Travelling to a festival can be both exciting and stressful - here's what you need to know to make driving to Camp Bestival a breeze.

According to new data from LV= Britannia Rescue, car trouble is one of the nation’s most common festival mishaps along with running out of phone battery, sunburn, getting stuck in the mud, and a flooded tent.

The breakdown provider say more than three in five (62%) festival goers will travel by car this summer, yet 35% say they don’t check their car before travelling.

To help festival-goers prepare for the drive this weekend, they are sharing their tips to combat common car calamities.

READ MORE: Camp Bestival at Lulworth Castle: All you need to know from acts to camping info

READ MORE: LISTED: Banned items from Dorset's Camp Bestival in Lulworth

Directions to Camp Bestival

Taking place at Lulworth Castle, East Lulworth, advice to motorists is to not follow sat nav instructions but use the routes detailed below, and then follow Camp Bestival event signage on the approach to the festival.

With the festival situated in the heart of Dorset, whichever direction you’re coming in from, here’s which roads you should be taking:

Approaching from the East (via/near Bournemouth)

Follow the M27/A31 through Ringwood to Bere Regis. Follow the signs towards Wool and then follow the event signage. 

From the West (via/near Dorchester)

From the A35 Dorchester bypass take the A352 signposted for Wool and Wareham. Then follow event signage.

Parking at Camp Bestival

Buying your Camp Bestival car park passes in advance works out cheaper but if you don’t get around to it, you can also pay for camping on arrival – but do note, they accept cashless payments only.

If bought in advance, weekend parking costs £20 and day parking £10. On the gate these cost £25 and £15 respectively.

Expert tips for driving to Camp Bestival

After identifying the main car troubles festival-goers experience, LV= Britannia Rescue have offered the following advice to motorists heading to Camp Bestival this weekend.

One in five (22%) festival goers saying they have missed their favourite act due to car issues, with 65% of those who broke down at a festival saying it ruined their whole experience. A common cause is failing to check tyre pressures.

Before setting off on any long journey, it’s important to check tyres to make sure everything’s in working order.

Almost half (47%) of Brits admit to overpacking their car for festivals, with the same percentage saying they’re guilty of playing ‘car Tetris’ when it comes to trying to pack belongings. Often tyre pressure will need to be adjusted to account for this extra weight.

While breaking down is never fun - particularly if it’s for the first time - it’s a common problem for festival goers, with 15% reporting to have broken down en route.

In the event of a break down, the first thing to do is to get the car to a safe place as soon as warning signs appear. If you breakdown on a motorway with a hard shoulder, pull over there, get out of the car and wait behind the crash barrier if there is one. If there isn’t a hard shoulder on the motorway, look for an Emergency Refuge Area to pull into and do the same.

Once stopped, remember to put the hazard lights on and, if available, position a warning triangle roughly 45 metres from the car. Then call the breakdown experts and use What3Words or a GPS location from a mobile phone to let them know your location.

Even if you make it all the way to the festival without incident, according to LV =’s research, 29% of festival-goers have had their wheels stuck in the mud.

To get unstuck, reduce the weight in the car by asking passengers to get out and stand safely away from the car. Accelerate slowly without wheel spinning as this may cause the car to sink deeper.

Having a shovel on hand to dig the wheels out will be very useful as can putting car mats down in front of your wheels can help to gain the traction needed to get unstuck – just make sure the engine is off first.

Henry Topham, Managing Director of LV= Britannia Rescue, commented: “The continued rail strikes have left many Brits relying on their cars to get to their favourite festivals this summer.

“From break downs on route to lost keys and getting stuck in mud, no one wants car drama to ruin their festival experience, so it is important to make sure you’ve taken the necessary precautions before heading off on a long journey.

“This includes checking your tyres, oil and water pressure and making sure you know what to do if you start to experience car trouble.”