I thought this year I'd treat myself to a Literary Festival. Someone suggested the Harrogate Crime Reading Festival in July. That seemed ideal - a bit far from London, but I don't mind too much. When I enquired, though, I discovered a 'package' of hotel and tickets, not including getting there, would cost over £400 for just four nights.

Can someone tell if a)if there's a nearby campsite b) the typical ticket price for events c) any other Festival they'd recommend instead of/as well as.

Thanks.

Sheila

There was one at Winchester in June, last year (childrens one is in Nov), but their website is down so I can't check the schedule for 2009.
www.writersconference.co.uk

There's also the Bath Literary Festival:
28 FEBRUARY - 8 MARCH: BATH.
http://bathlitfest.org.uk/

Can't advise directly, as I've never been to one, but I always think the little ones look rather fun: Daphne du Maurier, in May, and there's one in Appledore at the end of September. Also Ludlow at the end of June? But it's probably more potluck who you get to hear/see. Oxford at the end of March? And Swindon has one, I've just discovered. The one I always really want to go to and never can is Cheltenham.

Emma

Thanks, I'll check these out. Have you been to the Winchester one, Naomi? The Bath one is too early.

Is Cheltenham on at an awkward time, Emma? That would appeal as an old friend lives in Cheltenham so it would be two birds with one stone and there's lots of accommodation in the area.

Sheila

Cheltenham's not quite the autumn half term down our way, if you see what I mean - 9th-18th Oct, this year, I see - which is why it's awkward for me.

Emma

No, Sheila, unfortunately I haven't. As Emma has found, they are always in term time, so I can't get to them.
But others have been to Winchester and recommend it.


- NaomiM

Come to Beverley - first couple of weeks in October and you can go to Hull Fair as well

No idea who's coming this year - yet - but our festival director is rather good at coups - Anne Enright the Friday before she won the Booker on the Monday comes to mind...

Sarah

Thanks, Optimist. It's one of the festivals I was considering, and Hull Fair's an added attraction. I might be able to stay with someone I know who lives in Hedon.I'll look out for the programe.

Sheila

There's the Charleston Festival that often has excellent authors running workshops and lectures. Never been but often wanted to.

Ooh, I just googled this and I think it will be OK. I was once taken to visit Virginia Woolf's old country retreat when we stayed with friends in Littlehampton. What a coincidence, I've just been blogging about their visit to Greenwich at the weekend.They joked about the time we went to Charleston. My friend is thinking about painting a mural in her hallway and has never painted before, but said she couldn't do much worse than the ones who'd had a go at Charleston. May is a good time, I think. Thanks for this.

Sheila

The Charleston Festival is lovely - I stumbled across it when I just wanted to see the house - and it had the most delicious atmosphere.

(It was quite funny, though, because I'd just finished a huge work on a novel - TMOL, I think - and decided I needed a day without words in it, let alone book trade and so on. So I went to Petworth House for the Turners, then drove across all that lovely South Downs country in gorgeous weather to Charleston, without my brain thinking words at all, got a cup of tea, sat down at a table in the orchard, and all the conversations around me were about, 'Didn't she win the Whitbread last year?' and 'Of course, she was his literary executor: I read a piece in the TLS all about it'...)

Emma

Maybe you can do both?

Always fun to plan these things - enjoy!

Sarah

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Love the tale of the literary escape bid, Emma - has to be a story in there?