Next stage was negotiating the M1 upto M18 then A1 to Scotch Corner, with the A66 to Cockermouth and some fiddly bits to finish off. The M1 was busy, getting busier, there was only a slight delay around the West Midlands Airport but the big jam was around the M18 junction, where 6 miles took an hour!. A spot of late lunch and we were only an hour behind BH1. By the time we got to Scotch Corner we had made up most of that (mainly by not stopping, as the van struggles to break the speed limit!). The Pennines past with great views and little trouble and soon we were int he heart of the lake district. the road past Blencathra brought back many memories, as did the view of Cat Beils.
We knew we were getting closer as the roads got narrower, and on the final bit from Aspatria, all the memories of being at the first Solfest came flooding back ... the site entrance was clearly marked and we were soon in the queue to get our wrist bands ... nice touch here - they were material crimped with a simple soft metal ring, but highly effective and noticeable. BH1 had arrived just before us, with BH2 30 mins in front of that. Already the camping area was bursting and we struggled to find an area covering enough space for the complete "paddock" are encampment would cover! After negotiating a tortuous path through the tents at the entrance to the field we eventually found space at the far end - just in time as already this was filling out.
Solfest had grown since last time and was no longer the small intimate gathering it had been - no chance the food would run out! There were great numbers of stalls ranging from the standard festival fayre and food outlets to side shows and impressively a "healing area" with many offerings. There were 4 main venues - the main stage, the bar stage, the drystone stage and the dance tent (massive circus marquee, but not interesting enough to venture nearer than the outside). there was loads of "street" entertainment going on around the site, along with a fancy dress competition - not sure if this was all weekend or just a particular day, but the costumes were many and varied! Adam and Eve were brave in the cold evening! - Andy has plenty of pictures in the big gallery.
The first evening (Friday) the Osrics were playing and Nic being a long time fan wanted to see how they were getting on, but first a trip to the beer tent ... to look at the stage, but also visit the bar!!! Karaoke metal was the music of the moment, but hey if the big boys can do it, why can't the little ones (or girl in this case). The Osrics were blighted by a power problem that had been going on all day ... seems like the power to the main stage was tripping on all 3 phases.. eventually it was down to just one then OK, but it must have been hard to play through that kind of trouble.
The next day we were woken early (as is usual on a packed campsite - earplugs a necessity) but breakfast was just round the corner - bacon butties, and plenty of fresh coffee .. Mmmm
Andy had arrived overnight and he was waiting in his car for us to emergeWe did catch a fleeting glimpse of our next door camping neighbours and their puppet show, but we could have been in different timezones as you look at when we were around the tents. I do hope he was not disturbed too much by our late night comings and goings.
Saturday was going to be a long affair as Bluehorses was not due to play until "stupid o'clock" in the bar tent once the main stage had closed. So everything was very lazy, the girls went window shopping, and there was lots of tea and chatting. As the day wore on and the sun dipped behind the hills, if got quite nippy, making the time creep by ever so slowly.As the clocked ticked around to midnight, we just had a chance to see the incredible Bodhrain playing of Emma and the professor on the dry stone stage, and then it was time to start the pre show setup panic. the Bar stage was not huge, but we managed to get setup and going relatively easily, with a minimum of level check.
slightly early the band hit the stage.. swiftly moving into the same set as was played at Peterborough. The full set list can be seen on the tailz blog. At the start most people were around the bar at the back, however by the time Witch in Wedlock was finished there was a crowded dance floor . The show went down exceedingly well, especially considering it was in the wee small hours and most sensible people would have been expected to be curled up in their sleeping bags - the tent was crowded.
As there was no curfew on the music Barbara Allen was slipped into the set at the start of the encores, and before the end of Skyclad the tables were in use It was 3am before the band finished, and everything was starting to get blurry - I don't remember much about the pack up and stumbled back to the tent. I was out for the count as soon as my head hit the ground, I could have slept anywhere.Sunday morning the warmth of the sun woke me up, followed by some brat with a horn - much expletives later round to the breakfast bar, and the morning constitutional ... one of the secrets of surviving festivals is to find out when the S**t sucker goes around for a wash and brush up of the portaloos, then get in straight after - much pleasanter than 10 mins earlier ;).
We would have loved to hang around for the Levellers (Katie was disappointed to miss them) but with a 7 hour journey ahead we did not want to be fighting the bank holiday traffic the following day. We headed back. Luck was with us and there was no real hold ups all the way home .. Mind you the girls would not really have known as they slept most of the way ;)
