Music festivals are the realm of euphoria, relaxation and great experiences. Sadly, rain, sleepless nights and mud creep in and can often spoil visitors’ enjoyment drastically.
In the UK at the moment, festivals are becoming one of the most popular summer activities. There are hundreds of festivals throughout the year around the country, ranging from a few hours to a few weeks long. Even better, the choice of music, entertainment and themes are wide enough to impress any aficionado or casual listener.
So how can you hit the festivals without slumming it? Take your caravan!
Most major UK festivals now have provision for caravans. You’ll even find special caravan service providers at some of the largest festivals.
The advantages of taking your caravan to a festival can be obvious, but there are more subtle benefits too. Firstly, expect to keep yourself far dryer in a caravan than in a tent. Unfortunately, festivals seem to be unfairly plagued by bad weather, but with a caravan you’ll be able to dry yourself off after a hard day’s partying, and enjoy a warm night.
Whilst you can feasibly stock up a tent with mattresses and duvets, you’ll find that you can make up a far more comfortable bed in your caravan. What’s more, rather than lugging round heavy or cumbersome bedding, it’ll all be stored for you en-route.
Another major concern about festivals is their toileting facilities. Save yourself the horrors of spending a penny on the final days of the festival by bringing your own caravan (with toilet) to the site. You might even have an on-board shower, although beware that this could incur scorn from fellow ‘rightfully un-showered’ festival goers.
As with any good plan, there are still some drawbacks. Booking a site for your caravan will likely set you back more money than a standard tent pitch. Worse still, the caravan sites are sometimes positioned further away from the action than standard areas. This is a compromise which could work for you, or might leave you unimpressed.
Furthermore, it is also important to consider your entry to the festival. Due to the sheer scale of many modern festivals, campsites can be a long distance from major roadways. You can, therefore, sometimes be forced to travel over large amounts of natural terrain – a possible challenge if your caravan or car finds off-road journeying difficult.
Despite these problems, though, caravanning can be the perfect way to experience festivals, even if they’ve never appealed to you before.
The big festivals, all of which are fully accessible to caravanners, are Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds and V festivals. For watching the major headliners from Muse to Stevie Wonder, there’s nowhere better.
On the other hand, smaller festivals can provide unforgettable experiences despite their lack of household names. The Secret Garden Party, or Rob Da Bank’s Bestival on the Isle of Wight are both extremely successful and popular smaller festivals.
If unbearable conditions have dissuaded you from attending festivals in the past, but something still inspires you about the idea, your caravan can provide the ideal compromise. Don’t suffer for your enjoyment, take your caravan and have a great time in comfort. Whatever use you find for your caravan, make sure you’ve taken out good Caravan Insurance.
