SWFF Patron's Campgrounds

[mpullen]

As we are getting more travel trailers and RV's into the Patron's campgrounds, I have a request to all.

Please try to leave the central area in the General/Open campgrounds open for travel trailers/RV's. This is a nicely packed area that they can get in and out of.

For folks bringing in travel trailers/RVs:

Due to the trees at the corner at the crossroad, a large (over 26 ft) vehicle may not be able to make the turn. Just continue another 50 ft and take a left on the sandy road and then into the central area.

Try to "pack" things up to allow the maximum number of vehicles to get in (i.e., don't setup a 100 ft perimeter when all you need is 20 ft).

[beckgam462]

Mike
for those of us that have the larger Rv's can we still park up front in the parking area again this year?

[mpullen]

Mike
for those of us that have the larger Rv's can we still park up front in the parking area again this year?

Possibly not. Operations was spreading mulch up in that area last weekend and it would need to get packed down.

[beckgam462]

looking at the weekend of the 16&17 feb  to camp

[Chianti]

So what is the rules for 'clan' camping? Do they get to claim large areas and then treat them as their own private land?

[Morrigan]

I think that they can, to an extent.  I've seen "clans" rope off area, hang banners, etc.  It helps friends camp together in groups to add a sense of community, and safety/privacy.   Within the bounds of their camp, they can have some amount of control over who else camps there, who socializes there, etc.  And this is a GOOD thing, in my opinion?

I think, however, a more pertinent question might be:  Can they set up anywhere they please, blocking access to entrances, loos, and/or parking areas?   And if someone DOES "violate" their camp boundaries, whether to gain access to these blocked areas or by accident, do they have the right to harrass/threaten/detain them?    How far do the rights of these Clans go, and how much authority do they have to be their own "police force"?

[9sparksfly]

I actually have a question about this as well, in response to Chianti's comment.

My husband and I got into a pretty frightening altercation with one of the clans this Saturday evening.  They'd set up along an access road marked as "Handicapped Parking" (and which featured a pretty sweet shortcut to the nearest port-a-potties and the entrance to the festival).  We accidentally wandered into their campground after the festival was over (i.e., fumbling through an unfamiliar space at night) and were - I can only describe it as attacked.  We were detained, threatened with calls to security, we were yelled at for "breaking clan camping etiquette" - we were finally "allowed" to be "escorted" by them, down the access road, to our camp.  I'll be honest - I was sobbing like, well, like a girl.  :-/

So, my question is - WTF?  On the one hand, I get that they paid for their own semi-permanent, mostly-private spot.  On the other hand, they were set up along the access road to handicapped parking (so could they reasonably expect that people WOULDN'T walk through?).  On the one hand, *I* wouldn't want people wandering through my living room.  On the other hand, this wasn't their living room.  It's a camp.  A camp that wasn't roped off, that wasn't marked as "Private, No Access," that wasn't marked in any way that I could tell. 

The, uh, clan patriarch (for lack of a better word) had pointedly asked our friend to not walk through, so I understand why they might have been upset.  But they'd never spoken with myself or my husband, and the intensity of their reaction was so - intense! 

I've been attending and performing at renaissance festivals for over 15 years.  This was my first weekend camping as a patron.  I admit to some level of ignorance about clan camping rules - so would one of you kind folks fill me in?

Many thanks. 

[9sparksfly]

Heh.  The intensity was so intense.

Clearly, I'm still pretty shaken up. 

[9sparksfly]

And *actually*, I just checked the published map on the SWFF website - there isn't any clan presence indicated, where we were (which was on the outskirts of  the Quiet/Family Camping area).  If they aren't on the map - and they had no signs posted beyond "Handicapped Parking" - maybe this wasn't actually a clan we ran into? 

http://www.sherwoodforestfaire.com/wp-content/uploads/2012_Patron_Campground_Map.pdf
--We were right next to the cul-de-sac near the area marked "Small RV/Travel Trailers."

[PollyPoPo]

Questions about the reserved areas are best addressed by Mike Pullen, who is the Campground Director (Manager) at Sherwood.  As he spends long hours at Sherwood during the weekends til some time Monday, he probably has not yet seen the questions raised today.

There have been large areas added to the campgrounds in the last few months, both open camping and reserved camping, which do not show on the 2012 map.

Chianti and Morrigan – as for requirements for reserved area camping, again, Mike Pullen is the contact.  Some of the requirements are spelled out on their main website at sherwoodforestfaire.com but there other responsibilities the groups must meet. 

[mpullen]

I'll try and address the recent questions.

First off, the clans don't pay anything extra for their reserved areas. They do have the costs (in equipment and labor) to clear the area. They are responsible for cleanliness and maintaining order.


The clans have folks out just about every weekend and many come out during our volunteer work weekends during the off-season.

Did I miss anything else?

[RenStarr]

As Polly has stated, best contact Mike Pullen for the most recent layout of the campgrounds.

Let me give you some history on the campgrounds.  In the beginning (cause there's always a beginning), the area that now is the campgrounds was a forest.  Management cut roads thru the campgrounds and allowed clans to stake out claims.  The catch was:   
>  That the clans were responsible for clearing their area (physical labor, time, & $$).   
>  They also have to have members in camp on every weekend of faire so they can keep their area.
>  Clans are responsible for cleaning up their area at the conclusion of any weekend and the end of the season.

So each clan had things to do to establish an area for themselves, and they have things they have to continue to do to keep their areas.  Getting an area in the beginning does not mean they have it forever.  So clans can and do get pretty protective about the area they have.  The unofficial rule or "camp etiquette" is one doesn't cut thru a camp as it were a short cut, especially at night.  People need to walk the roads to get to their destination.
Having said that, the description of the situation that  "9sparksfly" found herself in was out of line.  I can't see clan folks treating folks like that as a general rule.  We've had folks that are lost wonder into our camp, tell us just that, and we've pointed them in right direction, shook hands, and sent them on their way.  I hope anyone that reads this post doesn't let one bad situation influence them to the point where they won't camp at all.         

[9sparksfly]

Oooooookay. I get it.  Honestly, the handicapped signs confused me - what was, in retrospect, a private road, looked an awful lot like a public road. (That and the lack of any signage or enclosures/boundaries). I'm not a butthole, and I totally get their desire for privacy (and their feelings of entitlement - I had no idea the clans did so much work on the campgrounds; major props to them!)

As it turns out, these guys had had a few run-ins with our camping buddy a friend a few times earlier that day. So what seemed unnecessarily awful to us was just a continuation of an earlier encounter. We had no idea. :-/

If it was me, I probably would have simply escorted us out and made a promise to myself to do something a bit more proactive about marking private boundaries.  I still feel that, to detain us, to scream at us, and to threaten us was a bit excessive. But, now I know!  Hopefully, the next time my husband and I camp, we'll have a better sense of where not to go (though I still say that if your clan encampment isn't marked on the map, isn't marked by any signage, and isn't roped off... Probably best to take a few shots and get ready to be patient with the n00bs).

[scarletnyx]

What everyone has said so far is spot on, 9sparks. However, I would like to apologize for that clan's actions towards you - There was - no - reason for these actions to happen to you. As someone who is a pretty active member of a clan, and who loves her clan fairemly so very very much, that saddens me that a clan would act that way towards someone. If you were lost, they should have lended aid. They should have given you a hearty hello, asked how your night was going/something along those lines to see if you were lost, and helped you.

I assure you not all clans are that horrible. Most of them are tight knit families who welcome outsiders and are more than welcome to share their fire and stories with you. The clan I am part of, Phoenix Risen, is always open to whomever wanders off the road and is looking for stories and a warm fire.

Don't let this one freak accident damper your opinion of camping Miss Moo. Like I said, that encounter was a freak occurrence, and in no way represents what most clans are about. You'll find the campgrounds at SWFF to be an amazing, magical place if given the chance

[RowenD]

   Just an observation from an outsider here...If you are responsible for a Clan area, why would you not clearly mark it as private?  Especially considering the liability issues described above.
 
   My husband and I run multiple membership tents at a number of Scottish Games each year.  We have to pay for our spot, keep it clean, clearly mark the areas that are 'non-public', and mark hazards the same way to prevent liability and injury issues.
   The much bigger judging, beer and dancing tents/areas have to observe the same rules, so what makes 'private clan camping' different?
   It's not hard or even expensive.  Any party store stocks cheap flag strings.   Hardware stores have driveway reflectors (if  vehicles are a problem) and hazard visibility tape-the yellow/black stuff you tie on tent ropes to warn of 'drunk traps'-is easy to come by, dirt cheap, and highly visible in even low light as a perimeter marker.   Just about all this stuff is reusable.

Just seems like a bunch of hard feelings could have been easily avoided. 
   I  do understand why the clan may have overreacted due to recent events and warnings, but if it's just a case of someone wandering into an area that is not clearly marked, that is easily remedied.