Rain!

I have experienced so little rain since I started my wanderings that I'd almost forgotten how rare a prolonged dry spell is in Britain in the summer. Silly me! OK, so we'd had the odd spot of rain in Cheltenham and the skies were pretty overcast but for the most part it was all right and Mum and I went to an open gardens near Gloucester one day and over to see friends near Stroud another and the weather was fine. However, Cropredy was something else altogether!

My Mum drove me to Stow-0n-the-Wold on Thursday morning and we parked in the Tesco (ugh!) car park and waited for my sister and her husband to arrive from Sheffield. They arrived at 9.15 and we were soon on our way to our agreed meeting point with the rest of the gang. This ritual has been going on for many years and gets more elaborate as the years go by. So that we don't get split up before we get to the camping field (if you're not together when you arrive you can't pitch your tents together) window pennants are issued and this year magnetic signs, too to go on the bonnet, and then off we went in convoy. We managed to avoid being split up at junctions by some pretty aggressive driving techniques and arrived in Cropredy all in a line. At this point the weather was overcast and a bit chilly but dry, so we managed to erect our tent and inflate our airbeds without too many problems, then we all gathered for a communal picnic lunch before heading down to the festival field which opened at 3pm.

To make sure that our group gets a prime position on the hill in front of the stage we have queuers (the older ones, usually) who stand in the queue and runners (the twenty-somethings) who run like the wind as soon as the gates open and bag our pitch by laying out a groundsheet and standing on it until the rest of the party turns up with chairs, food and a cool box full of beer! It's like a military operation but it works.

Many people think that Cropredy is a folk festival, but it has a very eclectic mix of music - the band headlining on Thursday evening was Status Quo and they were pretty awesome. I did a bit of dancing as it was the best way to keep warm with the temperature plummeting once the sun set, and thoroughly enjoyed their set. By the time they left the stage at 11.00 it was really cold and I ended up sleeping in three layers of clothing with the hood of my sweatshirt up and I was still cold! I don't think I'm cut out for camping.



The next day saw a repeat performance of the queue/run scenario but by this time it was raining so we all donned our waterproofs and sat with water dripping off us surrounded by huge brollies that pretty much obscured the stage. The music was still good and interesting and Lynda and I went for a walk round the village and along the canal to stretch our legs in the afternoon, although we did have to take shelter under a canal bridge when the heavens opened!



The weather forecast for Saturday was diabolical and it lived up to the prediction with knobs on! I'd been feeling quite smug as I sat there dressed head to toe in waterproofs as the rain lashed down but I had this sudden unpleasant feeling of dampness and when I stood up I found I'd been sitting in a puddle(not of my own making, I hasten to add!) and my waterproof trousers weren't - I was soaked all the way through and felt very uncomfortable, so had to walk all the way back to the tent and change into some dry clothes. I discarded the 'waterproof' trousers in disgust and went back to the stage field. At 8pm we headed off to get some food and settled on a rather nice-looking curry with samosas, etc. Just as we started to eat the heavens opened and by the end of my meal there was more liquid on my cardboard plate than when I'd started! At this point I announced my decision to quit the field of battle and go back to the tent as I knew I couldn't stand up for another four hours and as soon as I sat down I'd be soaked to the skin again - so I didn't see Fairport at all, just listened to them from the relative comfort of my sleeping pod in the tent. I was quite glad I was there later 'cos there was an almighty thunderstorm just to round off the evening!



On the Sunday morning it was misty but this soon burnt off and it got really hot and sunny as we were packing up our tents - typical. However, as I wished everyone 'safe journey' and 'see you next year' I realised that I meant it, despite the weather, as the company and the experience were great - I shall just have to make sure that I have really waterproof clothing next time!