Read our review of the 2013 Feast in the Woods here!
Back to Basics with ‘Pop Up Camping’, a new family-friendly style of festival-style events
Here at FestivalKidz we are always on the look out for new adventures for families, and so we were excited when we heard about new start up camping company, HoneyWoods Camping. Run by Rebecca Cork, helped by her sausage dog Poppy, HoneyWoods Camping specialises in small, wild camping events across the UK in safe, privately owned stunning woodlands, with a focus on sustainability, education, and enjoyment – without breaking the bank.
After years of working in the festival industry, entrepreneur Rebecca Cork tells us why she decided to create her own festival-style events with a difference.
“I was fed up of seeing festival families battling it out with the rest of the hoards of festival goers trudging across site, forced to pay inflated prices on food and drink, feeling as if they are there to appease the sponsors rather than to have a weekend together” she explains.
“I began investigating alternatives to this corporate festival scene and saw a trend among small groups of friends looking for ways to spend a weekend together camping, enjoying the outdoors, but without breaking the bank or dealing with tens of thousands of other festival goers and queues every day.
“It wasn’t a big leap to create Pop Up Camping, small scale wild camping weekends away from towns and cities, in some of the UK’s most beautiful woodlands. I was lucky enough to find a like-minded individual at www.woodlands.co.uk who shared my vision of getting people back into the outdoors in a healthy and productive way, putting environmental considerations first.”
Following the ethos of ‘treading lightly’, all Pop Up Camping events aim to leave the woodlands in a better condition after the event; this includes every participant taking home any rubbish they create as well as learning to respect the outdoors and our amazing UK heritage. The events are all created so that families of any shape and size can take part together in the activities – or just sit back and enjoy the surrounding areas safe in the knowledge that the campsite is peaceful.
“As soon as I began looking for creative collaborators – foragers, performers, musicians – I realised that there is a host of creative individuals out there all following their dreams, leaving behind their day jobs, all willing to work alongside me and support my ideals.
“My first event, Feast in the Woods, takes place on 25th and 26th May in a private woodland with a lake in Kent. It would not have been possible without the collaboration of some amazing people – award winning cider producers Virtual Orchard, popular street food team What the Dickens, Josh Sutton’s fascinating GuyRope Gourmet, as well as filmmakers, musicians, coffee tasters, fire breathers, and most importantly – the landowner himself”.
Rebecca is also planning a small family friendly music festival called Flummoxed on 6th July near Milton Keynes, and a very special one day adventure All Hallow’s Eve just for families to celebrate storytelling, on 2nd November.
Feast in the Woods is just £50 a ticket – free for children – and includes two days of food- and wildlife-related activities including boating on the lake, assisting in the preparation of a feast, woodland walks and folklore, fire performances, award winning ciders, food demonstrations, and best of all – the feast is included in the price.
For tickets or more information – or to enquire about holding your own private Pop Up Camping event – visit www.honeywoodscamping.co.uk.
