The Camp Scene UK

(I just bumped this thread from the camping area cos i thought it might be more apropriate here)

Does anyone here travel the british camp scene? I do Rainbow2000 (don't want any trouble from rainbow circlers) and Oak Dragon. If your in the UK and you don't know about the camp scene you really ought to check it out. I'm assistant magical focaliser for Oak Dragon. I'd love to hear from other folks from the scene and anybody who hasn't heard of it and wants to know about it.

Peace

 

Not really sure what you mean... could you explain?

 

The camp scene was started by Paden Jenkins in the mid 1980's. The camps are wonderful experiments in community living, as well as being schools of initiation into the mystery traditions. In 1987 Palden held the first Oak Dragon camp, and since those days many other camps have started such as Rainbow Circle, Rainbow2000, Unicorn, Dance Camp North, Dance Camp East, Oak Lief Circle, The Big Green Gathering etc.

After the government made the life of the New Age Traveller completely impossible by banning the Free Festivals such as Stonehenge and making squatting a lot harder, people were looking for a new way to be with tribe. Gatherings on the scale of Rainbow Family gatherings were never to happen in Britain again but Palden would replace it with Oak Dragon, and later more and more camps that sprung up.

The Camp Scene can be a vibrant and magical place to make friends, reconnect with nature and start a journey of spiritual growth from. These camps are very different from the Rainbow gatherings abroad by they are still 'Rainbow' and they are still amazing.

 

excellent thanks for the info

Ooo went to the Big Green Gathering this year.. and have had dealings with the Parisian rainbow peeps

I believe I am a camper without knowing

 

I heard Big Green was a bit heavy this year. I was invited to it but I was teaching at the Rainbow2000 Healing Camp. Quite a few of my chums were there though. Did you meet a woman called Ros who was running the Sweat Lodge and also possibly doing some astrology? Or did you meet a guy called Oak who would probably have been doing chanting workshops and who's wife does herbal magic and remedies?

I was told that the security were being extremely aggressive and that there were also some muggings which is extroadinary for the British camp scene. Saying that, Big Green is turning into a bit of a fest as it gets bigger and its moving away from routes in the camp scene. A lot of people were describing it as an early Glastonbury.

 

that sounds very cool, imagine the good vibes when you get a bunch of peacefull likeminded pople together, i suppose that whole scene closes down for the winter huh fagin?

 

yeah well thats the problem with living in Britain, there aren't that many people willing to sleep in a field in mid-winter! A lot of the full timers live in places like talley valley during the winter and then go do the camps for 3 0r 4 months when the weather is good.

 

muahahaha! *thinks back to the december 04 gathering in derby*

Starfly????

 

graham norton? he's quite camp! oh, dale winton also..very camp

 

I would very much like to hear more of this british camp scene, i've always been intigued by it, but i've never known of any camps or gatherings to go to.

 

yea im in too....im in ireland, but if i know in advance a ryan air flight over is only about the equivilent of £40 return including taxes , or when i get my van (vw hippy van ) ferry over and back will be even cheaper .
all sounds rather cool

 

Well any questions you guys have just ask. As I said before, I work with Oak Dragon which was the first camp back in the mid 80's. all of the other camps were born out of that one pretty much. I also teach at Rainbow2000. You can find dates and info on the camp scene directory, most of the camps have their own web site as well and there are links on the camp scene directory. Alternatively you can ask me anything you want to know.

 

come on people I personally dont give a fuck what the weather is like I just wanna meet new people with the same frame of mind. Just make a date and a location and I will turn up with a few friends England isnt a big country u can get to everywhere in 5 hrs. Come on people time is running out xxxxxx

 

I am a born camper! Wales is the place to be - all you need for camping - rain, grass and the good old freezin sea!
haz xox

 

yea i think it would be cool to meet up sometime

 

Well there are any number of camps to choose from. They span pretty much the entire spring and summer months. So it is also possible to do what I do, and travel from camp to camp giving yourself the chance to live outside for months on end. This is a wonderful way of experienceing the different tribes.

The two camps that I can recommend are Oak Dragon and Rainbow2000. Oak Dragon was the camp that started the hole thing off back in 1987. Oak Dragon is in my opinion the most magical camp that you will find, in a literal sence, there is more esoteric magicy stuff going on there - the place is just buzzing with other wordly goings on. It is going through an amazing period at the moment and we are trying to build up the energy on the camp by getting more and more new people to come along before the 2007 camp which will be its 20th anniversary. Oak Dragon gets down to the nitty gritty and does amazingly powerful work that can and probably will change your life.

Rainbow2000 run a full season of camps. Each camp has a different theme, these range from The Space For You Camp, The Druid Camp, The Music Camp, The Healing Camp, The Krishna Camp, Super Spirit, and The Extravaganza Weekend. Rainbow2000 is very well organised and they offer great facilities and wonderful workshops.

I may post some longer reviews of these camps at a later stage.

Oak Dragon's Web Site is: www.oakdragon.org.uk
Rainbow2000's Web Site is: www.rainbow2000camps.org

Ofcourse Oak Dragon and Rainbow2000 aren't the only camps. It is very important that you find the camp that suits you. The best way to do this is to visit www.campscene-directory.co.uk where you can find links to the websites of almost all of the camps in the UK.

​

 

im loving the sound of all this! the internet is a great thing, you can get to 'meet' new and interesting people easier, but nothing beats 'meeteing' in person. Im so board of meeting comercial generic people, please tell me more so i can finally meet 'like minded' people!

 

yip, indeed

 

The camps are amazing places that I think everyone should go to. Well how can I describe it? When Palden Jenkins went on his vision quest in the welsh mountains to find out where the Glastonbury astrology gatherings and music and dance camps should be going he was visited by spirits. This is vaguely what they said to him:

"Camps. OakDragon. Nationwide. Education, empowerment, initiation. Family and clan. Reach out to people. A university on the green Earth. From now until the 2020s. OakDragon project..."

And that was the beginning. Oak Dragon was born in 1987 and it was amazing, or so I’m told. It was truly magical in the beginning, and we're talking on a mythical level. Now it's at a stage where it's changing again, we need more people, new energy and new magic, and that's what you will all bring if you come along.

You can come to a place where you can be in the most beautiful surroundings. You will camp in a field bordered with sacred forest. The forests are open for campers to walk around in and collect fire wood from. There is also quite a lot of wood delivered to the camp. We have running water as well as the most amazing shower built into a horse box that Ian, Chris and Cod built last year. As well as this we can boast the most wonderful open air hot tub that is very nice to sit in with other people while you star gaze.

Every body at the gathering camps in what we call 'villages'. That means that whether you arrive alone or in a group, you quickly make friends. When you arrive (all being well) someone will get you a nice cup of tea at the gate dome and tell you which circle you are going to be camping with. We always mix new people in with veterans that can explain how everything works at Oak Dragon and make you another cup of tea. You circle is your immediate family in the tribe. They will help you out with any problem you might have, but because the tribe isn’t massive you will find support from everyone at the camp. Each circle also cooks together every night.

The site is usually surrounded by sacred forest with beautiful groves for performing ceremonies in or having workshops. There are also spaces in the main camp for workshops, such as the big marquee and a few geometric domes that have wood burning stoves inside them to keep you nice and snug. Another place to stay snug is cosy corner, where you can always get that ever important cup of tea and a bit of cake.

The spirits said to Palden, 'a university on the green earth'. We invite lots of wonderful people to come and teach at the camp, offering workshops on Shamanism, Runes, Meditation, Herb Law, Alchemy, T'ai Chi, Creative Arts, Astronomy and many other areas. These workshops are fun and extraordinarily powerful and open to beginners as well as experienced people. These workshops give you an amazing chance to work with the magic energies that flow through the universe and also through each of us.

The workshops are also optional if you would rather chill out around a fire. That’s one of the main aspects of any camp, chilling out by the fire, going into the wood to collect dead wood, and spending a night really meeting people on another level while you feed the flames. For me this is one of my favourite aspects of the camp. It gives you a chance to share your story and make amazing bonds with people. It is also the place where spontaneous music and singing might take place, or ancient stories might be told.

Camps are the perfect places to make contact with people who are living a lifestyle that might be similar to something that you want to do. Lots of people that live in a alternative life styles, such as communes and out-door communities such as tipi valley come to the camps. They can give you a million and one tips on how to go about living that kind of life.

At this years camp we will have a troop of astrologers on camp to tell you what happening up in the sky and how it relates to you, as well as being able to teach you their art. It is also a possibility that their will be a team of Shamanic practitioners on site to help you with anything on a physical, emotional or spiritual level. They will be able to help you create or strengthen a relationship with the spirit world and show you how to work with spirit teachers independently of a Shaman.

There is so much more that I could say about Oak Dragon, but I will save that for later. I will make a post about Rainbow2000 at some point. 2006 will be Oak Dragon’s 19th year and we are building up the magic for the 2oth anniversary, I hope that you can all be part of that magic!

Any questions, please ask, I am more than happy to answer them.

Peace.

 

Is there any where to gather in the winter though? Id love to escape the comercial world of christmas and cant find a damm place,(going off track) I wanted escape to a log hut in cornwall nut havent found any that are open.
Do you know of any camps which would be open for late December?