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LithStock!!! (PICS)

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Less searchable M0rd4nt

16:09 / 29.04.04

[Jedi mind-trick] You don't want to go to Devon... you all want to come to Spain... you want to come to lovely sunny Barcelona...[/Jedi mind-trick]

17:21 / 29.04.04

We do really want to come to Spain, but will the Jedi who is mind-tricking us fund all our tickets?

22:55 / 29.04.04

I'm cool with the July date, we just need somewhere to do it now... Hopefully not Spain, have you seen how pale I am?!? The sun is my mortal enemy.

If Riz was drunk when he suggested his mom's house and now regrets it he should speak up now :P I understand, I wouldnt want this bunch of vagabonds turning up at my house as well :P

I love Lula's site for the touristy thing but I think we could do with a secluded site hopefully near woods, with owners that dont give a fuck. We aren't gonna find a website that says "we don't give a fuck, c'mon in!" though.

So yes. Let's do this!

15:41 / 30.04.04

I think we could do with a secluded site hopefully near woods, with owners that dont give a fuck.

I think we could do with that too.

Many such places exist, so... next time I visit my impossibly rural home I'll get working on it.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

21:34 / 05.05.04

[More Jedi mind-trick] There are some nice shady camp-sites near the picturesque former Roman capitol of Tarragona... secluded beaches... cheap flights on easyjet and Ryanair... [/More Jedi mind-trick]

09:20 / 06.05.04

Spain RULES!! I heart Barcelona!! But can't you do this a different weekend? Like at the end of July when I'm back from holiday? I'm happy to do a double holiday dontchaknow...

11:41 / 11.05.04

Good idea Mr Pots.
I did the 'lots of people in a field' last year and burying your own poo is a giggle. Nothing like sleeping round an open fire and laughing at the person who ends up like they're from Pompeii.
I too however will be away the weekend of 3/4 July. But lots of people will be, so fix a date and if I can make it, I will.

09:20 / 19.05.04

So how're we doing on the 'finding a place to do this' tack?

10:41 / 19.05.04

I'm waiting to hear back from a mate who did something similar down in Sussex. Essentially, there's this farmer who lets you go on his land and as long as everyone pays up, he doesn't care about music smoke etc.

Will let you know as soon as.

22:02 / 27.05.04

*bump*

Any news on a location? Riz... anyone? I'll cry if I dont get to see y'all

Pot.

11:35 / 29.05.04

Um... As I say, I'll look into it. Thanks for reminding me.

And if everybody else gets working on other schemes toward making this work, maybe collective incompetence can be overcome and at least one of them will work..

01:21 / 30.05.04

Okay. Here’s an alternative, then. Saunton Sands, in Devon.

Google gives me a campsite nearby called Lobb Fields. Says here that they happily accept single-sex groups, so I’ll go to go out on a limb and assume that they’ll have no problems with mixed groups. Seems it’s a campsite aimed at accommodating gaggles of surfers so they could be a deal more relaxed about things like guitars and smoke and hairy scruffbags howling spells at the dawn.

This same campsite is reviewed here, and the actual Lobb Fields website is here. And I’m no expert, but it looks quite nice. So, if anyone’s actually interested in travelling this far west, then somebody with a better phone skillz than me might want to take responsibility and give them a call to ask all the pertinents. It really is a lovely beach though, and absolutely amazing dunes. Miles and miles and miles of dunes, so deep there’s supposed to be a church buried in there somewhere. Organising a date according to the fullest moon we can manage could make for a rather cosmic sight from those dunes. Man.

14:50 / 30.05.04

Sounds pretty good.

How does it rate in terms of woods/mountains and general isolation?

15:24 / 30.05.04

Well. The dunes, Braunton Burrows, are actually a nature reserve-type protected area, I believe. But they’re also, like, 8 square miles or something of totally un-policeable labyrinthine deeps and hollows. Or at least, they were last time I was there. The beach is *very* popular with surfers, and unless everyone is totally set on July, I’d suggest maybe waiting until later in the season for cheaper camping/less crowds. But I’ve honestly never seen a bigger, spacier beach, anywhere. When I went, it was mid-August and sunny and I still had loads of room to myself for moody introspection. It’s very West Devon, so the sea comes straight in from the Atlantic rather than the nasty old Bristol channel. West Devon is generally hilly, it’s on the far side of Exmoor, and I’m thinking that if people are somehow converging that far out from En-ger-land proper, then there’ll be some lith-cars available for trips out to the woods. Or the nearest sacred site. Or whatever.

Hm. I’m selling this quite hard. Let me be clear, I went there just once, and that was years ago. It might be a nightmarish, crowded, overdeveloped hell by now. I’m just suggesting it as maybe worth investigating. Is all. [/disclaimer]

18:50 / 30.05.04

Just to let you know: I'm gonna be heading home next weekend, and in the guise of some nice summer weekend outtings, I'm gonna be checking out the camping possibilities of some of my favourite places..

00:26 / 02.06.04

I wish we could find somewhere nice, decide upon it and all get packing.

I need something good to happen and Lithstock is right up there with...with...something good.

23:55 / 07.06.04

*bump*

Where are you, Sunspot? C’mon, get back in this thread and make a decision, goddammit: pick a date and pick a location, already. Those pesky London ‘lithers have got themselves all organised for a summery park meet, and even the Scottish contingent are getting all communal now. They’re making us look like Barbelith’s hazy, stoney, country cousins.

Oh. Yeah, hang on...

Spyder Todd 2008

13:43 / 08.06.04

God damn it. I'd love to come, but some of us live on the other side of Atlantis. And this sounds really cool! Damn the universe!
Maybe, if the first one is a hit, there could be Lithstock:America...

22:42 / 09.06.04

Shit! I don't want that kind of responsibility, plant the seeds and let them grow.

The place you suggested sounds marvellous Bedhead and as I have been deemed "organiser" of this trip do people wanna set a date around August?

I hate being in charge :P

Pot.

14:02 / 10.06.04

OK kids, I've found us what could possibly be an excellent place.

Coastal South-West Wales: about a mile outside St. Davids (UK's smallest city, picturesque tourist location built around cathedral etc.) is the aptly Whitesands, one of Wales' most popular surfing beaches - a nice beach which gets relatively busy on sunny days, is surrounded by a few ropey camp sites, car parks etc.

Anyway, overlooking this beach you've got Carn Llidi, an absolutely stunning mountain/hill/cliff type thing (you'll forgive the geographical impresiceness) with towering peaks stretching out to a beautiful headland populated by - I kid you not - a bunch of wild horses.

The view from near the top of Carn Llidi looks like this:

Despite being very close to the beach and within walking distance of the town, the mountainous nature of this small area renders it quite remote, and halfway up the hill there's an old farm house which has been converted into a YHA Youth Hostel. It's surrounded by unoccupied farmland in three directions, and mountain in the other direction.

The Youth Hostel have a field. I've been in touch with the nice lady who runs it, and it breaks down like this;

They're perfectly prepared to rent it out for a few days to a group of up to around a dozen people.

It'll cost £4.65 per person per night, including access to toilets & showers and dining room.

PLUS POINTS: I can wholeheartedly recommend this as a beautiful place to visit during the summer. You can walk or drive in pretty much any direction and find coastal/rural beauty spots without many people in them to bother you. Locals are largely either farmers or hippies or retired school teacher types and thus largely ok.

MINUS POINTS: main thing is TRANSPORT. Obviously it's quite remote and hard to find for people who aren't locals, and as you might expect, public transports links are zero. Basically, to do this properly we'd need at least one driver and at least one vehicle, preferably a van. People traveling from the midlands/south-east (so everybody except me I should think) can expect a LONG JOURNEY - three hours on the train followed by 1-2 hours by car.

00:03 / 11.06.04

Yes yes yes yes yes!

*Kisses Rizla lots.*

11:11 / 11.06.04

O.k. im in but at a loss for transport anybody

anybody

please

11:48 / 11.06.04

Might I suggest pooling for a minibus or a van to go from Birmingham? Birmingham’s central enough for people to easily get to from just about anywhere. And I’ll happily step up and do my share of driving. I’ve been a van-driver before, I’m good at van driving, I like driving. Someone else can look after the music and someone else can be in charge of tuck.

Oh, and Rizla: really, you are rock. On toast. Remote country house, with a dining room, eh? Shall we all write horror stories whilst under the influence, too?

So, what’s this to be, anyway? Looo-ooong weekend in August?

13:24 / 11.06.04

I guess the nearest train stations are Pembroke and Fishguard? Or are there some others around there?

Southampton -> Fishguard by train seems to take 5 hours and 44 minutes, and goes through Swansea (which takes about 4 hours to get to from Southampton). Birmingham and London to Fishguard both seem to take about 5 hours.

Presumably these are indirect routes, so how long would Birmingham take to St David's by car?

17:06 / 11.06.04

The London/Bristol/Cardiff/Swansea trainline is good - takes 3 hours from end to end and trains usually leave on the hour.

Trains West of Swansea are universally fucking rubbish though - they're single carriages chugging along at snails pace a couple of times a day, and they take about three times as long as driving and inevitably don't actually go where you want to go. Not recommended.

If Bedhead can get the van idea going then a good strategy might be for the Birmingham gang to drive down while London folks get the train, and all meet up at Swansea. Which, coincidentally, is where I live.

You've been warned though - it's a long journey whichever way you do it. (By British standards anyway, if you live in, I dunno, West Texas or somewhere you probably have to go that far just to get to the shops.)

17:18 / 11.06.04

Here's the website for the Youth Hostel by the way.

It doesn't mention the camping field, but I gather that's more a sort of unofficial arrangement with the owners.

Worryingly, the picture they've got on the site looks like it was taken in the middle of a thunderstorm.. it doesn't actually look that scary.

00:10 / 12.06.04

If Bedhead can get the van idea going then a good strategy might be for the Birmingham gang to drive down while London folks get the train, and all meet up at Swansea.

Sounds like a good idea. I'm behind the van from Birmingham idea, although I can't drive I'll chip in for it. That said, money's tight so does anyone have an idea of much it'll cost? And for that matter, have we solidly set a date yet?

19:00 / 13.06.04

Hmm...this hostel is only 30 miles from the ferry landing at Pembroke. Although the departing terminal is 200 miles from me. Anyone else in Ireland interested in maybe taking and Irish Ferry over from Rosslare? The cost of doing this on my own would make me think twice (maybe thrice) about it, but if there's others in my car it'd make costs tolerable.

19:03 / 13.06.04

Oh, and could someone enlighten me as to what a Table License is, and whether the hostel's failure to own one of these is a potential problem?

23:04 / 13.06.04

YAY! Well done Riz!

04:50 / 14.06.04

Rizla - very well done.

So, are will still doing this on the weekend of the 3rd/4th July?

Also, anyone going from London want to meet up and share in the fun of getting there? Read: I'm a lazy stoner who's easily confused.

Otherwise, What time/where will we meet in Swansea?

10:10 / 18.06.04

Bumpitty Bump.

Right then. I've PM'd a few of the people who were most up for it and it seems it would be for the best to re-schgedule for August to give people a bit more time to sort out time and money.

So, take out your diaries, calendars, fancy phone and ipod thingys and write down the weekend of the 7th/8th of August. That's 7 weeks away folks!

Rizla's post above (with the pretty picture) has all the details of the place.

I think it would be prudent to figure out how you're getting there - car pool etc. PM me if you need my number as I'd be happy to organise things centrally, to save time and effort.

17:06 / 19.06.04

Just to say I am still completely up for this!

20:24 / 20.06.04

7th/8th August sounds fine to me. I should start looking for my tent soon since I haven't seen it for a while.

13:30 / 29.06.04

I'd like to join this event, seeing as it promises to be most convivial. However there remains the question of me getting there. So:

Are any of the London 'Lithers going to travel as a group, and what are your arrangements? I figure I can fly from Belfast to London and join up with the horde there for the leg to Wales. This would beat driving nearly the whole length of Ireland and Wales on my onesies. Which I might still do...I might turn this into a driving holiday in Wales or something.

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