Spring Banquet
Newsflash! [27/02/09]
The last push is on, and the last tickets are on sale. Please see below for more info.
If you have any queries, please email us at banquet@oskorei.co.uk.
The Oskorei Banquet & Weekend is at Goblin Combe, nr. Nailsea, Bristol. It is on March 21st and 22nd 2009 (Spring Equinox and Mothers' Day).
Goblin Combe is very popular. We now have enough bookings to afford the deposit - more details soon!
- Venue & Accommodation - Goblin Combe
- Menu - Englisc Banquet
- Timetable
- Friday Night
- Questions And Answers
- Prices
- Booking Form
Venue: Goblin Combe
Image courtesy of Goblin Combe Environmental Centre
This year, we are holding our banquet and group weekend at the Goblin Combe Centre, a modern field centre in 130-acre ancient woodland - which also containing the glacial Goblin Combe valley (a Site of Special Scientific Interest) and a Bronze/Iron Age fort (on Cleeve Toot hill).
We are actually staying in the Lodge and its little brother, the Cottage.
The Lodge
The Lodge is a modern, purpose-built, environmentally-friendly field centre. It sleeps 38 people, arranged into rooms of two to eight bunk-beds. Bunk space is first-come-first-served at (final) booking, with priority to the elderly, disabled, pregnant, and those with young children. The beds have mattresses only - bring your own bedding. The Lodge has heating, hot water, and the re-enactors' favourite luxury: electric showers!
We may be able to put your family or (small!) group in its own room, or to put you in a single-sex 'dorm'. Please put any Accommodation preferences on your booking form.
The Cottage
The Cottage contains the kitchen and eating areas. There is plenty of crash space here for people who book too late for the Lodge, but please be aware you may be sharing a room with the remains of the banquet. If you're a light sleeper, you may prefer to bring a tent!
These two buildings are on the corner of a 2-acre camping field, so there's plenty of overflow sleeping.
Other Features
'Our' field has three campfire circles, a yurt(!), a heated workshop, a(nother) toilet block with showers, and outdoor sinks with hot water. There are lots of other great things to see and do here - you will love this site!
How To Get Here
Goblin Combe is just east of Cleeve, roughly 15 minutes south of Bristol on the A38, or 70 minutes north of Exeter via the M5/A370.
The Lodge is in postcode BS40 5PP. You can find a Google Map here, and an OS map here. Both are highlighting the Lodge itself. There will be signs leading from Cleeve to the Lodge on the Saturday and the Sunday.
Menu: Englisc Banquet
First: we say a few words before the campfire, as we share the Wassail cup and as the sun sinks behind the hill & the night draws in...
Vegetarian and gluten-free diets are fully catered for. Please put any dietry info (including vegetarian, gluten-free) on your booking form.
- Wassail Cup - hot, spiced cider served around the campfire
- Carrot & coriander soup with crusty loaf
- Salmon, baked in embers
- Roast meats
- Slow-cooked pottage of period vegetables
- Beef stew
- Celeriac & Turnip mash
- Dumplings
- Bread & cheese
- Baked, spiced, apples with dried fruit & cream
We are also providing two lunches, some snacks, and a cooked breakfast on Sunday morning. We are also providing a cooked breakfast for those arriving Friday night (see below)
Timetable
There are three 'threads' running both days: Craft, Warrior, and Game. You don't have to 'book' for these - do what you want, when you want, if you want!
| Craft | Warrior | Game | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00? Sat | Site opens | ||
| 10:00 | Break | ||
| 10:25 | Safety brief | ||
| Trollen weaving - beginners and advanced | Single combat in the field & in the woods | Kubb (a throwing game, like skittles or quoits) | |
| 12:30 | Lunch | ||
| Tablet-weaving on a loom | Group combat in the woods | Viking Wrestling (a game of balance & footwork) | |
| 15:30 | Break | ||
| Shoe Making ('Cornish Pasty' turnshoes) | Hólmgang & Einvigi (Viking duels) | The 'Hat' Game (a game of speed and reflexes) | |
| Sundown (c. 18:30) | Banquet | ||
| 10:00 Sun | Breakfast | ||
| Dye-ing with Vegetables | Single & group combat in the field & in the woods | Viking Shoe-Throwing (a game of co-ordination & stomach-muscles!) | |
| 12:30 | Lunch | ||
| 'Open' session | Group combat in the woods | 'Open' session | |
| 17:00? | Site closes | ||
Craft
We also have warm places to sit, sew, and/or gossip *cough* share skills!
If you've got a skill you'd particularly like to learn - or demonstrate - please let us know through your booking form!
Please bring your own materials, where appropriate. We may also be able to supply materials (at cost price) - please bring cash.
Warrior
We fight under 'Oskorei rules' - very similar to Regia Anglorum's system, and fairly similar to the Vikings! system: upper legs, body, and upper arms are hits, blunt metal weapons with soft-contact, chainmail protects. Spears must be legal under either Regia or Viking rules. There will be a short introduction at the start of the first 'warrior' session on Saturday.
You must have padded gloves to fight. Helmets, fore-arm guards, and 'fencing cups' are recommended. The ground is uneven in the under the trees, so we also strongly recommend modern footwear - preferably boots supporting the ankle.
Game
Aimed at kids, but also for the young-at-heart. There are also 130-acres of woods to explore, and a Bronze/Iron Age settlement to visit!
All times & schedules are to-be-confirmed, and subject to change without notice (e.g. due to weather).
Friday Night
We have indoor camping available Friday night in Nailsea (about 10 minutes drive away). There is a separate charge for this, which includes tea, coffee, etc, and a cooked breakfast Saturday morning.
Questions And Answers
Are dogs allowed?
Yes! As usual, please clear up after them.
Are traders allowed?
Yes! Please email banquet@oskorei.co.uk with a brief outline of what you're selling, if you've got your own trader's tent, and/or how much space you'll need to trade from.
Can anyone come?
Maybe. This event is open to all dark-age re-enactors who don't fight, or who fight with blunted steel weapons. It's also open to "friends and families" of re-enactors, and people who are new to the hobby - if they're 'sponsored' by their Group Leader.
Can kids 'fight'?
Maybe. Yes if either a) they've had their 18th birthday OR b) they've had their 16th and at least one of their parents is also fighting (or someone that parent's asked to act 'in loco parentis', e.g. their group leader. Not the person running the training session - they've got enough on their plates already!)
Is archery allowed? What about 'combat' archery?
Yes, but...
We will be marking out an area for target archery, including a 50yd 'overshoot area' with markers and signs; we will NOT be providing marshals. Please ONLY use this area if there is a designated marshal 'on duty' i.e. not arching (this can be a member of your own party), and please remove or lay down any bosses when the range is not in use. Please email banquet@oskorei.co.uk for more information, or just to let us know numbers!
Combat archery (large rubber tips, slow-flights, up-to-28lb draw-weight bows) is allowed on the field, but not in the woods - there may be public about.
Are you insured?
Yes. We have 3rd-party public liability insurance. We recommend you also have your own accident/injury insurance.
Prices
Banquet and Site Hire
£12 adults, £6 under-16s
Saturday 'day' only (no Banquet or accom.)
£4 adults, £2 under-16s
Saturday Night camping (with 'day' ticket only; included in Banquet ticket)
+£4 adults, +£2 under-16s
Friday Night
+£2 adults, +£1 under-16s
There are NO 'on the door' tickets. Booked and pre-paid ONLY!