That revelation remains rather discombobulating, and it’s certainly changed the way I approach unfamiliar situations. I’d already crowdsourced advice from seasoned campers and created a whole booklet of notes, which I’d brought with me, to help me cope.
Luckily, Kat Buckland, the coordinator for Climate Reframe, was incredibly organized and had created a dynamic PDF for us all, with logistics and instructions all in one space. In fact, while we’d been queueing earlier for a cup of tea at the city-priced pop-up food stands, she told me they’d tried to make the experience as inclusive as possible, including providing all the information anyone would need.
I’d already realized that bringing a cabin-sized suitcase and a rucksack to a campsite where your one-man tent is physically only big enough for one person—just—was not the best idea. Most of us were in pre-pitched tents booked with Camplight, an organization that upcycles abandoned festival tents—this circular economy approach is reflective of Timber Festival. It’s not just about music and chilling out, but about rethinking our relationship with the environment around us. You could even bring clothes to be repaired, learn the art of invisible stitching, take part in ‘craftivism’ workshops, and even try to win the title of ’wonkiest veg’.
