Rally Chat Summer Of Fun 2017 - Balloons, Retro & Malvern Dates (1 Viewer)

[Wombles]

Next August is looking great for Funsters with the possibility of attending the Bristol Balloon Fiesta for either the duration 10-13 August ( Cotham Park RFC &/or Parsonage Farm) or just the Thursday 10th with the Nightglow then on to Retrofestival at Newbury 11-13 August with Malvern Show 18-20 August! Just three nights (14-16 August) to fill - please post any ideas for a good site with facilities in between Newbury & Malvern for those coming a distance.
The dates for the Balloon Fiesta are sourced from Bristol Balloons website & the others direct from the organisers so should be definite

 

[Debs]

Had this one on our list for a while - 20 minute walk into Marlborough but haven't managed it yet

http://www.campingintheforest.co.uk/england/savernake-forest/postern-hill-campsite

No idea what prices would be like but as a c& cc it's charged as pitch fee & per person.....

 

[Wombles]

Had this one on our list for a while - 20 minute walk into Marlborough but haven't managed it yet

http://www.campingintheforest.co.uk/england/savernake-forest/postern-hill-campsite

No idea what prices would be like but as a c& cc it's charged as pitch fee & per person.....

Great location & looks lovely for some but for any that full time or those coming south for the duration also looking for ideas of sites with laundry facilities (& showers?) as that might be preferable or necessary

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[themogs]

Next August is looking great for Funsters with the possibility of attending the Bristol Balloon Fiesta for either the duration 10-13 August ( Cotham Park RFC &/or Parsonage Farm) or just the Thursday 10th with the Nightglow then on to Retrofestival at Newbury 11-13 August with Malvern Show 18-20 August! Just three nights (14-16 August) to fill - please post any ideas for a good site with facilities in between Newbury & Malvern for those coming a distance.
The dates for the Balloon Fiesta are sourced from Bristol Balloons website & the others direct from the organisers so should be definite

Well , fair play to you 3 lovely personages...you've got it sussed...more than I'm capable of.
This sounds like a fabulous August 2017
We'll keep close tabs on this

 

[Wombles]

Well , fair play to you 3 lovely personages...you've got it sussed...more than I'm capable of.
This sounds like a fabulous August 2017
We'll keep close tabs on this

Glad you like this - we may not be able to make all of these but will be at Retrofestival as too good to miss! See you there if not before

 

[Beacons]

Fab thats the retro and malvern for us sorted. Thanks for posting dates.

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[Viennese]

Suggested stopover siites between Newbury & Malvern:
One interesting site would beBroken Link Removed, have seen this but not stayed
Caravan Club site at Moreton in Marsh, highly recommended by other funsters
Merry Weather Farm near Chipping Norton (very good for small repairs etc on your van - I have used them!

I hope to join you at Bristol next year @Wombles!

Catherine

 

[Jenben]

If you are looking for all the facilities then you could also consider cc sites at Cirencester or Broadway. If you just want a cl there is one at Burford in the school grounds, there is also a cc site at Burford but it's out by the Cotswold wildlife park and nowhere near Burford.

 

[Cal54]

I've got the dates already in the calendar, thanks @Wombles for the heads up. Definitely plan to do the balloon festival and Malvern and will think about the dates in between. - might even see if there is a THS somewhere around that time.

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[Stagman]

Definitely interested in the balloons and the retro festival

 

[Wombles]

Good to see there's some interest in these Another event that might be worth considering for next year is Valleyfest at the beauty spot Chew Valley Lake http://www.valleyfest.co.uk/ - don't have their dates for 2017 yet but likely to be the beginning of September as it is this year.

This is small but rapidly growing family friendly food & music festival. Can try to find out (when we volunteer there in the next couple of weeks) if there is any chance of a dedicated Fun area or chance of group/rally discount for next year
Trying our best to get some more Funsters rallying down south!

 

[Allan & Loren]

@Wombles We were at balloon fiesta this year staying at parsonage farm and the organisers confirmed these dates for next year, so should be definite. We hope so as we did balloon fiesta Thursday for the night glow but weather too windy for balloons to fly Friday morning and we left midday to go to Malvern so missed the balloon flights on Saturday when the weather improved. Got it in the diary for next year and probably Malvern again so a site to stay between would be good. I'll see what I can find.

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[TUCANO]

Many thanks for the dates, having just done the balloons at Bristol I will definitely be doing it again next year.

This can't be for real, I NEVER ever plan a month ahead never mind a YEAR !!

 

[Wombles]

This can't be for real, I NEVER ever plan a month ahead never mind a YEAR !!

We like something to look forward to in the deep dark depths of winter

 

[Debs]

Good to see there's some interest in these Another event that might be worth considering for next year is Valleyfest at the beauty spot Chew Valley Lake http://www.valleyfest.co.uk/ - don't have their dates for 2017 yet but likely to be the beginning of September as it is this year.

This is small but rapidly growing family friendly food & music festival. Can try to find out (when we volunteer there in the next couple of weeks) if there is any chance of a dedicated Fun area or chance of group/rally discount for next year
Trying our best to get some more Funsters rallying down south!

Loks lovely but £200 for a weekend would make it out of our league with so many other things going on or have I read it wrong?

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[Wombles]

Loks lovely but £200 for a weekend would make it out of our league with so many other things going on or have I read it wrong?

I agree that, like a lot of these types of festival with lots of live acts, it isn't cheap - that's why we are volunteering there this year & will see what that's like. We understand that in return for 8 hours "work" (lots of different roles) on the Friday all three of us get to enjoy the weekend & camping but still finalising details. Tickets would cost us over £285 (out of our budget) at the moment although there were some early booking offers. With our recent volunteering experience at Retro we are likely to be pitching up tents & campervans. With this being a growing event (backed by large organic food companies) they will need more volunteers each year so maybe that's an option for some Funsters to consider? Also we hope to have a chat with the owner/organisers to see if they might consider a rally rate for Funsters (no volunteering) for next year if enough interested - long shot but no harm asking!

 

[Wombles]

For anyone that might be interested - Valleyfest are still looking for volunteers for next week https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1...LJu1yeFlNuekoBbXHoeUolIDHexA/viewform?c=0&w=1

 

[Wombles]

Riverford as one of the sponsors are doing some lower cost adult tickets for next weeks Valleyfest Still not cheap at £120 for 2 adults but loads of live acts, (tent) camping & car parking included & a Riverford supper Extra to take a "campervan"

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[movan]

Wombles is this Bath Chew Valley ... I stayed there for a week once ... run by lovely biker lads but only one bus a day and really expensive. Nowhere to go on foot.

I can't open your link as not on proper computer till weekend I like the sound of a family feztival and it near my daughter .. would be interested if not expensive.

 

[Wombles]

Wombles is this Bath Chew Valley ... I stayed there for a week once ... run by lovely biker lads but only one bus a day and really expensive. Nowhere to go on foot.

I can't open your link as not on proper computer till weekend I like the sound of a family feztival and it near my daughter .. would be interested if not expensive.

Hi Joy - it's is on an organic farm with great views next to Chew Valley Lake & is being described as the "new Glastonbury" but at present it is a relatively small family friendly food & music festival. Cheapest way to do it is to volunteer (all 3 of us will be ) - details are still being finalised but looks like it's now 2 x 6 hour shifts for 2 free meals, free ticket & tent camping - still waiting to hear if it's extra to take a motorhome for volunteers. Riverford adult tickets at £60 each are cheapest I have found so far & include a free supper but have to pay an extra £32.40 if bringing the motorhome booking a campervan pass on the main Valleyfest website. Will copy & post below some pages off the website so you can get an idea of what it will be like
Friday











Doreen Doreen









Saturday





















My Baby















Sunday








Pete Josef

 

[movan]

Wow.. music music music ... thanks for that. I will keep watching.

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[Wombles]

How it all started...

When Luke moved from London back to Somerset to run the family farm, it ignited a passion in him for bringing people closer to the land which produces their food.

Everything from our farm is organic and we work closely with the folks at The Community Farm next door which produces organic fruit and veg direct to local people.

Valley Fest is an event with ethical farming at its heart. We've teamed up with like-minded producers in the area to get the message across about how important is it that Britain can feed its population without resorting to chemicals and pesticides.

Valley Fest is about appreciating the farm, fantastic fresh food and dancing in a field. Get ON my land!
Put simply, Valley Fest is about having fun in the middle of some beautiful countryside - and it’s an event like no other.

As a team we want to give people the chance to get out into the countryside and have a good old knees up. And while there are stages and themed areas like many festivals, Valley Fest is a true one-off. It’s not all about big artists on a main stage but loads of pop-up entertainment all over the place.

So come on down to the farm where dancing, music, movies and some top-notch sustainable food awaits. Don’t leave the kids behind though - this is a truly family-friendly event.

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[movan]

Sounds my sort of thing. My daughter and baby just come back from a small festival of similar ilk. Love Somerset for its outlook on life and farming .. happy animals.

 

[Wombles]

Wow.. music music music ... thanks for that. I will keep watching.

There is a lot! There will be food too:

"The Chew Stage will be home to cooking demos, our huge communal Sunday picnic and our midnight feast. It's all about food glorious food!

Midnight Feast

When the clock strikes twelve on Saturday night at Valley Fest, a midnight feast will take place under the stars, warmed by the communal campfire, with feast boxes full of naughty delights.
Inside they’ll find indulgent goodies from the likes of Boston Tea Party and Yeo Valley, rescue remedies for the next day and golden tickets for special Sunday treats. The campfire will come alive with live music and theatre with some surprises along the way.

Communal Sunday picnic

On Sunday we'll be hosting a huge communal picnic on a beautiful festival blanket. Join other families and groups of mates to taste picnic food cooked up on site by some of the South West’s best chefs including Josh Eggleton (The Pony and Trap), Toby Gritten (The Pump House) and Paul Collins (Yeo Valley Canteen). With pulled pork baps, scotch eggs and vegetarian arancini and delicious side salads from the same fields the festival is held alongside, this will be an outdoor feast. Diners will need to leave space for pudding though, as Yeo Valley will be providing dessert too.

Our organic partners

Also hosting the Chew area will be Yeo Valley serving all day breakfasts, Riverford helping the little ones to dig worms and pot seeds, while you can cook up a storm with the Community Farm cooking sessions with their cob oven. Our farm tours will go from the Chew Stage area and there will be a chance to get involved with an incredible organic vegetable patch. The Boston Tea Party will also be there with their delicious organic coffees and teas.

Chew Stage

On stage there will be cooking demos from some of the best chefs in the South West, butchers, farmers and food producers and the chance for festival-goers to get hands on and creative.

The programme will kick off on Saturday lunchtime when Adrian Kirikmaa, chef manager at City of Bristol College and co-founder of The Chef’s Forum, passes on tips on how to make the perfect huevos rancheros, the Mexican breakfast classic of friend eggs with salsa and hot corn tortillas.

A fine Scotch egg is now a must in any self-respecting gastropub and Toby Gritten, from Bristol’s Pump House, will lead a workshop in how to make the perfect one before father and son team Phil Haughton (Better Food Company) and Charlie Haughton (Bell’s Diner) start their session called “Five veg five ways” using produce from the Community Farm’s fields.

Paul Collins, from Yeo Valley Canteen, will be first up in the Sunday food demos, going through the process of making a great trout ceviche, a cured fish dish that has its roots in South America.

Michelin-starred chef Josh Eggleton will then take over to talk about the ways of making organic salads amazing, paving the way for a mass communal Sunday picnic with live music and food provided by some of the guest chef speakers.

Rounding off the food programme will be chef, photographer and surfer Jon Lewin, tackling the tricky task of extracting the flesh from a coconut to make a fish curry.

Valley Fest ticket holders will not be spoilt for choice for food at this year’s event. Yeo Valley will be serving all-day breakfasts, Boston Tea Party will provide organic teas and coffees and Pukka Herbs will also be on site with their many delicious brews. Riverford will be helping younger visitors to dig up worms and pot seeds.

Ever fancied learning to milk a cow? This is the place you can find out if you've got the knack."

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[Wombles]

This is their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lovevalleyfest/?fref=ts if you can access it.
Hope some of that helps & PM us if you want more info.

 

[Clive]

Suggested stopover siites between Newbury & Malvern:
One interesting site would beBroken Link Removed, have seen this but not stayed
Caravan Club site at Moreton in Marsh, highly recommended by other funsters
Merry Weather Farm near Chipping Norton (very good for small repairs etc on your van - I have used them!

I hope to join you at Bristol next year @Wombles!

Catherine

East Essex DA, C&CC have a THS at Merry Weather Farm for those dates. £11 pun, no EHU but full use of the site facilities

 

[Wombles]

Wow - what a great experience! Fantastic atmosphere, good food, beautiful location overlooking the lake & so much great music Valley Fest was the best live music venue that we have volunteered at so far & it was good to see such a mix of ages enjoying such a diverse range of music together We didn't expect to like much of the music as thought it was more suited to our sons generation but such accomplished musicians & performances that we did. Sadly there was a lot of rain on one of the days so less people came & in true festival style there was a little mud as a result but not enough to spoil things.
It's unlikely that we could ever get rally rates for camping there as not enough level land (being on the side of a hill) so campervan pitches were in high demand & sold out quickly. Date already set for next year - 4-6 August.
For anyone interested - see their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lovevalleyfest/?fref=ts for videos that give an idea of what it was like. Will look out for deals & competitions for tickets. Anyone tempted to to add this festival to their Summer Of Fun? Not sure if we can do it all but Valley Fest, Bristol Balloon Fiesta, Retrofestival then Malvern (with no clashes ) hopefully might tempt a few Funsters down this way next year.

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[Wombles]

Great to see all the dates for the Warners Shows & other similar potential rallies being posted today so we have something to look forward to next year While everyone is adding dates to their diaries - as well as Malvern Show 18-20 August don't forget the possibility of attending the Bristol Balloon Fiesta for either the duration 10-13 August ( Cotham Park RFC &/or Parsonage Farm) or just the Thursday 10th with the Nightglow then on to Retrofestival at Newbury 11-13 August. Also extra venue for Retrofestival at Newark 8-11 June & Valley Fest 4-6 August up above the beautiful Chew Valley Lake
No confirmed Fun rallies for these yet but certainly great for meets at least?