Larmer Tree Gardens · Salisbury · Wiltshire SP5 · Late August/September · Four days
End of the Road: sold out before the line-up
Most festivals announce a headliner and then sell tickets. End of the Road routinely sells out before anyone knows who is playing, on the strength of the site and the reputation alone. That tells you something about both, and it means booking early is not advice, it is the only option.
Often before the line-up is announced, on trust. If you have tickets you are already ahead of most people, and the transport is worth arranging at the same time, because our late August diary fills for the same reason theirs does.
Larmer Tree is not a field
The site is a substantial part of why people buy tickets sight unseen.
Laid out in the 1880s
Follies, hedges, lawns and secret corners rather than an open field.
Genuinely, roaming free
Resident on the site all year. They are not impressed by the music.
In the woods
Small venues tucked into the gardens, which reward wandering.
End of the season
Which is where the name comes from, and it means cooler nights.
Kent to Wiltshire
M25 and M3 then west into the Cranborne Chase. Rural at the end.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Each way |
|---|---|---|
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 118 miles | 2h 25m – 3h 5m |
| Bromley & Orpington | 122 miles | 2h 30m – 3h 10m |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 128 miles | 2h 35m – 3h 15m |
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 133 miles | 2h 40m – 3h 20m |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 136 miles | 2h 45m – 3h 25m |
| Rochester & Chatham | 142 miles | 2h 50m – 3h 30m |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 166 miles | 3h 15m – 4h |
A late summer festival
Held at the very end of the season, which changes what you pack.
| Consideration | Note |
|---|---|
| Cold nights | Considerably colder than a July festival. Proper sleeping bags |
| Shorter evenings | The light goes earlier than at midsummer festivals |
| Dew in the morning | Everything outside the tent will be wet by dawn |
| Warm layers | Not the optional extra they are in July |
| Still wellingtons | Late summer in Wiltshire offers no guarantees |
An End of the Road weekend
Book the transport when you book the tickets
People who go to this festival tend to buy tickets the moment they are released, months before knowing who is playing. The same discipline is worth applying to the vehicle, because late August and early September is the tail of our busiest season and coaches for that weekend are spoken for early.
The gardens are the reason people return
Larmer Tree is a Victorian pleasure garden with follies, hedges, lawns and woodland, and the festival is built into it rather than dropped on top of it. Small stages hide in the trees, corners open onto lawns, and the whole site rewards wandering in a way an open field never can. It is genuinely unlike any other festival site in Britain.
Pack for cold nights, not summer ones
This is the practical difference from the July festivals and the thing first-timers get wrong. Late August and September nights in Wiltshire are properly cold, dew soaks everything left outside, and a summer-weight sleeping bag makes for a miserable four days. Proper bedding takes more room, so tell us and we will size the hold for it.
Around three hours, ending on country roads
M25 and M3 then west into the Cranborne Chase, with the final stretch on rural Wiltshire lanes carrying all the arrival traffic. That last part is where the time goes on the Thursday, and we plan the departure around it rather than around the motorway running.
End of the Road questions
Larmer Tree, and booking early.
Does it really sell out before the line-up?
Routinely, yes. People buy on the strength of the site and the reputation rather than the bill, which is unusual and says a good deal about both.
When should we book transport?
When you book the tickets. Late August and early September is the tail of our busiest season and vehicles for that weekend go early.
What is the site like?
Victorian pleasure gardens laid out in the 1880s, with follies, hedges, lawns and woodland, plus resident peacocks. It is unlike any other festival site in Britain.
How far is Larmer Tree from Kent?
Around a hundred and twenty to a hundred and sixty-five miles, roughly two and a half to four hours each way, ending on rural Wiltshire lanes.
What should we pack differently?
Warm bedding and layers. Late August and September nights in Wiltshire are properly cold and dew soaks everything left outside overnight.
Are there really peacocks?
Yes, roaming free and resident on the site all year. They are entirely unimpressed by the music.
Is it a good festival for a first-timer?
If they like wandering and discovering things rather than standing at a barrier for a headliner, very much so.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed at booking as one arrangement covering the drop and the collection.
Camping festivals and the west
The end of the season.