Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival

...a small festival not everyone has heard of (except from the Scottish that is!) Every year this festival is held, and it's really close to Inverness.

For five years now, I have been wanting to go, but it wasn't until this year I finally got around to it. Now, I have decided that it will definitely not be the last time, and if I#m really good saving up all my silvers in my pirate-chest, I miiight just be able to get enough to go next year again. Fingers crossed!

I travelled up to Belladrum with a dear friend of mine, and we bussed up there, only making two stops along the way, and making a friend on our way! In total the bus rides were about 3 1/2 hour from Glasgow up there, and a lot longer back down (connecting buses had a bit of a wait in between). Unfortunately for me though, my camera ran out of battery halfway through the Saturday, and so I didn't get to capture all of it, thankfully my friends took some snaps too though!

An elephant sitting on a wall - as they do...

We founds three pegasi in the woods! They were really cool!

The atmosphere at Belladrum is absolutely fantastic, and although I managed to get lost already on the first evening *cough* camping sites look different in the dark, and my navigation skills is ridiculously poor *cough cough* I managed to find a group of people I made friends with, and we all ended up in the dance hall. It's usually what the first night of Belladrum consists of if you arrive on the Thursday - it's an evening of celebration!

The "Tea house", which sold vegetarian foods, homemade lemonade and chai, mmmm ^ ^

Me and my friend in aforementioned tea house

On the Friday however, the music kicked off, and I got to see Schnarff Schnarff, Fatherson, Frightened Rabbit, and none other than Tom Jones was headlining that evening as well! He was rockin' it, and although he might seem like he'd be slightly out of place at a chilled festival like Belladrum, it actually made sense somehow! Earlier on, when it was raining cats and dogs, we (Katie and I, not Tom Jones and I....Just figured I should point that out!) sought shelter in the Venus Flytrap Venue, which was where the stand-up comedy took place, and the MC (the fellow in between each acts) had us in stitches for a couple of hours!

There were a vintage market at a "free range folk" section of the area, and Katie and I chilled in the "tea-house" with reggar playing in the background and musicians playing a little further down at the Free Range stage. It was brilliant! It rained a little on the Friday and overnight on the Saturday, but overall it was pretty good! Hell, I didn't even mind sleeping in a tent three nights in a row. After one night out in the wild - you get used to it *smiles*.

Buskers under a mushroom!

That time Julie got lost, went dancing with some new friends, aaaaand the screen on her phone broke, very inconvenient! I had to write a little sign the next day when rummaging about for porridge, so my friends knew I was still alive. I didn't have a felt tip pen, so I used eye-liner... I can totally survive in the wild, ha!

The food there was good! And I had a few exotic burgers, and falafel - you can't go to a festival and not have falafel, not this little Julie anyway! That was actually one of the best meals I had there! Every morning, I would go up to the Porridge Tent (Yes, because there was in fact such a tent, right at the top of the campsite!), and the lovely porridge people would serve me a generous portion (think regular take-away cup of coffee from your favourite coffee shop) of the lovely stuff, and topped it with toppings of your choice. Everything from strawberries and cream, to rhubarb compote and blueberries and more!

There were also some activities for youngsters and old'yins, and we had a go with the hulahoops and diablos - not done that in years and years! We also bumped into a fundraising for dogs born with certain handicaps or conditions. Needless to say - we went to visit every day, talking with the lovely lady there who had lots of dogs there with her - they were so cute! We made friends with Frodo - the all-blind labrador, as well as the four chihuahuas Ben, Mogwai, Gremlin and Gizmo, too cute! Frodo was my favourite though, but don't tell the others!

The dogs we made friends with on-site when not listening to bands playing.

Billy Kirkwood in the Venus Flytrap Venue, he was the MC and thus had us in stitches between all the other stand-up acts, he was brilliant!

The second day was music-packed as well, starting with some Highlander friends, Jacob and Rory, Brownbear, Esperanza and then busker James Mackenzie played some songs accompanied by a drummer. We met up with more friends throughout the day, and then we saw Jipsy Magic, Fat Goth, Rae Morris, The View (surprise act, yar!), Band of Skulls, and finished it off with Razorlight and fireworks, t'was a good couple of nights!

Fatherson who stepped in for Grandmaster Flash who did a set later on instead, I didn't mind though, Fatherson was amazing!

Frightened Rabbit who was on just before Tom Jones, and then my camera died *sigh*, these fellows were really good though!

Sunday was spent packing up, and recovering, running on little sleep! We had three hours to wait in Inverness, and so we had both lunch and dinner at a cafe there, carrying too much to have a wee wander about town. I haven't been to Inverness in years and years!

This was my second festivals, and if it wasn't for the fact that it costs a bit of money, I would do it every year, because it is absolutely amazing! I met so many lovely people along the way, and got to hear some amazing performers as well as just catching up with my friends, go away for a few nights - ah, sooooo good! *biggrinonherface*

Have you been to any music festivals before? Aaaand which is your favourite?

- Jules