Shropshire Star

Ice baths and wild swimming at Camp Bestival

Ice baths, yoga and lessons in breathing techniques will be available to visitors to a music and entertainment festival this summer.

Published
Rob da Bank

Camp Bestival, at Weston Park, near Shifnal, will feature a wellness zone to help people relax.

Rob da Bank with wife Josie and family

Up to 20,000 people are expected to attend the festival, which runs from August 18-21. Headline acts include DJ Fatboy Slim, chart-topper Becky Hill, M People songstress Heather Small and Brit award winner Rag'n'Bone Man.

Rob da Bank, who is organising the event with his wife Josie, said there had always been a wellness space at Bestival since it was first held on the Isle of Wight in 2004.

"We loved the ability to sit somewhere quiet and contemplate the world, have a treatment, or try our hands at something new from knitting to meditating, cacao ceremonies to getting outside our comfort zone and chanting with strangers," he said.

"Many of us take it for granted we can jump in a car or on a train and turn up at a festival with our families and watch our kids run free all weekend as we sit back and enjoy our freedom.

"This is very much not the case for so many so, in the most positive and inspiring way, we hope to inject some of that spirit into everything that happens in the Slow Motion area."

Ice-bath sessions will be led by qualified instructors Aodhnait Lombard and Will Van Zyl.

Organisers say 10-15 minutes in the tub can significantly improve wellbeing and aid muscle recovery after hours of dancing.

Breathing expert and performance coach Stuart Sandeman will be running sessions, and there will also be a yoga tent offering sessions for both adults and children.

There will also be the chance to indulge in a massage and various other de-stressing treatments.

There will also be a Nordic-style water and stone wild spa, featuring hot tubs, saunas and a Bedouin-style relaxation lounge.

For those wanting something more energetic, there is a fitness bootcamp, and there will be organised runs around the grounds of Weston Park.

Other attractions include wild swimming and paddleboarding.