Review | The Good Life Experience 2017

Early September marks the end of the summer, a return for all of us to our normal routines after a summer break. While I love the crisp autumn days and the feeling of a new start {thanks to years of school starting in Spetember}, yet packing away the tent and saying goodbye to festival season is always a little sad.

Thankfully, this year, just like last, we spent a weekend at The Good Life Experience, the perfect mid-September remedy to the end of summer! Set amongst the picturesque fields of Hawarden Farm Estate, former home of Prime Minister William Gladstone and now owned by his great-great grandson Charlie Gladstone (also the force behind vintage lifestyle brand, Pedlars). It’s a small but well-put-together festival celebrating the outdoors, traditional crafts, campfire cooking, music, talks and simple pleasures that are designed to bring people together.

The main tent’s musical lineup is curated by the festival’s co-founder, Cerys Matthews, and spans everything from the Flint Male Voice Choir to British Sea Power – with something in between to suit everyone. The Caught By The River stage has some great musical offerings too – Joan Shelley on Friday night was a highlight for me.

The daytimes are full of workshops, outdoor cookery demonstrations, a dog show and talks from the likes of Michael Rosen. It’s no secret that I’m a craft-lover at heart and the festival had so many wonderful things to try. There were activities pitched for everyone: spoon carving, leather work, axe skills, raku pottery, flower crown making and even creative writing. Even when the weather was less than sunny the atmosphere was still great, and everyone was too busy enjoying themselves to worry about a little rain.

The festival is dog and child-friendly. My four had fun on the climbing wall, riding on the vintage fairground [all free!], running through the Maize Maze, climbing over hay bales, working in the Children’s Cafe and meeting new {and old} friends. Though they did come home wanting every cute dog we’d seen all weekend long…! We also sampled some delicious food – wood fired pizzas for the kiddos and delicious Indian food for me from Spice Box [most certainly THE best thing I’ve eaten this year!]

We’re already planning our visit to The Good Life Experience again next year and there are some super early-bird tickets on sale here.

We attended the festival as guests of the organisers, but the wonderful time we had was entirely our own.