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Cropredy Festival Camping - A Guide

• Cropredy Field Map
• Afore Ye Go!
• The Arrival
• The Pitch
• The Facilities
• Food & Drink
• Top Tips
• After the Festival
• Extra Questions

It's 15 years since I first packed a tent and went to spend the weekend in an Oxfordshire cowfield. That's longer than some, but I know that many have been making the annual pilgrimage for far longer - some right back to 1979 and the first festival proper. Some might even claim to have been there before that!

The festival has grown enormously since I first clapped eyes on the event, but while the numbers have more or less doubled, the facilities for campers haven't changed very much at all. Basically, you get a plot of land for your tent, an area to park your vehicle next to the tent, some leaflets about safety, and a bin bag to take your rubbish home in.

And that's it.

So, what can you expect on a camping trip to Cropredy?

AFORE YE GO!

If this is to be your first ever experience of camping it would be a great idea to go out for a weekend somewhere near your home to test the tent. Learn how to put it up (and take it down) and to check your other equipment. Either use your garden (or borrow a friend's) or go to a campsite.

You will need (minimum):

• A tent. Borrow one from friends, rent one (see www.beansonline.co.uk for example), or buy from specialist suppliers, outdoor stores, Army & Navy shops or even from some supermarkets or catalogue shops. Like most things, you get what you pay for. Don't expect a £30 tent to last you very long. However, a £150 tent (two-man) will last for years. Be realistic about the size of tent you need. Manufacturers' descriptions of how many people a tent will accommodate are often on the optimistic side. Try to see the tent erected before you buy. Many specialist camping shops have tent showrooms - use these to browse and then make a final decision as to best value.
• A sleeping bag. It's August. You will NOT need an Arctic, hooded, five-seasons model. A cheap bag will be fine. A duvet will do, but remember it could get damp. An extra blanket would be handy, though. And maybe an inflatable pillow.

• A sleeping mat. A foam rubber mat that will provide insulation from the cold ground and some padding from uneven ground.
• A torch or two - and spare batteries.
• A kit of spares. Buy a dozen extra tent pegs, a reel of nylon guy rope and a roll of Duct Tape (or similar) for emergencies. If you can, buy good, strong pegs, rather than the cheap, thin variety that usually come with your tent and which bend at every opportunity. Don't mess about with a wooden mallet. Buy a metal claw hammer from a DIY shop. It will not only hammer the pegs in, it'll help pull 'em out again, too! The ground at Cropredy is usually soft and easy to peg - but you only have to hit one subterranean rock and you are in trouble!

Handy Extras:

• Extra Groundsheet. Many tents come with built-in groundsheets, and they are fine. However, if your pitch at Cropredy has previously been used as a cow's lavatory, or if the ground if very wet, a good groundsheet will be very handy!
• Airbed: Added night-time comfort. Don't forget the pump!
• Food & Drink. See The Facilities section. It's a good idea to bring a few basic supplies with you, to supplement the 6X and curry! Also, you'll want some late night, post-show bevvies.
• Cooking equipment. You can buy cooked meals all weekend, but if you prefer to be slightly self-sufficient, buy a small gas-stove, a kettle and a frying pan. Plus some mugs, bowls, plates, cutlery etc. If you don't expect to do a lot of camping, bring a few odds and ends from home. If you cook you'll probably have to wash up, too. A vacuum flask allows you to have a supply of hot water - top it up when you boil the kettle.
  Note that barbecues (except the gas-power variety) are NOT allowed on the camp site because of fire hazard. And no open fires, naturally.
• Wash kit. Again, see The Facilities section. It's nice to be able to have a wash-and-brush-up without having to queue for the water taps or the showers. Take your own loo roll, and some "wet wipes" too, just in case.
• A water carrier. Camping shops will sell you large plastic containers for water, but a couple of giant empty pop bottles will do at a pinch. Bring water from home! There is a supply on site, but its drinkability has sometimes been called into question.
• Don't forget - matches/lighter for the cooker and a can opener/corkscrew for the food and drink.

From there, the sky's the limit. Cropredy veterans arrive with chairs, tables, coolers, battery-powered fridges, TVs, portaloos, marquees....

THE ARRIVAL

First, expect a buzz of excitement as you turn off the main road and make your way down the narrow, green country lanes towards Cropredy itself. All year long, you've been looking forward to this day and now you're here - on hallowed ground! Stewards will inspect your ticket (or sell tickets to you if you haven't pre-booked) and point you off down a farm track to the back of the camping queue.

Depending when you arrive, you'll be directed to one of several camping fields. Everyone has their own favourites, and each has its charm (apart from Field 7 (see Field Map), which is vast, remote and best avoided at all costs!). Basically, the earlier you arrive, the closer you will be to the Festival Field (where the music is). However, there's also special fields for families (supposedly quieter), bikers and hikers, and caravans.

THE PITCH

The first job of the day is to secure a big enough area for your tent. If you have a small one-man or two-man tent you won't have a problem, but anything bigger can be a bit of a squeeze. The stewards are under orders to get as many people and tents on to the fields as possible. If you have a large tent, that means "ignoring" their orders and giving yourself as much room as possible. This may sound greedy, but read the fire regulations. A large gap between tents is required.

Because the fields are used as, erm, fields there are often welcome mats to be cleared (or avoided), courtesy of the cows that normally populate the area. Crap clearing isn't always possible, but bear in mind where the brown stuff is when you lay down your tent. Strong groundsheets are an advantage!

Pitching is often a race against the neighbours - especially if space is tight! Avoid peak times for arriving (Thursday afternoon and early on Friday) and this is easier. It helps to be camping with a group of friends. More on that later.

If you are used to campsite camping, bear in mind that the fields at Cropredy at large and open. If it's windy there's nothing to provide a windbreak. You'll be away from the tent for long periods of time, too, so make sure you use all the guys and they are staked out and tight. You don't want to come back to find your weekend bedroom has been blown into the nearest hedge!

Having said that, Cropredy is a very friendly festival. If you spot a problem with a neighbour's tent try your best to remedy it. Hopefully, your neighbours would do the same for you. Top

THE FACILITIES

Once the tent is up and you've laid out your kit, next job is to locate the nearest loos. Portable toilets (the best available!) are brought on to the sites and placed in groups, with floodlights for night-time use. Ideally, you will have a pitch that's near the loos ... but not too near! They inevitably smell (especially in hot weather), get muddy (in wet weather) and are noisy. The generators keep going most of the night.

Having got your bearings, and memorised where your tent is on the campsite (it can be confusing later, after dark), it's time to head off to either the village or the music field, depending on the time and your inclination. On your travels you may well spot food-and-drink tents and kiosks around the camping field, but don't count on them to be open when you are hungry! You'll also see shower cubicles (or, if near the sports club, see adverts for the use of their showers). Why people can't go for more than a couple of days without a shower amazes me, but many obviously don't feel human without taking a dip. However, be prepared to queue if you do.

FOOD & DRINK

Various groups of locals put their aprons on and sell cooked breakfasts every morning, raising money for charity. Please support them.

There are good pubs and shops in Cropredy where you can buy meals or supplies. However, they get very crowded, so be prepared to queue. It's a good idea to have at least some snacks or simple meals at the tent. Keep food in a plastic box, lidded if possible, to keep out bugs and damp.

There's an international cornucopia of take-away food available on the main music field itself, ranging from fish and chips to Chinese, Indian, Aussie steak sandwiches and doughnuts to the wonderful Leon's vegetarian stall (www.leonlewis.co.uk) - food so good that many consider it to be as important a part of the Cropredy experience as a pint of Wadworths 6X and singing Meet On The Ledge with 20,000 people at 11.55pm on Saturday night!

And there's the bar (www.wadworth.co.uk/)! Huge, manned by an army of friendly staff and serving everything you could ever want (as long as all you want is beer or cider). However, if the weather is hot it's a bright idea to make sure you have plenty of bottled water with you. Beer just won't do the job of stopping you from dehydrating if the temperatures get silly, as they have been known to!

Parents should take provisions for their hoards in the shape of fizzy pop, water etc, as this can be expensive on the field.

Should you need to do so, you can always drive off the camping fields to get supplies from Banbury, where there are large supermarkets, camping shops etc. The camp site marshalls ensure that access lanes are left between the rows of cars/tents so getting off and on site is no problem.

TOP TIPS

• Desperate for a shower but don't want to queue? Go into Banbury and visit the leisure centre. However, many find that the first shower once they get back home after several days of abstinence is all part of the Cropredy experience - the perfect coda to the weekend!
• Small folding chairs are available at camping or fishing tackle shops and are perfect for use at the tent and on the music field.
• Many groups of friends meet up at Cropredy and camp together. If you plan to do so, meet up somewhere else first (such as a pub car park in a nearby village) and drive in convoy to the campsite. You must all arrive together, as spaces cannot be reserved for late-comers! The FC List has a List camp every year. Details are posted on-List nearer the date.
• Groups camping together often like to put up their own distinctive flag on a pole to act as a landmark.
• Keeping milk fresh for that vital brew on Sunday morning can be difficult, even with a cool box and freezer blocks. Instead, freeze a carton or two of milk and put them in your cool box. By Sunday, they will have thawed and be perfect!
• The weather's unpredictable. Take suncream AND waterproofs! Walking boots are the best footwear in most conditions. A hat keeps off both sun and rain. It can also get cold at night, so be prepared.
• Legend has it that crime is non-existent at Cropredy, but don't count on it. Don't leave valuables in your tent. Lock them in the boot of your car, out of sight. Better safe than sorry.
• Think about insurance for your tent. Sometimes, you are covered on your house or car insurance, but check.
• Bikers! A crushed beer can provides a solid platform on soft ground for your bike-stand. Also, solid, locking panniers are useful.

AFTER THE FEST

Sunday morning is a time to recover from the excesses of the weekend, to slowly pack up and head off. There's no hurry, but don't outstay your welcome. Some people stay around for the traditional Fairport cricket match in the afternoon, where many stars of the festival turn out to play - weather permitting.

Pack your gear and then take down your tent. If it has been a wet weekend, make sure your tent is packed separately from clothes, sleeping bag etc, and dry it out as soon as possible at home, by hanging it on a clothes line or, even better, erecting it in the garden.

Make sure you've collected all your tent pegs. Count them beforehand so you know how many you should have!

Pick up your litter and either dump it in one of the skips provided or take it home with you.

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

© 2002. Widds.

EXTRA QUESTIONS

• DO YOU NEED to have a ticket for Thursdays events before the parking stewards will let you claim a spot?
• Can just one of us in our group buy a ticket for the 3 days and that will allow us to set up our camp site?

For security purposes, use of the campsites and access to them is restricted to concert-goers only. Each vehicle entering a campsite must have a valid camping ticket, and each and every occupant of said vehicle must also have a valid concert ticket covering the entire period over which they wish to camp. Re-entry to the campsites, either by vehicle or on foot, is restricted to those who can produce a valid concert ticket or wristband.

Please note that the festival relies on the financial support and good will of its patrons, and receives little or nothing in the way of outside funding from sponsors etc.

* Spend a weekend at Cropredy at any time of the year at: http://uk.photos.yahoo.com/widds