Welcome
The Arrivals Days are the first Saturday from 10am and first Sunday until sundown. On arrival please register with the Welcome Team at the cafe Welcome Desk. After they have checked your name you can find a camping circle (see below). You will also be given a Karma Yoga ticket. Karma Yoga means offering work as a service the community. All adult participants are asked to contribute in this way. The work is likely to require a total of one to three hours of your time during the week. Instruction is given. Our feedback from participants is that it is an enjoyable experience which enhances the depth of connection with the camp and is a good way to make friends.
Site
Compost toilets
These are organic toilets which use sawdust instead of flushing with water. Please do not put anything inorganic into the toilets, a bin is provided. You need to remember to supply your own toilet paper! There are also easily accessible ground level toilets.
Water
There are water points throughout the camp. The water is filtered and good to drink. Please take water away in containers for use in your circle. Washing up and teeth cleaning at the standpipe is discouraged as it creates mud and is a health hazard.
Hot showers
We have both communal showers heated by a gas-fired boiler in a spacious dry enclosure and a separate individual shower.
Compost and recycling facilities
As part of our green ethos we do not provide for the collection of general rubbish which you must take away with you so please bring a bag for personal rubbish. There is an on-site recycling facility for all recyclables. The Site Crew will provide recycling bin bags for each circle. There is a compost area for organic waste, each circle is provided with a compost bucket.
Creativity Area
The Creativity Area is a group of marquees and structures including a climbing frame and sports area. There is a daily programme for over 5’s of art & craft activities, music, games and creative play. It is called the ‘Creativity Area’ because it provides a space and materials for creative projects mainly aimed at children but which are open to all ages. Likewise, most of the adult programme is open to children as well and it is stated in the morning gathering if any sessions are not suitable.
Every evening we have Story Time for listeners of all ages held by our excellent storytellers.
We have a yurt, sand pit and covered area for toddlers and their carers. A Baby/Toddler/Carer leader will provide help and activities like singing and storytelling.
Our hope is that the whole camp will be mindful of the welfare of our children and feel able to give guidance for safety and good behaviour. Ultimately as parents and guardians we are responsible for their welfare and behaviour. Parents are asked that their children are back in their camping circle by 9pm when it starts to get dark.
Teenage Activities
An area of the camp is reserved for teenagers 16 years and above who wish to camp together. They must observe the same rules as the adults. Younger teenagers can form satellite circles adjoining a parents circle where they can be with friends and receive adult supervision, they must not camp separately and unsupervised.
We have a skilled team who provide a programme of workshops. Teenagers are also most welcome to participate in the main adult programme.
Wellbeing
We have a team on site who respond to accidents and emergencies. A fully equipped first aid kit is kept in the Information Tent. Most day to day problems will hopefully be dealt with within your camping circle where it is useful to identify those with first aid skills and first-aid kits.
All participants are responsible for their own health and well-being and that of their children.
Mindfulness of hygiene is especially important when camping together. The weather is often hot and the facilities are more basic than those we are used to at home. With our proximity to each other there is an increased risk of bugs being spread.
We also ask everyone to follow a vegetarian diet on the camps for reasons of hygiene.
- Wash yours (and children’s) hands after using the toilets and before eating and food preparation
- Keep your food cool and covered. Buckets of water and wet tea towels are useful as camp fridges
- Keep your eating utensils clean and separate. Wash up with hot soapy water
Café and Shop
The café provides delicious vegetarian and vegan cooked breakfasts, lunches, drinks and cakes. It is a friendly, comfortable and colourful space to eat or just to hang out where musicians and storytellers provide evening entertainment. You will need to bring your own cutlery and crockery. A tab system means you pay an amount at the beginning of camp to set up your tab meaning you don’t have to carry money with you. You can add to your tab at any time and you will be refunded anything remaining at the end of camp.
There is a shop in the cafe for food and essentials. Bread and veg vans visit the camp several times during the week selling local artisan bread and seasonal organic vegetables. Full information and times will be given at the beginning of camp.
There is a well stocked general store and post office within walking distance down footpaths to the village and a supermarket 1.5 miles away.
Camping Circles
Circles are formed organically as people arrive and select a space in which to set up their tent. A fire is made in the middle of the circle with wood provided. Circle members share collecting and chopping wood, keeping a supply of water at hand and tending the fire. The evening meal and washing-up is something that is usually shared with the whole circle a talk during Circle Sharing time will establish how you wish to operate. If you would like help finding a circle to join just ask the Welcome Team.
Your circle is the first place to look for company, friendship, practical help and emotional support. Some thoughts: do you want to camp with families with children, if so what ages? Do you want to be near certain facilities e.g. the Creativity Area, the climbing frame, or the main marquee? Do you want to camp with others with plenty of experience of camps willing to share their knowledge and cooking equipment? As most circles cook communally, size is another factor; would you rather cook more often for less people or vice-versa?
We encourage first-time campers to arrive as early as you can on Arrivals Day as it can be difficult trying to join circles who consider themselves to be complete! We expect circles to be open and welcoming to new campers and we actively discourage holding spaces for other people.
Those coming from abroad and needing to travel light can hire tents and camping equipment. The kits include a tent, sleeping bag, pillow, rug, plate, bowl, crockery. Please bring an inner cotton sleeping bag. Order kits in advance as there are a limited number. The cost of kit hire is £25, £10 per extra person. Contact inafield@unicornvillagecamps.co.uk
Accessibility
Unicorn Village Camps welcome campers with mobility issues, and we will do our best to facilitate your camping experience, but there are some factors you will need to take on board in deciding whether camping with us is feasible.
The camps take place over two meadows containing no permanent structures or pathways. The land has enough flattish areas to site marquees, tents and caravans, but also contains many natural undulations making it potentially challenging if you have mobility issues. The two fields are separated by a road on which there is hardly any traffic, but the gate areas can get muddy and slippery after rain.
There are some semi-permanent wooden compost toilet structures, but intrinsic to their design is that they are elevated above the ground, and therefore are accessed by steps.
For this reason we also erect a toilet in each of the fields which is designed to be accessed at ground level by wheelchairs and people who have other mobility impairments.
The main communal showers are in a converted trailer and also contain steps, but there is an alternative shower which can be accessed by wheelchairs, and is also used by campers wishing to shower with more privacy.
There is also a special area just inside the gate of the car park field, so that campers with mobility issues do not have to walk all the way from the main car park.
There are areas reserved for mobility scooters at the gatherings and major performance events, and we encourage campers and teachers to be aware of the needs of wheelchair users and others who need to sit in the workshops.
Camp Rules
The rules and conventions governing the everyday running of the Unicorn Village Camps are the result of years of experience and the feedback we gather each year from the campers.
- No alcohol or illegal drugs
When Samuel Lewis created the Dances of Universal Peace in 1960’s San Francisco, it was specifically with the intent of providing the young people of that city with the experience of a spiritual ‘high’ as an alternative to drugs. In the decades since, in which the Dances have grown and spread throughout the world, it has been understood that all Dance events whether single sessions, residential retreats or camps have benefitted from a ‘no alcohol/no drugs’ rule. Unicorn Camps adopt this policy for all the camps.
- No amplified music
The camps are full of musicians and singers and provide lots of opportunities to get together to make music acoustically both as part of the programme and informally in the camping circles and cafe.
- No noise after 11pm
We have an 11pm ‘Quiet Time’ in place so that everyone on the camp can get a good night’s sleep and be refreshed for early morning activities. All children must be in their parent’s or guardian’s circle by 9pm. The climbing frame must not be used after 9 pm.
We ask everyone to switch their phones off when on camp to experience being simply present with each other, with ourselves and with nature. If it is necessary to be in communication with someone outside the camp this can be done sensitively by making the call in the car park or by sending and receiving messages silently in your tent.
- All gas appliances used on site must meet regulation standards
- Dogs are not permitted apart from guide dogs
- No visitors and no new arrivals after the first Sunday of the camp
One of the things which enables the very special quality of community on Unicorn Camps is the feeling of safety which comes from being part of a settled group of people. The camps are small enough that all faces become familiar after a day or two and the sudden appearance of new people can be quite strange after we have established our community. It’s also disturbing when people leave early so we ask them to stay for the duration of the camp if possible. These rules do not apply to children who are brought to the camp after it has started. We ask that they are met in the parking area or outside the camp.
Participants must not arrive before Arrivals Day (Saturday).
Suggested Things to Bring
Here is a list of things you might want to bring:
- tent, dome, tipi or yurt
- sleeping mat, warm bedding, hot water bottle
- torch, lantern, stool or chair
- rugs and sheepskins
- lighter, saw, axe, mallet
- wellies and waterproofs, all weather clothing (it can get cold at night)
- large pots and pans, trivet or grill
- plates, bowls, cups, cutlery, chopping board and knife
- washing up bowl, water carrier
- toilet rolls, ear plugs, sun screen and hat
- bin bag for non recyclable rubbish
- cash for the cafe to set up a tab
If you need an epi-pen or asthma inhaler remember to bring it to camp
If travelling light join a well-equipped circle!
Cars and Camping Vehicles
Once you have put your tent up we ask that you remove your car to the car park.
As we are living physically close to the earth it is a wonderful opportunity to experience everyday living at its most basic surrounded by natural things. Unfortunately it is not practical to do without vehicles entirely as the daily shop delivery and the occasional wood delivery require vehicles as do those campers who have difficulties using a tent and need to use a camper van, trailer tent, or caravan. Camping vehicle dwellers are asked to park up in the Wiltshire Field as part of a circle or on your own. We also ask that you cover your vehicle with awnings and covers to lessen the vehicles impact. Please consider using a tent in your circle if you can with your van in the car park for extra convenience. The camp greatly benefits from having a minimum of vehicles on the site.
