We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.

I took all three of my children for a number of years and they loved it! Remember children are free aged 12 and under – so it makes a great value weekend away and the entertainment is boundless. There are two huge children’s areas – the Kidz Field and Green Kids – these areas are incredible for little ones – safe – an exhaustive list of things to do and absolutely free. They are also great places to buy reasonably priced family food and drink and there are children’s toilets. The Kidz field is open 12-7pm on the Thursday and 9 – 7pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You need to remain with your children at all times in the children’s fields – it is obviously not a creche.

Kids’ Ear Defenders are a must! They are reasonably cheap and no child should be without them! The majority of parents at Glastonbury ensure that their children wear ear defenders when they are near any loud music – it protects their ears and helps them feel less over-whelmed.

The Kidz Field is a truly magical place. It has its own schedule of top-notch, children’s performers and plenty of climbing, exploring, swinging and playing. There is a team of volunteers who encourage creativity, paint children’s faces, plait their hair and generally provide masses of entertainment.

Green Kids has a huge wooden ship for children to climb over, lots of activities and a great skate park for beginners to more confident skaters. One year, mine each made a wooden bird box that I then had to carry around for the rest of that day – which was an interesting challenge to say the least!

Out and about on the site there is so much for children to see and do. The circus and performance fields have areas where children can learn circus skills, you can watch a world class performance in the Big Top or marvel at the many performers who wander the area interacting with the crowd. Just remember that you will need your credit card as they will definitely want to buy a set of diablos. Glastonbury-on-sea is huge fun and a great afternoon for the whole family. The Unfairground in the South-East Corner great fun to explore. Equally, The Green Fields are full of interesting things to look at and learn about, particularly for slightly older children – there’s also some respite from the sun there, if it’s a hot year. The Pilton Palais always has children’s films showing. And your weekend wouldn’t be complete without a picnic at the Stone Circle and a picture at the Ribbon Tower. Oh and did I mention that there are one or two bands they might want to watch?

Keep your children safe as you would in any big city. Mine always had a wristband with my number on it – but not their name. They knew that if they got lost they had to go to an information point or ‘lost children’ in the Kidz field. The same advice applies to parents. Fortunately that never happened. When they were very little we did have a little wagon that we took with us – it had pneumatic tyres – great for the terrain. It carried all our stuff, snacks, drinks throughout the day – after dark, it provided well-deserved rest for the little ones. It also meant that at any given point we knew where they were. We never avoided any area – the South-East corner is great fun for little ones and was the first time my son saw a man in a leather codpiece. Keep them hydrated, fed and hands clean and they will have the best time.

There are only a few challenges to taking children to Glastonbury.

1. Hot weather. There is very little shade at the site. One year, I ended up buying a big bed throw and pegs and trying to construct shelters for them to nap under in the afternoons. The Green Fields, the Big Top and the Pilton Palais are welcome retreats when it is really hot. Check the forecast and pack accordingly.
2. Bottlenecks. At times, usually when one of the main stages turns out – there are areas where there are too many people – this can obviously be more hazardous with little ones. One-way systems have been introduced to various parts of the site which help immensely. The trainline – which runs the length of the south of the site – is shaded and usually ok to walk along – you can also dip into different areas like Avalon, the Green Fields and Green Kidz. The simple rule is to keep them close, avoid the busiest areas and lift them up if necessary.
3. Wet weather. Sometimes, it can rain heavily, which presents its own problems with little ones. There’s lots to see and do in all the big tops – but remember they will be more crowded. You can also have a downpour, get soaked through and then the sun will come out. This amount of predictability means that you will by necessity – carry more stuff. Wellies are a must.
4. Tiredness. Don’t underestimate how tired you will all be – even if there’s two of you sharing the load. The site is huge – the excitement boundless – it is overwhelming for most adults, let alone little ones. You won’t be getting much sleep, and you will probably be hypervigilant. Take it in turns – go with a group – or just try and manage your own expectations.
5. Adult time. You probably won’t get a lot of that – as with any holiday. My unwritten rule was that the daytimes up until 7-8pm I focused on what they wanted to do. In the evenings, we went and watched some of the bigger bands – sat on a blanket on the hill overlooking the Pyramid Stage. Just don’t expect to be dancing at 4am in the South-East Corner!