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A Spontaneous Adventure: From Car Camper to Festival Bliss

Writer's picture: emma beckettemma beckett

Updated: Sep 19, 2023

Dear Diary,


Today, I woke up cozy under my duvet in my car beneath the shade of trees listening to the sound of the wind in the trees nearby...


 hand holding a plastic cup of tea near a scone on a yellow duvet, with a lush green field and distant trees in the background
Car camping

Yesterday I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to join some friends at the 2000 Trees Festival for its final night. River and I had been discussing converting our trusty Hyundai Tucson four-wheel-drive into a car camper, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to put our plan to the test.


I quickly transformed the back of my car into a sleeping area. I laid down some duvets, placed a sleeping mat and a pillow, and grabbed my camping kettle and a large bottle of water. With a brief stop at Tesco, where I grabbed gluten-free beers, some scones, and dairy-free butter for the morning, along with a couple of snack bars I was ready to hit the road.


Setting my car's cruise control I plugged in my Spotify and tuned in to the festival's official playlist, aptly named "2000 and Trees." The rain was pouring as I drove, but I chose to keep the sunroof open, enjoying the feeling of the raindrops intermingling with the intermittent sunshine, all while my favourite tunes filled the car.


Arriving at the festival when everyone else had been there for four days felt refreshing. I was fresh as a daisy!!!

Emma, with bright red hair and eyebrows, joyfully sticks her tongue out at a festival. She's wearing pink lensed glasses
Emma at 2000trees


I was ready to immerse myself in the atmosphere. Finding my friends was a breeze because they were waiting right by the gates for me like diamonds and together we ventured off to catch the first band.


The 2000 Trees Festival was an absolute beauty, and dare I say, it might even replace my annual pilgrimage to DOWNLOAD 🤘🏻.


I've been going to DOWNLOAD 🤘🏻 for the past seven years - ever since River was five years old. However, after the last two years of disastrous planning mishaps by the festival team, I was yearning for a fresh experience to mark on our calendar. I believe I've found just that, with several bands I knew, including the exceptional Hundred Reasons, as well as a mind-blowing performance by a band I had never heard of before - Chelsea Grin an American deathcore band from Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm obsessed!

Tom Barber, lead singer of Chelsea Grin, passionately sings into a microphone on stage. He's wearing a white t-shirt, illuminated by purple stage lighting
Tom Barber sings at 2000trees uk


I still can't work out how anyone can pull off a lead singer in jogger bottoms, a white T-shirt, white trainers and a man bun!?! He had the most melodic, screaming voice, and excellent audience control. The mosh pit was unparalleled, rivaling even Slipknot on any given day, and I had an absolute blast immersing myself in the energy after handing my bag to my friends and diving all the way to the front all up inside the craziness.


Emma, with her red-dyed hair, looks directly into the camera at a festival. Rain runs down her face, colouring the droplets with traces of her vibrant hair dye
Emma in the rain

After a few more hours of wandering between tents, exploring stages, savouring delicious food from vans and eventually finding my way to the silent disco I started to feel the fatigue creeping in. Is there anyone who attends a silent disco and doesn't grab a pair of headphones?!? Singing along with hundreds of others, belting out tunes that only they could hear through their headphones was an unforgettably weird experience. Trying to decipher the tracks playing on other people's headphones was hilarious.


Throughout all of this my 17 year old daughter was in London venturing out on her own for the first time, attending a concert with her girlfriend. Meanwhile, They found themselves caught on the last train (AKA the vomit comet) home from London - an experience I didn't envy for a second!!!


Around 1 am I decided it was time to call it a night. Slowly, I made my way back through the fields heading towards my car. I turned the car around so that my head would be uphill (because, as any seasoned camper knows, you never want to sleep with your head downhill in a tent, motorhome, or car). I used whatever I had within reach to block out the morning light, propping up sun deflectors and stuffing T-shirts into the windows. Finally, I settled into my duvet, put on my eye mask and nestled in the quietude. I let my audiobook lull me to sleep.


This morning, I woke up to a breathtaking day enveloped in complete tranquility. I spent a few blissful hours lounging in the back of my car, with my legs basking in the warm embrace of the sun. I made myself a cup of tea - skillfully brewed using our trusty 12 V car kettle, and indulged myself in a gluten free scone for breakfast.


Before I knew it, it was time to embark on the nearly two-hour journey back home. As I drove, music playing and inspiration flowing, I took to voice notes to pen down this blog.


Now I am home I have transformed the rough copy of the blog that I've voice dictated while I drove home into a polished and hopefully more readable piece using my blog editor.


Ah... I truly adore spontaneous adventures and long may they continue!


With Love and Adventure always,


Emma

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