About Krankenhaus

Krankenhaus Micro-Festival is brought to you by Sea Power & Muncaster Castle.

Sea Power are a BAFTA winning & Mercury Prize nominated band (www.seapowerband.com) and our hosts at Muncaster Castle, the Pennington-Frost family. Krankenhaus Festival will be held once again at the stunning setting of Muncaster Castle, a striking and ancient outpost near Ravenglass, amid the wild and beautiful western edge of the English Lake District. Ravenglass was described by John Ruskin as “The gateway to paradise.”

Ravenglass is the Lake District National Park’s only coastal village and sits within two UNESCO World Heritage sites, The Lake District National Park and ‘Frontiers of the Roman Empire’ https://whc.unesco.org . The festival runs from the 23rd of August until the 25th of August 2024 with camping available from 12:00 on Thursday 22nd until Monday 26th at 6PM. This year, we have an additional option for a Long Stay Pass from midday Tuesday 20th until midday on Tuesday 27th for those who want to extend your holiday and further enjoy the surrounding Lake district.

Muncaster Castle is sat overlooking the River Esk, in an area with easy access to both the coast and the majestic lakes and fells of the Western Lake District. The castle is set a short drive from Lakeland peaks such as Scafell Pike. The Ravenglass & Eskdale steam railway and the Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Eskmeals Dunes reserve are a short distance away. The nearest mainline rail station is in Ravenglass.

Muncaster Castle is open as a tourist attraction and festival goers are entitled to access all the facilities at no extra charge. So in the daytime you will be able to enjoy the castle and it’s grounds, play areas, cafe, gardens and the birds of prey flying displays at the castle’s Hawk and Owl Centre – all of which is included in the festival ticket price. Visit www.muncaster.co.uk for more information.

Each day will roughly be split into morning and early afternoon time to enjoy the castle and grounds or go further afield, time to visit the surrounding countryside and seaside, take ‘The L’al Ratty’, the Ravenglass & Eskdale narrow-gauge steam train, and other outdoor activities. In the mornings there will be a programme of talks and other entertainment in the castle buildings and castle grounds, such as the popular Dog Competition. There will be a series of guided walks in the surrounding countryside and coastline too.

From mid afternoon, the focus of events will move to the Home Farm Barn where most of the musical performances will take place, going on into the night, followed by DJ sets until around 1am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. A full schedule of performances and readings will be announced as soon as the line up is complete.

The Festival is also Dog Friendly. Woof Woof.

L’al Ratty Steam Train – Festival Goers will receive a 50% discount code for the ‘L’al Ratty’, the Ravenglass & Eskdale narrow-gauge steam train. The code will be sent out to festival goers at least 2 weeks before the festival begins, so please check your e-mails for this code. Once you have the code you can book here: www.ravenglass-railway.co.uk

Getting Here

GETTING TO MUNCASTER

Please do not attempt to try the scenic route over the hills if your vehicle is past its best or unusually large. The best advice is to ignore Sat Nav and stick to the A595. The postcode for the Festival carpark and entrance is CA18 1RD a few hundred yards along the road from CA18 1RQ which is the main castle entrance so avoid that please. Look for Festival signs.

PARKING

There is a large carpark available in front of the castle main entrance. Spaces for overnight weekend parking including Campervans and Mobile homes can be booked online for the weekend. There are charges for overnight, weekend and day parking.

ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE

Festival campers are welcome to arrive from 12pm on Thursday 22nd and stay until Monday 26th at 6PM.

Entrance and check in, wristband allocation will be open from Thursday 4pm until 8pm for campers, then Friday & Saturday 9.30am until 10.30pm and then on Sunday 9.30am until 8.00pm. The campsite is within 300 yards of the Old Barn and 10 minute walk to the Castle. The bar and some food vendors will be open by the barn from 5pm on Thursday.

Festival ticket holders will also have free access to the Castle and Gardens on Bank Holiday Monday 26th – for the Castle from 9.30am until 4pm and for the Gardens 9.30am until 5.30pm

TRAINS

The nearest train station to Muncaster Castle is Ravenglass for Eskdale which can be accessed from Carlisle train station in the North or Preston and Lancaster train stations in the south.

Carlisle to Ravenglass for Eskdale Train Tickets & Timetables (northernrailway.co.uk)
Lancaster to Ravenglass for Eskdale Train Tickets & Timetables (northernrailway.co.uk)
Trains Preston (Lancs) to Ravenglass for Eskdale | Cheap Tickets & Times | Trainline (thetrainline.com)

Muncaster Castle is a short walk from the station, but taxis are available locally and can be booked through

TAXIS

Gosforth Taxis Ltd – Tel: 019467 25308 or 07774 868579
Sims Travel – Tel: 019467 23227

Camping & Accommodation

4 nights Camping is included in the ticket price, though there is a charge for Campervans and overnight parking. You can arrive to set up on Thursday at 12:00 and leave by 6PM on the Monday.

There is no vehicle access to the campsite. Please park in the designated car park near the Muncaster main entrance and make your way on foot with your camping gear to the campsite. The campsite is via the castles main entrance gate and no more than 400m from the carpark.
There will be plenty of benches, chairs and straw bales to sit on in the festival area, but do bring fold out chairs if you don’t mind carrying them.

BBQ’s and fires are not allowed on site. We will have controlled fires in the courtyard during the weekend but ask that you do not start any of your own. Camping stoves are fine provided they are away from flammable tents.

Don’t forget your tent, sleeping bags, waterproofs, suncream, insect repellent and loo roll. This is Britain so pack for all weathers! Lighting is limited on site so remember a torch.

Campsites have access to a rubbish and recycling point, toilets (including accessible toilet) and drinking water tap. Hot showers are nearby.
A seldom used public footpath runs alongside the camping field. Belongings are left at your own risk. As with other campsites, we advise guests should manage their own belongings and security.

For general supplies the nearest store is the Spar at Holmrook Petrol Station which is a short drive away 3 miles to the north, towards Whitehaven on the A595.

CAMPERVANS

The Camper-van field is located in the field adjacent to the Car Park, with sea views available. There will be clean running water, toilets, waste water disposal & toilet emptying facility. Unfortunately there are no Electric Hookups.

TOILETS & SHOWERS

There will be fresh water, hot showers and toilets in the camping fields and also at the Gatewaay Cafe. There will also be toilet facilities and fresh water at the Old Barn & Courtyard. There are permanent toilets in and around the castle including disabled access. To protect our environment please only use environmentally friendly shower gel and shampoo in the showers. We will provide eco friendly shower products, but please bring your own too.

There are a range of self catering and hotel rooms and glamping tents run by the castle which can be booked via the Castle website. There are a variety of B&Bs and other hotels within 30 minutes.

OFF-SITE ACCOMMODATION

If camping isn’t your thing there is plenty of accommodation locally ranging from hotels and B+B’s to self-catering cottages and caravan parks. The links below help you explore the options available.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotels-g499555-Ravenglass_Lake_District_Cumbria_England-Hotels.html

www.muncaster.co.uk/staywithus

ravenglass-railway.co.uk/accommodation

copeland.gov.uk
westernlakedistrict.com

Accessibility

We are committed to making the Krankenhaus Festival as inclusive as possible and aim to provide an accessible and enjoyable experience for all our guests.

The Festival is being held at a working farm with rough tracks, paths and uneven ground which may make access a little challenging for some. We will provide extra assistance where we can to ensure all guests enjoy the Festival.

Throughout the Festival weekend a program of performances have been scheduled across the Muncaster site. These performances have step free access which should enable all audiences access. The main paths and tracks within the Muncaster Gardens that lead to the Castle, café and performance areas offer easy access for most, however some of the smaller paths that lead away from this central Hub become steep and uneven and are not recommended for people with accessibility difficulties.

Accessible camping is situated on the right hand side of the camping field where the terrain is at its most level. There are also a limited number of accessible pitches for motorhomes.

Accessible parking is situated within the day visitor car park and will have a designated area.

Accessible toilets are available at the Gateway Cafe, campsites, Festival Barn Site, and Stable Yard.

There is an accessible raised platform in the main barn.

The Festival has access to 2 mobility scooters, available to hire on request if needed, please phone 01229 717614 to book these and confirm availability.

There is a chill out area in the Festival Barn courtyard for anyone that needs it and Muncaster Gardens have plenty of beautiful spaces with breath-taking views or cool woodland walks for quiet time.

Assistance dogs are welcome however we cannot allow access to any dogs in the Muncaster Hawk & Owl Centre please.

If you have specific access requirements, please let us know by emailing info@krankenhausfestival.com and we will try to accommodate these as best we can.

Companion tickets are available free of charge and can be booked with weekend tickets.

Sustainability

Please respect the environment and wildlife throughout the festival site and surrounding countryside. Abide by signs, keep to paths and use common sense.

RECYCLING

We aim to be an eco-friendly festival – so let’s make our planet proud. Recycling bins are situated in the camping fields and in the main festival area, please use them. Consider only bringing what you need so as to not overwhelm our rubbish and recycling; leave bulky packaging at home and travel light where you can. Please leave your camp tidy and take all your camping gear with you.

REUSABLE CUP SCHEME

This year, we’ve moved to a reusable cup scheme, reducing single-use plastic on the bar. When you buy your first drink, you will pay a non-returnable fee of £1. Re-use your cup or exchange for a token at the bar so you can re-claim it later on. Cup cleaning available by the bar.

SHOWERS

To protect our environment please only use environmentally friendly shower gel and shampoo in the showers.

DRINKING WATER

Please bring reusable drinking bottles. Free water refilling stations are situated in the camping fields, festival area and Stable Yard in the Muncaster Gardens.

Muncaster Castle’s Conservation Matters page – muncaster.co.uk/castle-gardens/conservation-matters

Families & Dogs

We are a dog friendly festival, but please be responsible and keep your dogs on a lead and bring plenty of poo bags. Unfortunately dogs are not allowed into the castle so can’t be at the Talks and readings taking place in the drawing Room and Laundry

There are a few play areas within Muncaster Castles grounds including Yeti Adventure Quarry, Giant Swing, Adventure Playground, Enchanted Trail and Bird Hide.

Muncaster Castle has a Hawk and Owl Centre and there are Birds of Prey Displays daily (muncaster.co.uk/hawkowlcentre)

The Curlews Tale is a 1.5 mile Trail along the English Coast Path at Ravenglass. For the story and map visit here – taletrails.co.uk/the-walks

The Knotted Project will be providing childrens activities from 13.00 daily in the Barn Area. Please see ‘The Line-Up ‘for more chilldren and teens activities.

Other Info

CASH & CARD PAYMENTS

The castle cafe, gift shop and the barn bar will accept card payments. However due to the weak phone signals it may not be possible to pay with cards for some of the food vendors and the merchandise stand so be prepared to have some cash.

The nearest ATM is at the garage in Holmrook, 3 miles north on the A595.

WIFI & PHONE SIGNAL

There is free public WIFI at various points around the gardens enabling visitors to access WIFI without a password. The closest location to the barn/campsite for WIFI is in and around the main ticket office where the showers are located. Alternatively public WIFI is available in the castle itself and around the main buildings including the shop, cafe, reception and eco barn.

FOOD AND DRINK

Food and Drink will be available in the Barn Courtyard and also at the Castles Cafe serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper.
Vegans, Vegetarians and Meat Eaters will all be catered for. We welcome back the Honest Supper Club amongst others. There will also be a wide range of local and real ales, including from award-winning Cumbrian brewers, Gan Yan, who will have their own separate bar.