Camp VC is a three-day festival for women, trans women and non-binary people who are looking for the freedom and safety to explore action, adventure and motorsports (and a ton of other activities!), where they may otherwise not find opportunity to do so in this men’s/masculine dominated space.
It’s a unique event. There’s nothing out there that compares with us in the UK, even the world. We’re in our eighth year now, and we’ve always been based in Wales.
The festival brings together hundreds of people from across the globe, and we gather in North Wales for the weekend to experience an incredible number of activities. So much happens here: motorcycle riding (beginners upwards), dirt biking, skateboarding, quad skating, outdoor skills workshops, adventure walks, wild swimming, white water rafting, mountain biking, fitness and wellness workshops, a load of craft and creative classes and confidence building workshops. Oh, and plenty of partying in the evenings, including a spot of karaoke.
That’s the VC you see today: countless diverse things happening in one space, at one time. It’s what makes us so unique. And the activities on offer keep growing, year on year. The atmosphere at Camp VC is what makes it really special though. Something magical happens when you're in a safe environment, in a place where you can explore new things and try them out as a beginner. Sparks fly all over the place. And that's what makes us “us”.
Wales is just the most extraordinary place – the people, the scenery, the communities. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.
Growing a community
I started riding motorcycles in 2015. I didn't know many other women who rode, so began teaching friends in London. I made an Instagram account inviting along any women interested in learning – we were completely overwhelmed with messages from likeminded women.
A year later, we worked with an American organisation called Babes Ride Out to hold our first event in the UK (in South Wales). Although the first event was focused on motorcycling, there were loads women from different action sports and activity backgrounds, who said, ‘This is amazing. I'm a skateboarder and I can teach some lessons”, or ‘I'm a climber, could you get a climbing wall for next year? I'll teach!’ Another person was an artist and wanted to teach painting. Suddenly, our community was established – and had grown into something unique, almost overnight.
This grassroots approach is our entire approach. We’ve sold out every year, despite never doing any paid marketing or advertising. We’ve grown from word of mouth, or from articles or reviews people might have written after coming along. Once people have been, they bring their friends, who bring their friends, and so on. Each year, the fundamentals of the community are consistent. It’s just that the circle gets bigger.
No matter who you are, the vibe is supportive. Everyone is there to have a great time. It’s taken a lot of hard work from many people to create this safe and freeing environment, so we all work to protect it.
Why Wales?
VC originally started in London, where I was living at the time. Back then, it was about little collectives (be that skateboarding or cycling), where we’d get together and learn skills. I had a job in luxury fashion, which kept me in the city. But every weekend, my husband and I would come to Wales to mountain bike or dirt bike. From all those trips, I knew Camp VC had to be in Wales. I wanted to encourage people to travel to see this beautiful country and experience it the way I had.
What I love about Wales is how lush and green and expansive it is. It feels so wild, so free, and so extreme. When I drive into Wales I get goosebumps. Camp VC is currently held at One Giant Leap in Llangollen, an amazing mountain biking facility run by Martin Sands. He’s a farmer who also runs a world class downhill track, and his wife Becky used to compete in roller derby. When we met them, they totally understood what Camp VC was all about. Also, Llangollen is epic for extreme sport culture. There are so many exciting things happening there, and awesome new businesses run by people from the local community. The people in general are absolutely lovely.
Wales and Camp VC are the perfect combo – a place to do things differently. A place for community.
There’s such a sense of untouched beauty in Wales. Something that you cherish and that you want to take care of while you're here, which we really promote at the event. I was talking to one of our original attendees the other day, and she commented ‘we have a good time – and then we pick up our litter before bed!’. That sums it up for me. Our community cares about this place.
People often say to me that we would get more people attending if we moved the event closer to London. But what’s important is the experience. Coming here feels a real adventure. That’s key, and unique to holding the event here.
People who come to Camp VC travel from across the UK and further afield. We’ve had visitors from South Korea, America, Australia, Europe. After visiting VC, lots of people decide to return to Wales in their own time. It's like we open the door to Wales for them, and they see the magic we see. It’s addictive.
I speak from personal experience on this, as a couple of years ago, me and my family finally decided to make the move ourselves. We bought a small holding in North Wales, which has given us the most amazing opportunities to enjoy the countryside and nature. My son Stanley is six, and already riding motorcycles and mountain bikes. He races too. It’s incredible to wake up every day in the middle of the countryside. I'm so grateful to finish work and jump straight on my mountain bike.
Looking to the future
There's a lot going on in the world right now that feels so heavy. Camp VC is the antidote to that. I’ve been told by people who come along that Camp VC is ‘like a holiday from my life.’
There aren’t enough women, trans women and non-binary people in the action, adventure and motorcycle world. We’ve been thinking a lot about our impact recently. The world needs more of these people to understand what’s possible when they experience the freedom to explore, know they’re safe when they fall off, and can trust they’re going to be ok at the end of it all.
We are here to support others in getting more women to try out all these new, exciting things and expand their worlds. There was a statistic that came out this year from Women’s Rugby, which showed 55% of teenage girls in the UK today think that “seeing women in sport makes them feel like they can do anything”. That’s the feeling we want for 100% of girls, women, trans women, and non-binary people who are forging the path ahead in sport.
The activities we put on at VC give you confidence. And you can take that through into your life any way you want. You can continue to do the sport if you want, but you can also just feel great for a weekend after riding a dirt bike, and finally go home and ask for that pay rise you always wanted.
The world is hard, and after Camp VC, our community takes away that feeling that anything is possible. I think Camp VC gives women hope and a lot of energy.
Growing organically means that you grow authentically. It means the people that come to the festival embody and uphold our values.
We want to share that with as many women as we can. Encouraging as many people as possible to visit Wales, and experience everything this beautiful country and the event have to offer.
Our ambition for the future of Camp VC is to get more and more people to experience the amazing feeling that's created by this event. We’re just getting started.
Find out more about Camp VC
