suggesting we try Fizz in the courtyard! We did and she liked it very much. Mr TS rather fell for the Podgy Pieman , or at least for his wares. though the pies were slightly more than the penny of the nursery rhyme, they were delicious. Mr TS had a sausage roll with sundried tomatoes and fennel seeds and I had a shredded beef, beetroot and horseradish pasty. Yum! I also enjoyed a cocktail made with gin from a small distillery in Scotland. Another triumph. I'm still cross I didn't try the Arbikie Chilli Vodka ! There w...

One of the nice things about festivals is the choice of food that is available. From cheap and cheerful fish and chips to more exotic haloumi fries with pomegranate salad, via wood fired pizza. But are the fish ad chips cheap? and what of the pizza? Can you afford pie and mash for the whole family? and three meals a day? So first things first. Festivals don't make a lot of money - despite what you might think, they have a huge turnover but actual profits are often low. Many festivals, Glastonbury included, continue to run not because they are a money spinner, but because the organiser loves festivals! One of the way festivals make money is via onsite sales, this includes food and drink stalls and is a reason many festivals ask you to buy booze at the bar and to try the food. So by buying your rations onsite you are helping the festival. But we all know that money doesn't grow on trees and there is a fine balance between helping a festival, enjoying the food and becomi...

Last year I missed the Friday at the Curious Arts Festival as DD was still at school, this year as a teen she has finished her GCSEs and so we will be there for the opening at 12 noon. This means that hopefully we can catch the Curious Arts cricket match, as while I don't like watching cricket on TV I do love a live match, especially at a festival, with gin...

I am a camper so I'm very familiar with water, getting soaked, ruined trainers, soggy jeans, etc etc you get the picture. After all I live in the UK, home of damp summers and wetter springs, saturated autumns and drowning winters. When I was asked if I fancied reviewing Liquiproof I was keen to try something new, I've used water proofers in the past of course, famously I had to respray the tent and used rather a lot of Fabsil. The trouble with most water proofers is that they smell really bad so you have to use them in well ventilated areas and they stink the place out as they dry. Not so with Liquiproof! I was suspicious when told this but also intrigued, how could something water based be water proof? My tiny brain couldn't cope "The solution works by bonding SiO2 particles to the individual fibres of the fabric, creating permanent bonded layers which forms an invisible barrier that keeps water and oil from ruining the shoe surface. The cutting edge formula i...

At home I'm a fairly strict parent. I'm all about balanced diets, five a day, no fizzy drinks and minimal crisp munching. We make homemade cakes so that they are not over sweet or full of E numbers. Most of our meals are made from scratch. In fact DD is so used to having 'meat and two veg' that she's not that keen on junk food! But when we are on holiday (which for us usually means camping, all of that goes out the window (or the tent flap). I suddenly favour things that will 'keep' without a fridge. Snacks that are prepacked (and thus insect proof) and easy to carry, cartons of juice, bags of crisps, 'breakfast' bars (that we all know are just sugar thrown at some oats), of course nature has given us the banana, the perfect snack food, also the easy peel satsuma, but other than that I'm looking at manmade all the way.

As you know I find half the fun of a festival in the planning and the preparation. Don't get me wrong, the festival is the best bit, but all the sorting of camping stuff, thinking about fancy dress (in 2012 I dressed as a horse !) , deciding on food and things to take for 'emergencies' - I love all that too. So today I'm rounding up some advice from other Camp Bestival bloggers, both old hands and newer ones, in case I have forgotten any thing, and to spy on their plans. Hopefully it will help you plan for festivals too.