Chanel and I agree…

‘The best things in life are free; the second best things are very expensive.’

We’re just back from the Body & Soul Festival at Ballinlough Castle, Co Westmeath. Three days camping. Some people were surprised to hear I like festivals, or camping but I refer you back to the quote. Also, didn’t you know? I’m full of surprises.

I love luxury, I do, great service, beautiful surroundings and five star food, I also love the natural world.

Luxury promised doesn’t always deliver but nature never disappoints, even in a recession or the depths of winter,

it never fades nor complains,

is never lacklustre.

You can notice it or don’t, serve it or not, it will still be beautiful, it will still give everything it’s got.

I would prefer to sit in my own house or garden or the middle of a field of buttercups at dusk or dawn, eat my own food and drink my own coffee or wine than sit in some shabby or worse, ugly, staff abusing, as so many places (hotels especially) these days are, Oh you think we don’t notice or care? Well I do. I care that that last time I stayed in a hotel, for the funeral of a young person, a dear young cousin, that the same staff were on from morning to night and through the night and next morning again.

And where’s the appeal anyway? There’s a lot of overpriced, bland food and horrible coffee and wine out there and don’t even start me on mess, odors, tired decor or general cleanliness. Paint is cheap, art is cheap, cleaning is muscle, enthusiasm is free. Listen, if I’m going to clean a table it better be my own, just saying and I’m not going to pay for that. And see you can’t even call me a snob though you can if you want, because on my hill of long grass I’m happy as a king, content as a bee.

‘Luxury is not a necessity to me, but beautiful and good things are.’ Anais Nin

I know it’s a curse to say ‘May you live in interesting times‘ but I think we really do, in a good way. I think, as people fresh from a boom and then bust we are for the first time able to embrace simple living in a way that doesn’t in our minds degrade us if that makes sense? Perhaps for the first time we are at last far enough removed from the famine to be able to appreciate things differently? For the first time?

I heard an older man at the festival say this could never have happened in his day in Ireland, this level of freedom, of free to be you and me acceptance and expression, of giving hugs and love and sending light and I feel it the same for, though twenty years younger, my generation. We’d have been waaay too uptight to embrace this, but here’s the thing, we’ve changed, continue to change. Considering my own generation, 40 and thereabouts I think the gap between us and our parents/grandparents is now off the charts. It was always very far.

They came from going barefoot to school and if that doesn’t cover it…I know one story of two boys going to school in Leitrim in winter, one had shoes. That boy let the other boy put his feet on the toes of his boots and walked him as much of the way as he could to save him the pain of cold and the stones. You could find a million similar examples.

I think as the children of this generation we’ve advanced not just in technology and quality of life but in new consciousness we’ve made a huge leap. We’re living a change afforded by a boom that allowed education to advance. Now on the back of this education we’re choosing to go back, back to growing food, living with less, spending less, having less to spend, that sort of thing while at the same time going forward, becoming more in tune with nature, kinder and less judgmental of people. The old strictures of power have no hold on us now, we’re becoming less afraid and more open. This openness is something I want to come back to again but I suppose I should say something about the actual festival!

In booking this holiday I was looking for something different, an adventure, a freedom and magic. It certainly gave all of that

It’s a hard thing to review as clearly it’s not for everyone but here was a great melting pot of people and speaking for family camping at Body & Soul, wow! Security and services were second to none. While the general campsites named ‘Wild & Free’ and ‘Peace & Quiet’ were choc a bloc we had acres of space and comfort plus pristine serviced toilets and no entry without a family wristband. Family camping is VIP at Body & Soul though I suspect their Boutique Camping area with it’s large scale wigwams comes close and certainly looked very beautiful.

Getting in was a challenge, traffic jams and then the long trek from car park to camp site and having to exchange glass bottles for plastic, yes, it’s the little things that throw you off but then we were newbies.

Still, not losing our sense of humour was helped greatly by the laid back, friendly staff and atmosphere. Once in we crashed and marvelled at the scale of campsites before us, literally acres of everything from wigwams to tents so tiny you’d wonder how anyone could fit in.

Added to this bunting and sunshine and lanterns to beat the band, luscious green grass and in the distance dark forest with plumes of smoke and lights, flags and cheers and music rising.

Tent and gear sorted we ventured down the winding hill between camp sites ‘Quite & Peaceful’, ‘Wild & Free’. I asked our five year old which one she’d like to stay in when she’s older. ‘Wild & Free,’ says she without a hint of hesitation.

I think at this stage we were excited if a little wary. Stopping for chips we stood a moment between two schools of thought on the subject of children at festivals, to our right stood a girl making her case for no children at these events while sharing our bench two young lads talked of how they they felt families and children encouraged the feel good, no trouble, happy vibe that seems to define ‘Body&Soul’.

We explored a little, stopping short of the forest but soaking up the atmosphere and taking full advantage of beautiful vintage funfair rides.

That first night I was wondering at the madness/saneness of camping in general but as the weekend went on and before very long I felt it a wisdom people have. It reminded me of our days with The Shaylyn Group, our touring Irish dance and music company. There too, a number of people, all walks of life were thrown together and had to make everything work with limited resources and become a kind of community.

I always found it very profound and meaningful in ways I think we all felt but find hard to explain but like the festival I think it showed what’s really important and how people can co-operate and create community with very little.

I was touched many times by the kindness and goodness of people at Body&Soul. Any time I wasn’t instantly visible people were extraordinarily attentive to our girls, immediately worried this child might be lost and to see that in the faces, to see the protective instincts of people brought suddenly, honestly to the surface, would, if you needed it to, renew your faith in humanity.

Unique Irishness too rose it head. Many people spoke of the difference between English and Irish festivals. Seems we’re still known for our friendliness, our kindness, our willingness to help. I think that’s something we can be proud of.

So the downsides, just a few…

The near constant din from the various stages is pretty wearing for children or adults who get easily overwhelmed. At times in the night it was more like the drone of ‘War of the Worlds‘ than anything musical and you can’t get away from it. Earplugs would have been handy.

By contrast I loved the sounds from the campsites coming up all day and night, it made me smile several times to hear the chat and the craic from the tents.

The first full day we were pretty tired and there was a point in the middle of the day where the heat of all things, I know, I wouldn’t dare complain, but again it was hard to get away from it and I felt the girls were really overwhelmed at that point. Luckily we had a buggy and blanket and could hide out in the shade for a bit.

And the best bits!

Minute by minute our five year old blossomed in front of our eyes from quiet worrier to confident adventurer. She adored the workshops, making fairy houses, wind chimes, dream catchers and best of all, her own bow, a real bow! Even if we had just stayed in the family camp site they’d have been happy, between workshops, morning and evening yoga and all the friends they made. Mostly they both enjoyed the freedom, rolling around in grass and the whole camping and festival atmosphere.

Other best bits included walking in the grass, sitting outside our tent at night watching all the goings on, sitting outside in the morning drinking coffee in the beautiful sunshine, the vintage rides, the magical forest, a feast for the senses and just the whole colour and energy of the place. I found it very creatively inspiring.

Would we go again? Yes! Would we do anything differently? Yes! Bring friends perhaps and take turns babysitting so the adults can go explore on their own and experience some of the things we didn’t get to do this time like ‘Decadent Dining’, the hot tubs in the woods, yes really! You should have seen them! Workshops and musical performances. Oh and earplugs, we’d bring earplugs!