You don’t have to like VW’s to go to Vdub at the Pub but if you do then you’ll love it even more!  This annual event is held in a very picturesque spot next to the River Stour in Wimborne Minster and it's perfect for a group of friends or family weekend away.

 

 

Myself and 2 friends arrived late on the Friday afternoon after a couple of dramas which included me forgetting to bring tent pegs.  Apparently they are pretty vital if you don’t want your tent to fly away!

 

When we drove in we were informed where the family camping areas were located and were invited to pitch wherever we pleased for the next couple of days.  Since I’d left the little darlings with daddy for the weekend I decided it would be nice for us to pitch by the river and off we went to the far end of the campsite where it was much quieter.

 

 

It was one of the hottest weekends of the year and once the tents were up (with a little help from a nice gentlemen passer-by) we opened a bottle of wine to celebrate in the early evening sun.

Although this is a very family friendly festival I hadn’t been camping with friends since I was a teenager so I let my hair down, put on my festival skirt and off we went to the marquee where we found a DJ and bar.  The next few hours went by in the blink of an eye as we enjoyed a drink or 3, chatted to random people, laughed and danced the night away to some great music.

At 3am I woke up freezing cold from not bothering to do up the tent door, big mistake, and then once resolved I woke again in the morning with the sun blaring and couldn’t crawl out quick enough!

We were ill equipped with any form of cooking and tea making facilities so we got ourselves clean (ish) and went straight into the festival grounds in search of food and coffee.  Note to all future vendors, please someone sell bacon butties, we could of both murdered one!  Nevertheless, Oxfords Bakery were there and they provided me with a fine breakfast followed by a jam doughnut which I needed to pick me up.  Our coffee was bought from a very cool bus and we sat on the back seats watching the swans and ducks swim by on the river.

The rest of the day was very chilled as we wandered around the stalls looking at crafts and VW related merchandise, listened to musicians and vintage singers, ate lots and looked on enviously at the families having a whale of a time in a huge hot tub.  

 

 

 

I knew that there was going to be a Vintage Cycle Ride on the Saturday and whilst I didn’t fancy the excerise I was eager to see the riders all dressed up.  We saw some crazy costumes with the ladies all looking very glam in vintage dresses and the men in their tweed.  Some had even decorated their vintage bikes in very funny and inventive ways.  I’m told they all went on a 10 mile journey around the Stour Valley with a pub stop on route before coming back to the festival for a fresh cream tea.  I couldn’t count how many took part but it was certainly a sight when they all left and everyone looked like they were having a jolly good time.

Once the sun went down we had some dinner and enjoyed the numerous bands before falling in our sleeping bags at a respectable hour.

 

 

Sunday is all about ‘Show and Shine’ and we enjoyed watching all the VW’s coming in to take their place and then wandered up and down chatting to owners and taking photos.  Later on in the day we sat in the sunshine and watched as the judges announced the winners of each category.

 

Before heading home I made sure to note all of the child friendly activities and found bouncy castles, a creative craft tent with a range of activities, go karts, face painting, skate ramp, sandpit and various sporting activities like kids 5 a side, dodgeball and tug of war.

 

I honestly can’t recommend this festival enough, we had such a blast and hold many happy memories of our weekend away.  For more information and tickets, please visit Vdub at the Pub.

 

Good to know…………

Glamping options are available if you don’t fancy taking your own tent.

Camping facilities include toilets, showers and water taps. There’s plenty of room so you won’t all be on top of each other.

Day tickets are available if you don’t want to stay for the whole weekend.

 

If you enjoy bowling with the family then I’d definitely recommend a trip to Hollywood Bowl at Tower Park in Poole.  We visited recently with some fellow bloggers and had such a great night chatting and playing with the kids.  

 

My son Sam and daughter Lucy spotted the arcade as soon as we went in and ran off to drive cars and shoot zombies while the Mums got to know each other a little. 

 

 

The venue is huge with a large diner and bar area plus plenty of bowling lanes.  I was pretty excited to be told we would be in the VIP area which had big red curtains, posh comfy leather seating, tables and old movie memorabilia on the wall.  There’s even a button to press if you need help or would like to order a drink which was great.

 

 

We put the kids on one lane and us Mums on the other lane and once the names were punched in we were off.  We put the sides up on the kids lane and some of them used the ramp to help get that big heavy ball towards the skittles.  I felt really sorry for my 6 year old son as he kept only getting 1 or 2 skittles down while his little sister got strike after strike haha.

 

 

By the time we were on our last go the kids were all friends and I enjoyed seeing them bond together.  Before finishing our long game we ordered food which was delivered once we were seated in the diner.

There was plenty to choose from on the Diner Menu with burgers, hot dogs, sharers and salads.  The children had the choice of burgers, hot dog, chicken nuggets, spaghetti bolognese and a tomato and mascarpone pasta dish.  My son went for the chicken nuggets and the staff very kindly swopped his veg for some cucumber and carrot so Lucy could share. 

 

I went for the Hollywood Burger which was topped with Monterey Jack cheese and streaky bacon.  Everyone enjoyed their dishes and the kids ice creams went down a treat too.  If you’re out for a special occasion and there’s not too many of you then you can reserve the table inside a very cool Mustang!  My son loved it and I’ve promised to take him back for dinner in the car very soon.  

 

 

If you’re looking for a night out without the little darlings then you can hit the bar and enjoy one of the many cocktails on offer.  Maybe keep them for after your game of bowling though in case your aim is a bit squiffy.

The staff at Hollywood Bowl are incredibly accommodating and friendly and I have no doubt that they will do everything they can to ensure you and your party have a great visit.