Friday 17th to Sunday 19th August 2012 Escot Park, near Fairmile, Devon, EX11 1LU,
EnglandMAP £120 for adult weekend tickets - SOLD OUT
Daily capacity: 13,500
We drove down to Devon full of giddy excitement, our 7th Beautiful Days (BD) and looking forward to sharing in the festival's 10th year celebration with great friends, new friends and the Levellers themselves; they always know how to throw a good party! Unfortunately, the weather they ordered wasn't too great; but we're getting good at putting a tent up in rain with a 3 year old hanging off our legs, and we were soon set up, camp decorated, wellies and waterproofs on and ready to party under canvas.
So many people had taken advantage of the early opening on a Thursday again, but we'd not experienced too long a queues to get wristbanded; the almost full campsites were buzzing, and despite the rain, everyone was in a festival mood enjoying the lovely Devon fresh air. I got a bit of energy at 1.30am and went for a wander around to see what was going on in the main festival site; no music unfortunately, but there were a few quiet gatherings going on.
The ground was lovely and squidgy, but with no mud yet, we could safely walk up the hills and made it all the way to the other end of the site and the Bimble Inn. The main arena was eerily quiet, the calm before the storm, and we got a really good look at where everything was and what would be new for tomorrow. We wandered back to the tent, jumping in as many muddy puddles as we could find, and then to bed; with the only noise through the night being rain, and a bit too much of it.
