Lulworth Castle · Dorset BH20 · Late July/August · Four days
Camp Bestival: car seats and buggies
Camp Bestival is built around children first and adults second, which is lovely and creates a transport problem no other festival on this site has. A family of four arrives with a buggy, a travel cot, two car seats and four days of camping kit, and that does not fit in a vehicle sized by head count.
Tell us how old the children are before anything else. Car seat requirements, buggy space and cot room all follow from it, and getting the vehicle right depends on that information rather than on how many people are travelling.
What we need to know
Please raise all of this at the enquiry stage rather than on the morning.
And approximate heights
Which determine what child seats are needed and whether we can supply them.
How many, and folding or not
A double buggy takes real space and does not compress.
One per small child
Bulky, awkward and easily forgotten when estimating the load.
On top of all that
Family tents are larger than group tents. Everything scales up together.
Kent to Dorset
M25, M3 and then west. A long run, and worth breaking properly with children aboard.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Each way |
|---|---|---|
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 132 miles | 2h 40m – 3h 20m |
| Bromley & Orpington | 136 miles | 2h 45m – 3h 25m |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 142 miles | 2h 50m – 3h 30m |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 147 miles | 2h 55m – 3h 35m |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 150 miles | 3h – 3h 40m |
| Rochester & Chatham | 156 miles | 3h 5m – 3h 50m |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 180 miles | 3h 30m – 4h 15m |
Sizing a family booking
A rough guide to why the head count is the wrong number to quote.
| Party | Head count says | Realistically needs |
|---|---|---|
| Two adults, two under-fives | 4 seats | Space for a double buggy, two cots, two car seats and a family tent |
| Two families | 8 seats | A vehicle with a proper hold, not an eight-seat minibus |
| Grandparents included | 10 seats | Same again, plus mobility considerations |
| Any of these | — | Tell us the ages and we will size it properly first time |
Travelling with children
Tell us the ages at the enquiry stage
This is the one page on our site where we ask for that up front, and it is because child seat requirements are a legal matter rather than a preference. Ages and approximate heights determine what is needed, whether we can supply it and whether you should bring your own. Sorting it in an email in June is straightforward; sorting it on a Thursday morning in July is not.
The head count is genuinely the wrong number
Four people who happen to include two toddlers need a completely different vehicle from four adults. A double buggy alone takes more room than two people's luggage, and travel cots are bulkier than anyone remembers. We would far rather send something with a proper hold than have a family standing on a driveway watching a boot fail to close.
Break the journey properly
Three hours each way is a long time for small children and the run down to Dorset has decent places to stop. A planned break is a better weekend for everybody than a determined push, and it costs nothing to build into the timings when the booking is made. Tell us if you would like one and where.
Lulworth is a beautiful site and it is a field
Castle, parkland and the Jurassic Coast a short distance away, and also British weather in late July. Wellingtons in child sizes are the thing families most often forget, and mud plus a buggy is a combination worth being ready for. Bags for the muddy kit on the Monday save the usual conversation.
Camp Bestival questions
Families, kit and car seats.
Why do you ask for children's ages?
Because child seat requirements are a legal matter rather than a preference. Ages and approximate heights determine what is needed and whether we supply it or you bring your own.
Can you provide child seats?
Tell us the ages and heights at the enquiry stage and we will confirm what we can supply for your booking. It is much easier to arrange in advance than on the day.
Why is the head count not enough?
Because four people including two toddlers need a very different vehicle from four adults. A double buggy takes more room than two people's luggage, and travel cots are bulkier than most people remember.
How far is Lulworth from Kent?
Around a hundred and thirty to a hundred and eighty miles, roughly two and three quarter to four and a quarter hours each way.
Can we break the journey?
Yes, and with small children we would suggest it. There are decent places to stop on the run down to Dorset and it costs nothing to build into the timings.
What do families most often forget?
Wellingtons in children's sizes. It is a Dorset field in late July and mud plus a buggy is a combination worth being ready for.
Is it really a children's festival?
It is built around children first and adults second, which is exactly why families travel a long way for it.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed at booking as one arrangement covering the drop and the collection.
Family festivals and the south west
Weekends built for children.