Monthly Archives: August 2017

Reading Festival 2017

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First time I have participated in a music festival in a campervan.  Rosemary had given me permission to take Van the Van to Reading festival.  I am under no illusions though, permission was granted only because Selina was coming along with me (as the responsible adult)..  

Friday

I picked Selina up after 9.30 and allowed Google Maps to navigate a route to the White Gate.  Google took us down some very narrow and meandering roads.  We arrived at the festival with hardly any traffic and checked into the campervan area.  We were searched for glass and pineapples and then let through into the van area, where we parked next to a few other VWs.  Once parked we walked for 20 plus minutes to the arena in time for the first band on the main stage. 

I couldn’t find the real ale bar. Reading always has one, but all the usual locations were without craft beer. Late afternoon I spotted some people walking around with what looked like real ale. Accosted them and eventually found the bar. It was much larger than before and seemed well organised, but not at all busy.  As the days passed more people found it and on the Saturday it was heaving with a queue. 

Judas – Main Stage

A band recommended by a work colleague of Selina’s. Rock band in the old style. Gave a credible performance.

Mallory Knox – Main Stage

Josie Long – Reading Alternative

Rob Delaney – Reading Alternative

Circa Waves – Main Stage

Jimmy Eat World – Main Stage

Two Door Cinema Club – Main Stage

Bastille – Main Stage

Bastille played a stunning set, I will be seeing them again at the Pilton Party.  The sun had set before Kasabian came on.

Kasabian – Main Stage

Kasabian are always good. The stadium filled with fans wearing the blue Leicester City footie shirts.  

After the band had finished we made the mistake of leaving immediately and then getting lost and ending up where the silent disco was.  Had to backtrack to find our way back to the campsite.

Saturday

A nice morning, and an examination of the other campers and motor homes around us.  There was a huge double decker coach nearby with an electric cooker outside making breakfast. Some other campers thought the coach was a breakfast venue!  We also had several people want to look at our van, they were part way through their conversions and were wondering if a popup roof would be useful. Here is Van the Van aka Morrison with his neighbours.

Wolf Alice – Festival Republic

Blaenavon – NME

The Pretty Reckless – Main Stage

Cabbage – NME

Migos – Main Stage

Bill Bailey – Reading Alternative

Korn – Main Stage

Turbowold – Pit

Group Love – Festival Republic

Major Lazer – Main Stage

Glass Animals – NME

Yes pineapples were in evidence despite the festival pineapple ban.

Eminem – Main Stage

Watched Eminem, not really my thing, as were Migos and Major Lazer.  

When we left, we alas left with the crowd, went the correct way and ended up walking at a snail’s pace.

Sunday

Pins – Main Stage

Vant – Main Stage

Slotface – The Lock UP

Pond – NME

Flo and Joan – Reading Alternative

Katherine Ryan – Reading Alternative

Giggs – Main Stage

Blossoms – Main Stage

Liam Gallagher – Main Stage

Liam is rather a miserable person. The songs were good, and when the old Oasis songs were sung, the crowd responded. 

Waiting for Liam Gallagher

Waiting for Liam Gallagher

Muse – Main Stage

A great show by Muse with fireworks coordinated with the music.

 

 

The third day we had learnt. We stayed on in the arena, had a late supper and then left when the crowds had gone.  Back at the campsite we saw the double decker coach leave.

Sunday

Tea in beds (yes, we have two – one in the main body & one in the roof, where I was) at around 8.00am and then a quick pack up and away with very little traffic. The large double decker coach had left the night before.  The camper campsite was beginning to look empty, but very tidy. 

Valerie and Norman

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We visited Valerie and Norman for a couple of nights.  On the Tuesday we set off with hedge trimmer and chainsaw to trim their hedge.  First job on arrival was to consume an excellent soup lunch.  Then the hedge was attacked, lopping off a couple of feet.  

That evening we walked to The Cradock Arms.  We ordered and were soon eating.  But there was a pub quiz that night. What to do. We adjourned to the bar and entered the quiz, team was named SadGits.  We didn’t come last!  Walked back home, nursing our bruised egos.

Wednesday morning after a fry up, we headed out to Southwell and parked in some free parking by the leisure centre.  Our first stop was the Southwell Minster where we spent more than an hour looking around. Rosemary was hunting the carved mice on the furniture, think she found 9 of the 22.  There were numerous carving of small heads, one which looked very much like Donald Trump, which even had been mentioned in a church pamphlet.  The small carved heads stood in contrast to the rather squat fat pillar holding up the knave.

The chapter house had exquisitely carved leaves throughout.  These leaves have caused a few books to be written.  The chapter house also housed a picture exhibition themed on Adam and Even.  There was some quite interesting representations, Unfortunately the two we might have considered buying had been sold,

A quick walk down the road to The Hearty Goodfellow for lunch.  Small pub, with good beer and menu.  I ate a special of Moules Frites, We then walked to the Workhouse owned by the National Trust. Interestingly, there were some rooms that had been turned into bedsits for mothers with children which were still being used in the 70s, the fathers had to stay away.  Tea and then back to the Minster to visit the Great Hall in the Bishop’s Palace. 

On the way home we made a detour and stopped at the excellent pub called The Ale Classroom.  The Classroom is small, two rooms, but sells excellent beers, constantly changing, all served straight out of the cask. Rosemary, embarrassingly for me cos I had to buy it, wanted lager.

Back to V&N’s for a good pasta supper.  The next day we left mid morning to drove back in some large downpours. Thank you Google, you seemed to have missed predicting those.  Back at home there had been little rain and the garage was progressing.

Lunch with “Old” Walkerites

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We met for lunch at Peter and Janet’s meeting up with a number of former Walker employees. At the lunch party were John, Peter, Steve D, Ann, Steve & Rosemary B, Tessa & Pete R, Their better halves being Carol, Janet, Kathy, Chris, Dagmar & Robin (who was a late arrival turning up in his & Tessa’s 2CV). We were all very full after an excellent roast beef joint cooked by Peter.

The weather again held good, not sparklingly hot, but sunny and no rain.

 

 

 

 

 

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Celia and Richard at the Hatton Arms

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We met up with Ceila and Richard at the Hatton Arms.  Walked along the Grand Union Canal and back for 50 minutes or so in some unexpectedly brilliant sunshine.  Yes, the weather had taken a break from the incessant cold and wet weather we have been having.  We met C&R here before several years ago, the metal dragonfly is still in position.

Back at the Hatton Arms we had lunch on the terrace and continued to catch up with each other’s lives.

 

Glastonbury Abbey Extravaganza

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We had tickets and a campervan pitch for the Glastonbury Abbey Extravaganza.  There were three acts on the Saturday night, The Black Dyke Band, Corinne Bailey Rae and headliner Brian Wilson.

We drove down on the Friday, stopping off on the way at CJ Van Designs for some advice on wear on the popup roof.  He recommended placing some strips of carpet over the lights in the roof before closing down the lid.  We arrived at the site and parked the van, but we did not erect the awning as we were only there for a couple of nights. We sat out in the sun and drank our bottle of fizz before eating our supper which was Coronation Chicken, finished off with raspberries & cream.

The site was much as it was as the previous year, except that there seemed to be more campervans (of all ages) this time, and where we had camped last year there were now vans there.  The loos were not the composting type this time, but the traditional Glastonbury long drop, a large tank with cubicles on top, open to the weather at their roofs. Even after only a day it was getting pretty stinky.  There was also a van this time selling bacon butties (not that I was allowed to buy one).

Next day it was raining, but it was predicted to get better with no rain for the show.  We hung around at the campsite waiting for the rain to stop, and headed into town on foot and made it to the pub called The Who’d A Thought It. Alas, as it was lunch time we were unable to sit outside, so had to drink our pints in the bar.  Outside I had spotted the long queue to the Glastonbury Festival Office where tickets to the Pilton Party were on sale.  When we left the pub the queue was short.  Rosemary gave me permission to buy a ticket for the 1st September, so I joined the queue where I soon heard it was cash only sales.  I had gone cashless, luckily Rosemary had not yet left the area and was beckoned over to supply the cash.

A couple more hours to spare was spent looking around the weird and wonderful shops in Glastonbury.  After a while, we joined the queue and were soon walking into the Abbey where we sat down on our chairs on a small rise.  I think next year I shall sit more over to the left of the site, this seems to be the area where Michael Eavis appears for pictures.

First on were The Black Dyke Band, a Leeds colliery band.  I thought they were good, Rosemary considers last year’s school band was better.

Next up was Corinne Bailey Rae, sorry did not enjoy the performance, nothing I could sing along too.  We used the time to purchase some wraps with Halloumi, salad and Hummus.

Brian Wilson came on finally with his backing band.  Much more pleasant, with recognisable Beach Boy sounds.  The crowd really enjoyed the performance. Brian is a bit past it, didn’t play much and only sung a little.  The backing band and singers though provided brilliant performances.  The event ended with a great firework display.  

We left quite quickly and were on the second coach back to the campsite.  Very efficient service.  I sneaked in a JD in the campervan before going to bed.

The morning was a bit soggy, breakfasted and left.  Stopped for lunch at 12.00 at the The Cross Keys Inn.  We still had time to kill before meeting up with Sue and Ken, so we visited the National Trust house of Lytes Cary Manor.  It would have been better if we had skipped lunch at the The Cross Keys and had just eaten at the NT house.  

We arrived at Sue and Ken’s, Sue was in, Ken was supporting the pub which had only recently reopened, but he came back fairly quickly. We inspected Sue’s vegetable plots, chickens & cats. Good to see them.

The drive back on the A303 was a pain, Google recommended a big diversion before we reached Stonehenge.  Duly taken.