The rock ’n’roll way to get to your summer festival
THIS is how to turn heads at the Glastonbury Festival, even if you aren’t a headlining performer: drive up in an immaculately restored 1962 split-windscreen VW camper.
Only aficionados will note the very small back window and bullet indicators, but you’ll earn universal respect. This vehicle is almost as old as rock ’n’ roll itself. It predates even The Rolling Stones – and it’s available for hire.
If the VW isn’t quite stylish enough, how about the very latest in motorhome elegance, the Swift Kon-Tiki 649? The latest model sleeps six and boasts a heating system with touchscreen controls, microwave oven, swivel seats with armrests, and a twin-view reversing camera. And there’s a U-shaped TV lounge.
Hiring a camper van or motorhome is one of the big new things in the British summer events calendar. And although you may have to defer your grand Glastonbury entrance for another year (as usual, tickets sold out in a blink), there are plenty more outdoor events to enjoy from your warm and cosy mobile base throughout 2014.
The long and winding road to summer music and culture festivals stretches from the Brecon Jazz Festival, via the WOMAD world music festival in Wiltshire, the Dover, Reading and Leeds festivals, then up to Kendal Calling and on to the biggest of them all, the Edinburgh Festival.
This year there is an extra attraction to being on the road: the chance to park up, lay the picnic table and watch Tour de France riders zip past on three separate stages over many miles of English country roads.
While Glastonbury and other festivals have a policy of not recommending specific motorhome hirers, search online and you should easily find a suitable vehicle, and not too far from home.
I was able to quickly compile a list of small companies, including O’Connors Campers, which runs a fleet of vintage VW campers, most of them rescued from a rusty grave deep in the undergrowth and restored to full working order.
Other companies that specialise in camper van hire for Glastonbury and the summer festivals include Beacons Campers and Priory Rentals. There are many more and their websites include hints on finding a place at a festival, and how to live comfortably when you are there.
The best advice from old hiring hands is that if the price of the van seems suspiciously cheap, then be suspicious.
Even so, you could pay as little as £250 for three days in low season and up to £895 for a week from June to August.
A VW van is about £750 a week in June. Most hirers offer the choice of a full week, or midweek and weekend short breaks.
If you go for a bigger vehicle, check that your licence covers you to drive it. Apart from that and after the brief induction and familiarisation, it’s just you, the open road – and your favourite music.
The Caravan Club has a list of motorhome hirers at caravanclub.co.uk, and you can find more information about summer music festivals at thefestivalcalendar.co.uk.