Now back from Raglan, first 10-day event in Insulae Draconis
...and it feels wonderful to be clean again, really clean. :-)
The first 10-day Raglan was, I think, successful. No major calamities, only a couple of minor injuries (and one trip to hospital for a migraine, something I don't think was the event's fault). 2nd Saturday proved one of the harshest days for weather, and it rained out the ball, but otherwise I think most of the planned activities happened one way or another.
As far as I could tell, everyone remained fed, dressed, healthy and active for the full time, without a shared food plan, an official feast, or a shower block. (The one porta-john shower booked was not very good - the connection with the water supply was shaky, and we could only use it after public hours. I'd be interested to know how many people used it - I think a few folks slipped off to friends' hotel rooms for cleanup.)
There were lots of shared hearths and encampments, and Flintheath's pavilion became a serious social centre for many of the attendees. There were more trips offsite for groceries and ice, but that's to be expected.
The event was noticeably more busy in the second half when the event numbers basically doubled, but both halves were excellent - puttering around the castle quietly was fun, and so was storming it in force.
Overall numbers were lower than in some past years, possibly because of 20 year Coronation in Germany. We missed our usual suspects under the bridge, as many people were away or taking a break, but we didn't starve, far from it, and were able to feed the hungry and clothe the naked.
It was a pleasure to see as many children as were there. Even those at their first camping event seemed perfectly happy. There were a few kids' activities, but they were at most once a day. Rolling down steep slopes still seems just as important as storytime or any planned projects.
Next year's Raglan will likely be an Insulae Draconis event, not one sponsored by the local shire - and the dates are 1 to 11th August, 2014. Full moon is 10th August.
Just as the event was delightful, so was getting home to my own shower, my own bed, and my own cat.
Well done us!
The first 10-day Raglan was, I think, successful. No major calamities, only a couple of minor injuries (and one trip to hospital for a migraine, something I don't think was the event's fault). 2nd Saturday proved one of the harshest days for weather, and it rained out the ball, but otherwise I think most of the planned activities happened one way or another.
As far as I could tell, everyone remained fed, dressed, healthy and active for the full time, without a shared food plan, an official feast, or a shower block. (The one porta-john shower booked was not very good - the connection with the water supply was shaky, and we could only use it after public hours. I'd be interested to know how many people used it - I think a few folks slipped off to friends' hotel rooms for cleanup.)
There were lots of shared hearths and encampments, and Flintheath's pavilion became a serious social centre for many of the attendees. There were more trips offsite for groceries and ice, but that's to be expected.
The event was noticeably more busy in the second half when the event numbers basically doubled, but both halves were excellent - puttering around the castle quietly was fun, and so was storming it in force.
Overall numbers were lower than in some past years, possibly because of 20 year Coronation in Germany. We missed our usual suspects under the bridge, as many people were away or taking a break, but we didn't starve, far from it, and were able to feed the hungry and clothe the naked.
It was a pleasure to see as many children as were there. Even those at their first camping event seemed perfectly happy. There were a few kids' activities, but they were at most once a day. Rolling down steep slopes still seems just as important as storytime or any planned projects.
Next year's Raglan will likely be an Insulae Draconis event, not one sponsored by the local shire - and the dates are 1 to 11th August, 2014. Full moon is 10th August.
Just as the event was delightful, so was getting home to my own shower, my own bed, and my own cat.
Well done us!