Luke posted a video to our Study
Abroad Facebook group for a traveling music festival called Gentlemen of the
Road. After watching the trailer, we decided to go on the hunt for
tickets. After searching a few sites we came to the realization that the
festival was sold out. We finally found four tickets on a sharing website
called Gumtree (somewhat like a British Craigslist) and bought them. It
took us till Thursday to get our concert and train tickets, tents, and camping
supplies together. We were definitely pushing our deadline.
Friday morning, we woke up and finished
packing. We grabbed breakfast and jumped on our hour-long train to Lewes,
UK. When we stepped out of the station in the small town of Lewes, we
could feel the energy immediately. An eclectic group of music lovers had
come together for such a unique event. It took us over thirty minutes of
walking through a trail in the woods to reach our campsite, a working farm that
housed sheep, pigs, and yes even alpaca. Walking through the woods of
Lewes was one of the most beautiful things I’ve done while in the UK. We
finally got to Spring Barn Farm and set up camp. That night we went to
the first half of the festival.
Saturday we couldn’t help but wake
up early due to the sun and the sheep. We got dressed and rolled into
town to find breakfast. We discovered a wonderful hole-in-the-wall family
run sandwich shop that gave us exactly what we needed – cheap delicious
food. After picking up some supplies for the day we went back to the tent
and hung out until day two of the festival began. The second day was
unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. All day we heard several different
types of music all very unique. The atmosphere was fun and light.
You could see how passionate everyone was about music. That alone makes
for a great place to be. The food was all supplied by local restaurants,
which I found cool. I thought it was great that huge bands like Mumford
& Sons and Vampire Weekend would highlight small towns like Lewes that
don’t get much attention otherwise. We camped out that night and rode home on
the train the next day.
Overall, Gentlemen of the Road
Stopover Lewes was the best weekend of my life. The people were awesome,
the food was delicious, and the area was perfect. I remember walking through
the trail in the woods thinking “this is something I will remember for the rest
of my life” and I truly believe I will.
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