Mera Luna - Goths on a Bus
Just paid my deposit for this trip to ade50021 - It is the last day to get the cheap deal (£30 quid off £265)- Damn good value for luxury coach travel (which is under booked so you have space to spread out) from the UK to the festival + tickets which include camping, Just beer money after that !
The coach trip is a party, with drinking and silliness and music. We set off late on the the Thursday night (11th august) after work. There are pick-ups all over the country and this year a plan to run three coaches. One from the North, one from Warwick and one dedicated to London. We catch the tunnel over and i normally pass out early France. An eye masque, ear plugs and inflatable neck pillow help get some reasonable sleep actually. We stop for breakfast early/mid Germany and travel on with vids of the previous festivals and typically more merriment. We stop at at Supermarket for supplies. Decant glass drinks into plastic bottles (save your pop bottle on the bus) and then raid the camp-site around 1ish, grab tickets and set-up camp.
We usually have an onward party (Rob), who has got there early and found a good large pitch for us. Typically friends on the coach who are at the hotel help move stuff onto the site, though last year security were prissy, we had to queue for tickets and it meant a couple of trips. Rob has a big gazebo/event shelter which is cool, but it is well worth taking a chair along if you can and want somewhere comfy to sit. Lots of drinking and merriment is done here, plus coffee and stuff in the mornings.
The camp site is *HUGE*, well with around 25,000 goths at the festival and a huge slug of that camp it, it is vast. Its on an old airbase with a chain link fence around, so the site is reasonable. It is away from anywhere as well and I've not seen any trouble. It is about as safe and friendly as you could ever want. Lots of noise at times, but all good natured. Facilities wise there are good showers, though at times there are long queues. Hard standing flushing toilets. Chemical blue things which are changed regularly, but only if your brave/lucky. Lots of food stalls and a small shop on the site. In the morning people come round with a back-pack of coffee to the tents, trays of cigarettes and even ice creams last year.
The festival site is a few minute walk through the food stands and facilities area, past the viking village and into the main bit. There are more food and drink stands, lots of goth shop stalls (100+), covered seating, huge mix desk and disabled viewing, a massive open stage and two huge hangers at the back. One of the hangers is a second stage and the other is the club venue.
Friday after setting up camp there is a club. Its a few euros (5?) extra, which mildly peeves me every time, but i still go as it is usually a cracking night. There is a bar and drinks flow hard and fast, not cheap but good value. The mix covers everything and it is such a party style atmosphere. A couple of years back there were a pair of girls with bondage collars on and a chain between the two. Me an rob in a drunken silly state started limboing under the chain and it escalated. Alas that year i lost my camera, but last year they came back and encouraged us again. Its a daft night, but awesome too.
Saturday starts at the camp site and with breakfast and often breakfast beer. Light fruit beers of low alcohol content are good to ease you back into reality and the coffee people are good too. Various people come and go from our enclave through the day in and out of the festival, even if your on your own you'll get invited along. Maybe to the shops, viking village for games, sheshia, mead and food or to see a band. There are usually a pair playing though the sets are half staggered so you can see at least half of every band if desired. The hanger stage gets very hot if it is sunny, but the grassy banks outside are good for relaxing with a cocktail or a dark beer. Umbrellas double as shade.
The club is open again after the main bands finish and after a beer stop/change a load of people pile to the club again for more partying. Some stay at the site and party there and then after the club more partying at the site, there is a theme of party, party, party.
Sunday is a repeat with different bands and they finish earlier so there is a tradition of partying on the camp site and at the viking village. There is music down near the facilities from the general public and lots of the party kegs get turned into drums and tribal banging takes place. The first year i went after the prodigy played the whole of the camp-site went mental and partied and drummed through the night. Last year after placebo it was quieter and subdued. Still fun though thankfully after an atempt the first year of trying to drink the camp-site dry single-handedly on the Sunday night and still being rat arsed the next morning i exercised some restrain.
Monday morning happens far too early and we're up by 8 and out by 9 or earlier. We raid the supermarket as the coaches pick up hotel peeps. Sleep is done on the bus and more fun, chatting and vids. We stop a couple of times for the loo, driver breaks and food and group photos, making it to the tunnel around 6ish. The coach makes its way back up the country dropping people off and it is all over for another year. A load of friends made, happy and shattered.
You *CAN* Hotel it, which is more expensive, comfier and you probably see more of the bands as you go home earlier, sleep and get back to the site for the first band each day. More structured, less mayhem and partying though and some of my favourite times have been on the campsite.
Oh, i probably should add a warning. If you join us on the trip, you'll get hooked and go again and again. The hit rate for repeat offence is rather high. It is just so much fun, so easy and really very good value. And trust me, the band line up makes actualy very little difference !!!
http://www.fkpscorpio.com/meraluna/
The coach trip is a party, with drinking and silliness and music. We set off late on the the Thursday night (11th august) after work. There are pick-ups all over the country and this year a plan to run three coaches. One from the North, one from Warwick and one dedicated to London. We catch the tunnel over and i normally pass out early France. An eye masque, ear plugs and inflatable neck pillow help get some reasonable sleep actually. We stop for breakfast early/mid Germany and travel on with vids of the previous festivals and typically more merriment. We stop at at Supermarket for supplies. Decant glass drinks into plastic bottles (save your pop bottle on the bus) and then raid the camp-site around 1ish, grab tickets and set-up camp.
We usually have an onward party (Rob), who has got there early and found a good large pitch for us. Typically friends on the coach who are at the hotel help move stuff onto the site, though last year security were prissy, we had to queue for tickets and it meant a couple of trips. Rob has a big gazebo/event shelter which is cool, but it is well worth taking a chair along if you can and want somewhere comfy to sit. Lots of drinking and merriment is done here, plus coffee and stuff in the mornings.
The camp site is *HUGE*, well with around 25,000 goths at the festival and a huge slug of that camp it, it is vast. Its on an old airbase with a chain link fence around, so the site is reasonable. It is away from anywhere as well and I've not seen any trouble. It is about as safe and friendly as you could ever want. Lots of noise at times, but all good natured. Facilities wise there are good showers, though at times there are long queues. Hard standing flushing toilets. Chemical blue things which are changed regularly, but only if your brave/lucky. Lots of food stalls and a small shop on the site. In the morning people come round with a back-pack of coffee to the tents, trays of cigarettes and even ice creams last year.
The festival site is a few minute walk through the food stands and facilities area, past the viking village and into the main bit. There are more food and drink stands, lots of goth shop stalls (100+), covered seating, huge mix desk and disabled viewing, a massive open stage and two huge hangers at the back. One of the hangers is a second stage and the other is the club venue.
Friday after setting up camp there is a club. Its a few euros (5?) extra, which mildly peeves me every time, but i still go as it is usually a cracking night. There is a bar and drinks flow hard and fast, not cheap but good value. The mix covers everything and it is such a party style atmosphere. A couple of years back there were a pair of girls with bondage collars on and a chain between the two. Me an rob in a drunken silly state started limboing under the chain and it escalated. Alas that year i lost my camera, but last year they came back and encouraged us again. Its a daft night, but awesome too.
Saturday starts at the camp site and with breakfast and often breakfast beer. Light fruit beers of low alcohol content are good to ease you back into reality and the coffee people are good too. Various people come and go from our enclave through the day in and out of the festival, even if your on your own you'll get invited along. Maybe to the shops, viking village for games, sheshia, mead and food or to see a band. There are usually a pair playing though the sets are half staggered so you can see at least half of every band if desired. The hanger stage gets very hot if it is sunny, but the grassy banks outside are good for relaxing with a cocktail or a dark beer. Umbrellas double as shade.
The club is open again after the main bands finish and after a beer stop/change a load of people pile to the club again for more partying. Some stay at the site and party there and then after the club more partying at the site, there is a theme of party, party, party.
Sunday is a repeat with different bands and they finish earlier so there is a tradition of partying on the camp site and at the viking village. There is music down near the facilities from the general public and lots of the party kegs get turned into drums and tribal banging takes place. The first year i went after the prodigy played the whole of the camp-site went mental and partied and drummed through the night. Last year after placebo it was quieter and subdued. Still fun though thankfully after an atempt the first year of trying to drink the camp-site dry single-handedly on the Sunday night and still being rat arsed the next morning i exercised some restrain.
Monday morning happens far too early and we're up by 8 and out by 9 or earlier. We raid the supermarket as the coaches pick up hotel peeps. Sleep is done on the bus and more fun, chatting and vids. We stop a couple of times for the loo, driver breaks and food and group photos, making it to the tunnel around 6ish. The coach makes its way back up the country dropping people off and it is all over for another year. A load of friends made, happy and shattered.
You *CAN* Hotel it, which is more expensive, comfier and you probably see more of the bands as you go home earlier, sleep and get back to the site for the first band each day. More structured, less mayhem and partying though and some of my favourite times have been on the campsite.
Oh, i probably should add a warning. If you join us on the trip, you'll get hooked and go again and again. The hit rate for repeat offence is rather high. It is just so much fun, so easy and really very good value. And trust me, the band line up makes actualy very little difference !!!
http://www.fkpscorpio.com/meraluna/