Marc West goes out and about with his camera at our favourite festival - Wilderness

WELL I think I’ve just about recovered from last weekend…or maybe I’ll just never be the same again? The three days of full-on fun in the wilds of West Oxfordshire added up to one of my most memorable weekends of the summer season (so far), yet my sore head is still struggling to recall exactly what happened.

With a sold-out crowd of 15,000 beautiful people ready to indulge themselves in every late night revelry I was in the right place for some serious party action. I couldn’t resist taking a peek inside notorious nightclub The Box – which had transported its raunchy theatre of variety to the well-to-do countryside and certainly raised a few eyebrows!

The morning after the night before, I decided to breakfast on posh blood pudding washed down with artisan coffee, followed by a spot of luncheon in the Banqueting Hall – in fact, it was a three-hour extravaganza orchestrated by the new king of Soho dining Russell Norman and his fantastic team from one of London’s coolest culinary hangouts Polpo.

This is a celebration of the outdoors and the ancient forests, iridescent lakes and rolling hills of Cornbury Park are also the perfect backdrop to while away the lazy daytimes. An Indian head massage and quick skinny dip in the lake refreshed body, mind and (maybe) soul before returning back to reality.

SUPER DISCOVERY

As for the music, one of the standout acts for me from the eclectic line-up on offer at Wilderness was actually a new discovery – and I suggest you do your best to find them too. Superfood follow the current musical trend looking back to (my younger days) the 1990s for inspiration – with comparisons to lo-fi rockers Pavement and early Blur.

Having recently toured the country supporting indie pin-ups Peace, the Birmingham-based boys will back on the road with their own UK headline jaunt next month. Fortunately Oxford-dwellers, can catch the fearsome foursome again at The Bullingdon on Cowley Road on September 12 from 7pm.

NEXT WEEK

Will it be another scorcher for their 22nd year? Whatever the weather, this unique event will once again draw the crowds and bring OX4 together in a way that only Elder Stubbs Festival can.

Set in the beautiful East Oxford allotment site off Rymers Lane, this celebrated local gathering for local people is always quite magical and has kept me (for one) going back year-after-year – ever since I saw former Hawkwind guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton rock it out among the marrows.

Wind your way through the apple orchard and past the huge dinosaur sculptures to discover a diverse range of attractions from craft workshops and contemporary art to fresh food stalls and live music this year from the likes of The Mighty Redox, Jamatone and Natty Marks Dub Hi-Fi.

With events taking place from midday until 6pm on Saturday, there’s something for all the family. Entrance is an absolute bargain at only £2 and all proceeds go to Cowley-based mental health charity Restore.