“DAD, why didn’t we come here sooner?!” asks Dylan, my ten-year-old son.
We had only been at Camp Kindling for a few hours, but yes, I was enjoying it.
Last summers we had taken our 3 children to various music festivals, with express activities.
But here, family-friendly activities (from archery to zorbing) are the attraction, accompanied by some music.
And most importantly, we did it in style.
We travelled to the woodland site near Sevenoaks, Kent, on a festival-friendly electric Skoda estate with handy camping extras such as kitchen appliances and a rooftop tent, plus a ladder on the side of the vehicle.
An ‘EGOE box’ comes out of the boot of our Enyaq iV 80 FestEVal and comes with an integrated fuel stove, a foldable sink and a kitchen prep station.
And the tent on the roof of the car only took a few minutes to set up, which meant we were in a position to move on to the festival.
As we entered the main site, we were greeted with deafening screams from young people crammed into a makeshift arena.
Remember the TV show from the 70s and 80s, We Are The Champions?I had flashbacks.
When you arrive at the camp, you’ll be able to sign up for one of the series of patrols (or tribes) named after animals.
And on the weekend, young people earn points for their patrols by participating in games, challenging situations, and quizzes.
Many children, and some adults, had arrived with animal-themed clothing and accessories, masks and clip-on tails.
And for those of us who didn’t, the origin store is making a breakneck industry in t-shirts, socks, badges, and much more.
I bought fox scarves for our kids but, in reality, they were more interested in the main activities, especially those involving machinery or weapons.
First, early Saturday morning, there was a fabulous quad bike session.
The youngsters rode sturdy 150cc bikes and ventured for 30 minutes through the forest and various fields.
Our little boy, Alex, had to ride with his mother because he’s less than ten years old, but he got behind the wheel of a 200cc bike so he didn’t complain. What a thrill.
About a quarter of the 72 activities on offer, including mini-golf, rocks and a waterslide, were walk-ins.
But premium products had to be booked in advance and paid for with the virtual credits that came with weekend tickets; Extras could also be purchased on the spot.
Registration opens several weeks before the occasion and had reserved us all for an archery war and a giant Nerf gun fight, both wonderful and fun.
The kids enjoyed the trampoline, an ATV impediment track, and even made their own stop-motion animation video using Wallace-style techniques.
After a rocky start, teenager Oscar mastered the handling of the Onewheel, a skateboard with a single center wheel, over rough terrain.
My wife discovered a knack for air rifle shooting, hitting seven out of ten shots, more than the rest of the family circle combined.
None of us signed up for a circus workout, but we enjoyed watching the brave youngsters and parents hanging from their legs from a trapeze.
It wasn’t all win-win. I don’t know what we expected from Survival Skills.
Maybe to hunt wildlife, but at least to start a fire?
In fact, it’s a bit of tweaking and a lot of conversation. And the result of a query on how to make bread is similar to a stone cake. I guess the effects vary.
By the end of the afternoon, patrol games would resume in the mini-arena, while parents made their way to the bars.
Cover bands and DJs played in the disco tent that night, with notable performances by ’90s artists, former children’s TV stars Dick and Dom and DJ Luck.
Drinks were quite pricey and each concession stand featured discounted portions for kids.
A weekend like this doesn’t come cheap.
But it’s quality family time, doing fun things, learning new skills, and making memories, something you can’t put a value on.
HOW TO GET THERE: The Skoda Enyaq iV 80 is priced from £38,970.
The roof tent costs an additional £2083 and the EGOE box £2499.
See skoda. es.
STAY: Camp Kindling 2024 returns to Heritage Pine Forest, near Sevenoaks, Kent, Aug. 16-19.
Tickets for the Ultimate Launch Pass will go on sale on March 28 and festival-goers will be able to pre-purchase on March 26 on campkindling. co. uk/bookings.
Standard tickets, 3 nights camping and 90 activity credits cost from £295 for adults, £265 for children aged 12-17, £225 for children aged 6-11 and £145 for children aged 3-5.
Options to book with forty-five credits or unlimited will also be available.
See campkindling. co. uk.
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