Going beyond the border

Earlier this month we went to our first Festival of the year - Beyond the Border International Storytelling festival. We have been to a few music and art festivals but never one dedicated to the art of story telling and really didn't know what to expect. Located in Llanwit Major at St Donats Castle you could not ask for a more inspiring and enchanting venue and with an equally beautiful walk from the campsite through a little forest and then along the coast to the actual venue, something we enjoyed each morning.

The festival itself is beautifully small and intimate and has everything you need, including a dedicated toddler tent that had 3-4 story slots a day and a little drawing and chill out corner. We loved the Milgi Hedgegrow bar and tent which had open mic each evening as well as the mashed tea tent and making tent where we made a willow dinosaur.

The festival encourages families and the campsite was small but safe and provided space for young kids to run around and have fun while being able to see them at all times. They had a few glamping options, in fact we stayed one of the bell tents ourself, much to the enjoyment of Mr A. The toilers were well maintained although do make sure to have essentials on you as there is no catering or shop facilities in the camping area.

There was plenty of options when it came to food with Milgi Bar dishing up some divine veggie options as well as various other stalls providing artisan coffee, fresh breads and baked goods or some amazing bean burgers from Greta's popular stand.

The only minor negatives we could touch on is that if you have mobility problems you may struggle at this festival as the venues are located on different levels of the castle with a steep walk up lots of stairs, although some of the stages do accommodate those with issues and I think checking in advance is recommended.

We did attend a fair few stories over the weekend and the high production value, quality and experience of the tellers who come from all around the world was outstanding and truly inspiring and Mr A loved it and we can't wait for when it comes around in another two years time and if your looking for something a little bit different, relaxing and full of creativity than I recommend this festival to you.

Thanks to Beyond the Border with providing us tickets for this review