I haven’t posted for a while – motherhood and adulting got in the way. 

However, with CarFest tickets due on sale on Thursday 9th November, I felt I must catch up on my blog posts that I’ve neglected. And one of those is about reassuring and encouraging any parent out there with a small baby why CarFest is just the perfect day out.

For my family, the definite selling point of CarFest South was being able to drive from our house to the car park at Laverstoke Farm within 15 minutes meaning that if little PB didn’t settle, we could get home easily. I appreciate that won’t be the case for all of you. However, there is plenty else to wet your festival appetite, even if the drive home is longer.

We arrived around 11am armed with a picnic and toys. The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky – today was going to be a good day.

A meandering walk through the farm grounds and woodland, the festival was in full swing. After signing up for the duck race, we settled on a picnic blanket by the Carters Steam Fair for our lunch. A beautiful array of rides and steam suitable for all ages.

After enjoying a glass of prosecco, a pint and some milk, we made our way over to the track to watch the cars. The clue is in the title that the day is centred around the vast collection of cars from the well-looked after vintages to the super brand new. We got the opportunity to see Chris Evans and Jodi Schnaker go careering around the track as well as plenty of rubber smoke from all the doughnuts! Little PB loved it, although I’d recommend ear defenders for some of it.

The mood changed somewhat when I knew we had to go and change little PB. Having been to festivals plenty of times before, I was nervous of the standard of changing facilities (if any) and was fully prepared to find a shady secluded corner and change him on the floor. Well, my excitement at the quality of the changing area was bountiful. A beautifully laid out tent with changing mats, Child Farm freebies, alcohol gel, nappy bags and nappy bins emptied regularly! Adjoining the tent was a play area with books and toys as well as sofas and nursing chairs for feeding. A microwave to heat up food and high chairs! Such a wonderful addition to a festival environment and certainly one of the main reasons for wanting to go back.

Perhaps not absorbing the map in enough detail, we forgot to spend any significant time in the country show element of the festival. A must for next year – dog and duck races, horse shows, craft demonstrations and a fantastic kiddies area which little PB will definitely appreciate being a little older. 

We re-visited the changing tent to get little PB ready for bed before the music started and then explored the food tents – such a great variety of food and not just your greasy burgers to delight! Vegan, vegetarian and full on carnivore on offer – we went back for seconds and dessert!

The other thing I loved was the space….because there were so many families, there wasn’t this need to get too friendly with each other when the music started and start pushing for your postage stamp size bit of room. Everyone was very accommodating and we were all able to sit back and enjoy the music. We kept ourselves towards the back of the pack to help with an easy exit but we still saw plenty and obviously danced along to the entertainment. 

We were fortunate that little PB fell asleep with ear defenders on allowing us to enjoy the evening. I’m pleased we took the buggy and would recommend this over a back carrier – it just provides more flexibility during the day for naps and it doesn’t get in the way as you are one of a number of people with buggies who all give each other a level of courteous avoidance!

It was certainly the highlight of the summer and would highly recommend you book early to avoid disappointment. 

Finally, I would like to say thank you to CarFest for creating a wonderful day out for everyone from 0-100. The attention to detail, the entertainment and the food just goes to show that, even with a baby, you can still go raving into the night…..if you want to that is – we were home by 9.30! 

Here’s the link you’ll need… http://www.carfest.org/ticket-information 

x PB x