I don’t think this will ever list amongst my favourite places of all time but it certainly will my children’s and I thought it was about time I gave them a shout. Camp Bestival as it is aptly named is the best music festival of the summer…and I should know having attended 1 other about 10 years ago ever (Glastonbury I think it was called). I shall qualify that a little by saying it is probably the best music festival around for a bunch of 40 somethings to attend with a bunch of children about the 5 - 18 mark. I have just decanted and cleaned out the last cool box and the sleeping bags are still piled up waiting to be washed but we returned with a landrover full of happy filthy kids (and adults)last night having had a weekend  full of truly eclectic fun. A little less edge-y shall we say than the Isle of Wight/ Glastonbury but suits those amongst us that have had  the edges chipped away over the years.  It had everything on offer from Madness and Bucks Fizz  live …they took me back...The  National Ballet  and even a slot by Mr Tumble  who had us very uncool bods jiving in the field! Johnny Boden had a tent (which I think probably knocks any cool edges off the whole event! )  called the Isle of Boden and apart from the fact that the Mojitos were seriously overpriced ( in true Johnny Boden style) it was a great venue to sit in the evening and listen to a few well read bedtime stories with the littles followed by a bit of decent music from the unlikey turntable of the JB DJ. While we sat the kids race around until far too late playing 'it' and illegally climbing up the festival poles.  For a girl that doesn’t usually do anywhere that doesn’t include an en suite in the offer, I was delighted with the fact that you could order tea and toast while waiting on the showers in the morning and the bathroom facilities…well put it this way they were a bit like going to the loo in the Ritz compared to Glastonbury! Bestival is just a great place to take the children for a bit of letting them off the 21st century protective parenting lead a bit, and a dose of  childhood summers the way they should be…..and for a bit of 40 something a trip down a little memory lane, live music that we actually enjoy listening to.  My 6 year old summed it nicely up en route home, grubby and exhausted when asked what she liked best about Camp Bestival ….with a wisdom sounding a little frighteningly  beyond her years she replied "the freedom mummy” .