One of the greatest tragedies of growing up is the almost inevitable failure to fulfil the needs of our inner child, the soul that was once our entire existence gets relegated to the back of mind, bottom of the todo list, or ignored completely.

Yet it's important to allow regular exercise, to let it play out it's whimsical desires and innocent pleasures, because doing so will broaden your life experience overall. Life's meant to be enjoyed, but obviously it doesn't play to those rules, so we must be able to make fun out of anything and this is where children excel.

Taking a lesson out of this book, inspired by some friends who recommended it to us, we enrolled in Camp Wildfire for the summer of 2023. Not having a clue about what it really meant, just knowing that it left a lasting impression on them and they were determined to go again this year.

Every year since 2015 Wildkind have hosted weekend adventure experiences like no other, in a secret forest in Sevenoaks, Kent - UK. 2023 was no exception and come the 1st weekend of September, ten of us rolled into the campsite on a Friday afternoon to settle in for the ride. We opted for the full camping experience, bringing everything yourself is much cheaper than renting the existing accommodation and we prefer to use our own gear since we're keen outdoors people and are already well equipped with all the necessities.

Initiation

Unfortunately, Mother Nature has quite the sense of humour and just as we were going through the security check, the rain began to pour. We hastily thew up the tents in the most organised scrabbling we've ever achieved, desperately trying to keep our bags of clothes and supplies dry. Of course, as soon as all were pitched the sun began to come out and welcome us to the event, so we herded over to the campfire site where all were gathering to meet our Patrol leaders and fellow Patrol members (house teams for the upcoming competitions).

If you're familiar with the world of Scouts / Guides then you'll immediately feel at home, if not, it won’t take long to acclimatise, the whole atmosphere is electric with energy, camaraderie and friendly competition. All attendees are sorted into four Patrols; Squirrels, Foxes, Badgers or Hawks, as our friends were already devoted Hawks since last year, naturally we joined the side - 'Kakaw!'

Every Patrol has their own unique chants that spontaneously erupt throughout the crowd at any moment, sparking immediate reaction from all who hear it, this will be your family for the next two days of events, activities and parties and you'll be hard pressed to come away without meeting any new friends.

The whole place was alive with joy and excitement and before long the parade arrived to signal the start of the games and escort us down the trail into the forest for the first instalment of Patrol Games. A random assortment of simple challenges and puzzles requiring audience participation, each team submits their competitor into the arena and 'battle' commences! The weekend's competitions are initiated and after an hour of cheering, applauding and laughing, you're set free to explore and mingle to your heart's content.

Activities

Saturday and Sunday are whatever you want to make them, from 9:00 AM there are 100 different activities to choose from with varying costs which are paid in the form of credits received with your ticket, or purchased separately. Ranging from archery, nerf battles and capture the flag, to apothecary, wood whittling or tie dye - there's plenty for anyone to test their hand at new skills, or exercise familiar ones whilst connecting with fellow fans.

Our tickets gave us 120 credits to play with and that was plenty to try at least five or six classes a day, along with various free, drop-in sessions. I stopped off to do my own screen printing on a shirt, tried my hand at wood carving, played hide and seek in the woods and even attempted pole dancing! So many interesting choices that you may not normally think to try have a starter course ready and waiting for you, it's a brilliant way to expand your hobbies and see what takes your fancy. Alternatively, you could have an action-packed extreme work-out of a weekend with mountain boarding, one-wheeling, trapeze, air drop and wall climbing, the list goes on. Basically whatever you like or wish to discover, there's more than enough to keep you busy.

We were lucky to have beautiful weather for the rest of the weekend which made for an all the more unforgettable time - playing, wandering, crafting, learning in the stunning surroundings of the magical forest setting. At 6:00 PM the Patrols congregate at the arena again to compete for more coveted Patrol Points to increase their team’s score and boost their chance of entering the final, to possibly be declared that year's winner.

*Homemade remedies from Apothecary class*

Nightlife

After the Patrol quiz and games end you'll find plenty to keep you busy all night long, with 50 different artists and DJs performing live over several stages you can dance the night away, or just go for a wander in the forest, hang around the campfire and share stories, or relax in the camping area and unwind - the choice is yours!

There's a good range of music, mostly dance and 90s classics which seems to go down extremely well, this year we had the fortune of stumbling upon Woody Cook performing an amazingly energised, 4-hour set of original mixes that absolutely blew the crowd away, to become just one of the countless unforgettable memories we've been blessed with. It can be a struggle to fit everything in one day and there'll always be more to see and do every time you return.

Amenities

For a few weeks each year this quaint forest in the English countryside becomes a real village with thousands of visitors. First there's Camp Kindling which accommodates for kids and families, then there are two weekends of Camp Wildfire to choose from depending on your availability. The quality of organisation is amazing and it's great to see so much attention to detail in everything. All day long there are multiple, varied food options, including vegetarian and vegan, we tried almost every vendor and they were all excellent quality at quite average prices. Beers are even cheaper if you return your re-usable cup to the bar each time!

In terms of camping there are three options; self-serve, rent a tent, or bring your own mobile home in whatever form. There were Teslas with roof tents, RVs, camper vans and caravans, whatever you have will work. The campsite is ample in size and you can pitch anywhere which allows you to create a little tent community if going with a large group.

The facilities are high quality and regularly maintained with adequate numbers of showers and toilets and fairly reliable hot water. There's a limit on how much alcohol you're allowed to bring in and only on first entry, but otherwise you're free to leave and return to the site as you please which is a great benefit over typical festivals in case you urgently need to run and grab some supplies, but to be honest there's likely no need as they've thought of almost everything.

We packed up lazily on Monday morning and slowly made our way home, exhausted, yet completely satisfied. It was a truly special event that was shared and we all needed some time to rest and reflect. Camp Wildfire has left a permanent mark on myself and everyone I've attended with, I'm very happy to have had the experience, am keenly looking forward to doing it again, and would certainly recommend it to everyone.

Even if you're not local to the UK, if you have friends here it might be worth reaching out and discussing organising a trip to remember forever...

Wild Adventures in Kent, UK

Initiation

Activities

Nightlife

Amenities

A step into sustainable living