We are just a few days from 3-2-1 GO! Before you all set off on your road to Tribal Clash on Thursday or Friday, we wanted to put out a few reminders and also ask for your help, dear Tribal Clashers. Please read on so that your Clashtonbury weekend goes as smoothly as possible!
Blackpool Sands is a special place. If you have been to Tribal Clash before, you know this already. If this is your first time, here’s what you will see when you drive down along the clifftop either from Strete or from Dartmouth: a pristine crescent bay with water so clear that for a second you think you are on a Greek island. Around the sandy beach just trees, green hills and cliffs, barely any houses can be seen, and just one winding road. The beach and the land around it is privately owned and we have a special permit this year again to stage Tribal Clash on Blackpool Sands.
The flip side of hosting a competition on a remote beach is that there is no infrastructure at all. We have to bring everything with us: power, toilets, wifi, water, showers, lighting – Blackpool Sands doesn’t even have mobile signal. We could of course hire a sports hall in a convenient town, plug our laptops in and program snatches and toes to bar for two days, bombard you with ‘sponsors’ and free stuff that you don’t need and that will end up in landfill, but you will probably agree that it wouldn’t be Tribal Clash.
As it’s our 4th Clash, we already know we will be worrying about two things in particular.
Parking: We are expecting close to 2,000 people to Blackpool Sands next weekend. Event parking is at Stoke Fleming Village Hall, if you are not camping and coming to the beach for the day, or at Dragon Camp if you are camping and staying for the whole weekend. These car parks have plenty of space for all participants, and the shuttle bus is quick and easy. If you park in the long stay car park, you can walk to the beach down the lane in 10 minutes. We sold 100 VIP parking passes on behalf of Blackpool Sands, this is the number of cars that can fit in the hardstanding car park behind the cafe. We cannot physically create more parking spaces. If you don’t have a VIP parking pass, please don’t try to talk your way into leaving your car in the beach car park because you are a special case. The gate security guards will not budge but the scene creates a pile up for everyone else. Please don’t park on the road either, it’s a narrow road with no hard shoulder or pavement, and you WILL create a massive traffic jam. And please, on behalf of the local community, don’t park in any of the nearby lanes, they are narrow single lanes and you will block farm and residential traffic. Just don’t be that guy. Thank you for your co-operation!
Water: At Tribal Clash HQ, we love wild camping, we happily wash our dishes in the sea, we think a dip in the sea equals a shower, and actually we don’t think it’s strictly necessary to wash every day. However, we understand that this may not be the way of the world outside South Devon, so there are showers in the beach campsite. There is a tap at the far end of the beach for drinking water, with a second 10,000 litre tank installed in the hills, to supply water to all Tribal Clashers. With considerate use, there should be sufficient water for the weekend. We will open the showers for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening, to conserve water on the site. Please don’t use the drinking water tap for rinsing the sand off your feet, or for doing your washing up, this is how the water on site runs out. You should, therefore, bring your own water: supermarkets sell 5 litre bottles of drinking water, a couple of these should leave you plenty for washing or cooking.
You should prepare for Tribal Clash as if it was a mini version of Burning Man: expect to be self reliant and take responsibility for the impact you have on this site, both the beach and the community around it, Leaving No Trace. Be aware of your actions on the beach, and how they impact the Tribal Clash community; other athletes, their friends and family, and the volunteer staff. Be helpful, and courteous, and kind. This means taking your litter with you, from the water bottles left on your lane, to the debris generated by your camp during the weekend. You are a guest at Blackpool Sands, treat this beautiful beach with respect and in return, it will reward you with one of the most epic weekends of your life.
See you on the sand!