Belladrum, near Inverness, 7-8 August 2009

ARRIVING at Belladrum I felt a little like I had Willie Wonka’s last remaining Golden Ticket, as the news spread that the sixth festival was a sell out for the first time.

Broken Records performing at Belladrum 2009 (© Fiona Carr)

As some helpful staff pointed me in the right direction, I parked up and headed for the Family Camping area and pitched my tent. This was my fifth time at Belladrum, and this year I was going to be testing out its family-friendly side, as one of our party was only five months old.

This year’s eclectic line up did little to appeal to my musical tastes, but for me Belladrum has always offered so much more than just the music. I was excited at the prospect of exploring each nook and cranny of the rolling site.

On my first wander through it was clear that they had put a huge amount of effort into the layout and decoration of this year’s festival. Giant red hearts perched on trees and bushes, while coloured flags fluttered in the wind. Hammocks and paper dragons swung from trees and it seemed that every corner of the site was filled with brightly coloured decorations and small bars in which to buy a drink or a snack and chill in the sunshine.

A new edition to the festival was Mother’s Ruin Dance DJ Stage, the restored ruins of the estate house, which during the day was adorned with sculpture and artworks to look at, and at night played a mixture of dance and ambient tunes into the wee small hours.

One area that is streets ahead of many other festivals is the food on offer, serving up the finest organic food from the Highlands and Islands. The choices are endless, and a welcome change from the standard festival offerings of soggy chips and limp burgers. You can eat your way through all food groups, with oysters and mussels, haggis, neeps and tatties, hog roast rolls and falafels all on offer.

And it doesn’t stop there – the sweet tooth is catered for as well, with chocolate and sticky toffee puddings or strawberries and cream. Wash this down with a fruit smoothie, fresh lemonade or a good old fashioned cup of tea. You will never go hungry (or thirsty) at Belladrum.

The great thing about Belladrum is the fun-filled atmosphere. You could sit in one spot all day long and be permanently entertained. Men on stilts, drummers, dancers, clowns, entertainers, musicians and many more mill around the festival site entertaining as they go. Impromptu jam sessions spring up under trees, while a man cycles past playing the piano. Anything goes at Belladrum, as long as it makes people smile.

I managed to make it along to the Garden stage to see a powerful set by Edinburgh’s finest, Broken Records. Be sure to go out and buy their strings-laden debut album Until the Earth Begins to Part – you won’t be disappointed.

A quick blast of music from Peatbog Faeries got the crowd going, turning Belladrum into a giant Ceilidh, before headliners The Editors tore on stage. Then it was a date with the silent disco before Sing-along-a-Sound-of-Music rounded off my first day at Belladrum. So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, good-bye (until tomorrow at least).

Saturday morning bought more blue skies and a breakfast appointment with Rhyme Time in the Read Bed. Entertainment for the under-5s in the form of stories and song sitting outside on cushions.

Taking full advantage of the Heilan’ Fields, I had booked myself in for a neck and shoulder massage – what better way to counteract trudging from the car park with a heavy rucksack?

Payment is by donation, so I would recommend anyone to go along and try out something new. There were treatments of all types, from somewhere to relax with a herbal tea, to scented massage and Tai Chi. There was also a wonderful Wishing Tree, where you could tie a wish to the tree with coloured ribbon – it was a beautiful idea and it was great fun to read through some of the wishes, from the usual hopes of world peace, to the children’s desires for Spidey-Powers!

A quick bite on a grilled haloumi pitta, a look at Noah and the Whale’s film on the comfy sofas of the Read Bed, and it was off to see British Sea Power on the Hothouse stage. Mod Rockers and Ocean Colour Scene closed the festival with a cover of ‘Day Tripper’ by The Beatles, and all too soon the closing fireworks were lighting up the crisp night air.

With the help of the Baby Whisperer and the percentage of smiles each activity produced, I also managed to ask young James what he had enjoyed most about his first festival! He said he loved the under-5s disco in the Snapdragon tent, in particular the lights and the bubble machine, he also loved watching the older kids throwing shapes on the dance floor (quite literally as they had large inflatable stars and triangles).

He liked the poetry and calm vibes in the Read Bed, although it wasn’t aimed specifically at children. He enjoyed storytelling tent in the kids area, even though it was for older kids but just liked listening to what was going on around him.

He loved the drumming tent and can’t wait to get his hands on some bongos next year! As a family-friendly festival, Belladrum ticks all the boxes. There is loads for kids of all ages to do, and plenty for to keep them entertained when just wandering around. We thought the family area was just a little bit too close to the main area with all the bands, which could be a little bit loud for small ears, but wasn’t too much of an issue as there was so much else to do.

For all those keen to take their wee ones next year, make sure you take plenty of warm clothes, as it does get pretty chilly at night. It is also worth taking a lightweight buggy along, the ground is easy to manoeuvre underfoot and is great for them to snooze in at night time.

With another successful weekend tucked firmly under its belt, it is fair to say that the wee festival with the big heart, really has cemented its reputation as one of the leading all-ages festivals of music and performing arts in the country.

© Fiona Carr, 2009

Links

• Tartan Heart Festival