Inspired Gathering 2023

Friday 11th to Sunday 13th August 2023
Sentry Circle Camping, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 2UD, England MAP
£60 for an adult weekend ticket

Daily capacity: 200

I noticed this gathering advertised earlier in the year, at my go-to campsite. Now in its 4th year, Inspired Gathering is a tiny affair which I almost feel dangerous talking about as its charm is it’s such a good size. Around 200 people attend this event of “camping with music”.

Nestled in the rolling countryside not far from Northallerton, with a backdrop of a stone circle upon a hill, this perfectly formed mini-festival ticks all the boxes. Clean and friendly, it’s the sort of event where you end up knowing most of the attendees. You can pitch up pretty much wherever you like. I didn’t know, but I pitched right next to the archery section, where you could get 6 arrows for five pounds. This gap allowed the strong winds to relieve me of my tarp a few times, I apologise if you came across extra pegs, the wind pulled them straight out of the ground!

There are plenty of stalls around the small arena. Handmade items from cards to ornaments, hand-carved goods, and hair extensions. There is a workshop tent where you can partake in yoga and Bollywood sessions. Chakra massages are available and the face painting for £2 was very popular, especially with some bands, with Mental Block all donning UV facepaint to match the amazing hand-painted artwork around the stage.

There is a bar with pub-priced drinks, boxed ciders, and ale cans. T-shirts and other items were for sale, with money going to Yorkshire Air Ambulance. A large firepit gathers the crowds after the last band, bringing with it shared tales and singalongs.

A rich variety of music runs across the 3 days, starting on Friday afternoon. From solo acoustic artists like Catlin Morrow, James Turner, and George Boomsma, to loop pedal acoustic layering from Terry Birthwistle, to duos like 2 Dans, covers band Tin Tones, fuzzy psychedelia of Alice Syndrome, and old sounds from Nastee Chapel. Standouts amongst these fabulous acts was the dance music of Analogue Blood, the reggae sounds of Mental Block and the world music of Celtarabia. After hearing Jon Coley’s fast fingerstyle and singing around the fire on the Friday night, there was quite a buzz before his Saturday set. There are a lot of dogs on site too, who do their own group barking on Saturday in the crowd. Nastee Chapel even make a comment about the “chorus of hounds”.

The weather isn’t too bad, which is really good after the damp squid of a summer we are experiencing. There is rain but most people sheltered under the food and yoga tent during the showers. Food from the Dirty Little Dumplings features street food fusions such as chicken gyros, katsu fries, Korean burgers and birria tacos. Add to this a full English breakfast and meals are all under £8. You can bring your own food and drink to the gathering, but they still sell a lot of food here and the bar also sells a lot. With a walk of only a few metres back to your campsite, this shows that allowing people to bring their own does not have to mean low sales. Larger festivals should take note.

A couple of permanent camping pods are located onsite with a good view of the stage. Recovering from a broken ankle, I wasn’t going to climb the hill to the stone circle this time, but later decided it’s good physiotherapy and made the slow assent for the views of the site and surrounding fields. The stones were put in place by many hands in 2008, and each stone is dedicated to a species of the Druidic tree calendar.

The staff are so friendly and the onstage thank yous to the farmer of the land are also a sweet gesture. I will be back here for sure, at £60 a ticket for the weekend or £25 for the day this is a really nice way to spend a chilled weekend surrounded by like-minded people. Also, there were no queues, clean loos and a lovely vibe. I wish more festivals were like this, small and just enough.