Belladrum weekend has a carnival atmosphere enjoyed by young and old

Being an attendee of a couple of festivals North of the Border I decided to have a bash at Belladrum, a festival that I have only heard positive things about in the past. As I am based in Manchester and I am not a driver, I would have presumed it would be an expensive and logistical nightmare to make our way to the site near Inverness. However we arranged train to Edinburgh, and then the coach direct to the site, at a total cost of little over £60.

So with my 17 year old daughter in tow we made our way to sample what is the most Northern festival for us so far. We had an overnight with friends and the coach took some 6 hours to get on site, but the scenery along the way and at the site was beautiful to say the least. A site on an estate surrounded by hills with forests that just left me in awe, however the atmosphere was spoilt somewhat once I looked around.

The first thing I noticed as we made our way done to the Box Office was Police on quad bikes and a heavy security presence. The security checked all bags vigorously for glass, and even confiscated 2 very expensive and small makeup containers belonging to my daughter (which were never returned). Searches did seem to become a theme at the festival, but I have to admit the security were always professional and polite. So once wrist banded we made our way to camp with some friends.

The campsites at Belladrum are spacious to say the least for a 12,000 crowd. They are divided up into the usual Quiet/Family, General, Caravan/Campervan and Disabled area, but with the added benefit that each essentially has its own car park so it's only a couple of hundred yards maximum from car to tent. The same can be said of the well situated Drop Off points being very close to the Box Office. There were plenty of metallised tracks and it was clear that a great deal of preparation had gone into the camp to prepare for all weathers.

The camp sites had plenty of easily identifiable water points and toilets, with the general camping also having a couple of food stalls as well. As mentioned there was plenty of space to set up, and there was ample room to expand. We set up and Katrina made friends immediately with 2 young ladies her own age. There were a lot of pre 18 teenagers in the General Camping and it seemed many people from the local area had dropped them off to enjoy a festival on their own for the first time. Itching to get into the arena for a look around we set off, passing a temporary Police office on the way, with CCTV.

Getting to the gate we found that it was a case of not taking your own drinks into the arena, and I was even told no to my bottle of water. I have attended a few festivals where this is the norm but I still feel uneasy being searched. Once in the arena the site again took over, and it was lovely to say the least. We passed a small building site that would later become 'Mothers Ruin', the dance area that appears to be in a ruined house. There were plenty of installation art features and the site is wooded in parts which gives it a real calm and relaxed feel.

This was enhanced in the evening by some subtle and discrete lighting in the trees. The arena uses the natural lay of the land as its boundaries and I was impressed at the number of music venues. The Garden Stage is the “main stage” and is set in a natural, terraced amphitheatre, with plenty of room to sit or stand. The next main venue is the Hothouse Stage, set away towards the General Camping area. Then there were the Grassroots Stage, with the Black Isle Bar, and the Seedlings Stage, with furthers areas of the Potting Shed and Mothers Ruin for some dance. For a mid range I was really impressed with not only the amount of entertainment available but also the diversity available. Comedy areas, cinema, headphone disco, street theatre, Healing Fields, Kids area (with bouncy castle), the list is seemingly endless and I will deal with the entertainment in a separate review.

So once in it was time for a drink, and one of my major disappointments of the weekend. Like many other festivals Belladrum has adopted the concept of non-refundable 'Beer Tokens' in conjunction with a small range of drinks. Beer tokens were £3.20, one for one beer, and the beers available were an ale, a blonde and Somerset Cider in the Black Isle Bar, and lager and cider at the Bellabar. Also the plastic glasses raised a 10p deposit on them, and lead to many industrious children collecting them up over the weekend to the cash. Personally I was not that impressed with the selections available and it did seem that I was queuing a lot, firstly for the tokens and then for the beer at the bar. But over the weekend there were a lot of smiling faces so it was not all bad.

After a drink I went to hunt down some food, and I was more than impressed. The festival is limited in the number of food traders but the range is fantastic i.e. not too many burger vans. A look around found Organic meat stalls, falafels and kebabs, stew stalls, a pudding stall, a wonderful seafood stall as well as a few all day breakfast stalls. Prices ranged from £2 up to £6 and initially seemed high for a Northern festival but the portions were more than satisfying, also I haven't attended any other festivals where I can have fresh oysters for my tea. So beer in hand I decided to return to my tent for a sit down and a chat with friends. It was then that I found that I was not allowed to take my drink purchased in the arena out into the campsite. Instead it has to be drunk or left at the gate, and it did leave me a little irked, especially after having to join 2 queues.

Once back in the arena the festival began in earnest, and the first thing I noticed were the amount of families, especially those with young children. That really was what the festival was about, families young and old alike having a damn good party. The entertainment that was provided was excellent, both in quality and diversity, but there was too much to include in one article and there was always something to keep me entertained as well as my 17 year old daughter.

The festival describes themselves as 'Grassroots', but that did not put the teenagers off enjoying themselves. Whilst initially being a little wary of the need for a high police presence I could clearly see that the families felt safe around the main arena, with small children running around and enjoying themselves. The festival had a carnival atmosphere for most of the weekend, and as even the dance area is closed by 2am it is perfect for families.

By the Friday Katrina had asked if she could return next year, and I am happy for her to do that with me, and at £80 a ticket it represent tremendous value. Although it was an epic journey to get there from the North of England it was well worth the effort and I can see myself making it again with my family in the future, although I think I would look at the line-up first.

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