Port Eliot Estate, St Germans, Saltash,
Cornwall, PL12 5ND
Weekend camping tickets £165 + £7.50 booking
fee
I hope you have recovered after my last
preview as Love Supreme brought a whole lotta funk, jazz and soul into the South
Downs. Pimms and Grand Marnier all shaken together with a shot of
Soul II Soul and a large swig of De La Soul had three generations raising
their hands up in the air and becoming hip-hop fanatics. Definitely a grand
finale for the end of a triumphant weekend, I am sure we will see Jazz FM and
the Love Supreme team back next year.
Now it’s time for something further south,
across three counties and into a part of the world that feels like a
million miles from England. I’m taking you across the Tamar Bridge and into
Cornwall to St Germans, the home of Port Eliot Festival. Imagine a Grade I listed house and gardens filled with cabaret, music, literature, writers, artists,
foodies and creative minds all congregating in this one heavenly spot.
Well, you can now stop imagining and live it at this creative arts festival.
Well, you can now stop imagining and live it at this creative arts festival.
~ Port Eliot Festival, photo by Michael Bowles ~ |
Emerging from the ashes of its predecessor
came Port Eliot Festival, an idea conjured up in 2003 by Lord St Germans, but
this time there would be a literary twist. Writers, poets and journalists were
invited to read out work that other literary festivals wouldn’t even look at.
The participants were asked to do something different with words, and they took this to new levels adding a performance element to their recitations, which led the way for future Port Eliot Festivals.
Port Eliot drawing room, photo by Michael Bowles |
Louise Gray in wardrobe dept, photo by Fiona Campbell |
Camping here is a treat not a chore. The
parkland has views of the Cornish countryside, the river, hidden mazes and
walled gardens. If nylon, poles and pegs aren’t your thing then there are
tipis and yurts and glamping choices galore. There is also an option to roll off your
inflatable bed and get involved in activities such as kayaking, sunrise yoga,
thai chi, screen printing workshops and knitting.
There are still tickets available, so if
you are feeling spontaneous there are trains specially arranged for the
festival that will stop at the quaint St Germans train station. Hop off and
follow the sign to the pedestrian gate and you are merely a stone’s throw away
from Port Eliot Festival.
Port Eliot Festival, photo by Michael Bowles |
By Rosie Davis