Submitted by Old_Albanian on
This was my 5th Green Man, and my first suffering from a footballing injury (plantar fasciitis, thanks for asking) and it made it a different kind of festival. I'm not complaining, especially as I saw plenty of people on crutches and using wheelchairs enjoying themselves, but it made me much more chilled. In 2009 I rushed madly from stage to stage trying to fill every minute with music, which was frantic but very rewarding. I've calmed down a bit since but still normally clock up a lot of miles. But with walking painful I went with the flow far more, and found you can have a really good time just sitting and waiting for what comes next, and I heard some good bands I may not have heard otherwise.
The real frustration was that I can't stand for long at a time, and while most acts can be enjoyed ina low chair (even if it is odd being entiely surrounded by people standing up) I really couldn't enjoy Fuck Buttons like that and had to leave after only 20 minutes, which was almost as much of a disappointment as getting the time wrong and missing British Sea Power. But Laura J Martin, Olof Arnalds, Annie Dressner, Keston Cobblers and Stornoway were all great sitting down. And Swans kept me standing for too long by sheer force of noise
I didn't do all I wanted, but still had a great time, and I doff my cap to those who come with far greater mobility problems and also have a great time
Every year I'm humbled by the
Every year I'm humbled by the tenacity of folk in wheelchairs and scooters, and those with other mobility problems who make the most of the challenges of the Glanusk site (particurally when the weather is bad). I've always thought that more could be done to improve the accessibility of the site and was pleased to see some real improvements this year. There did seem to be a big issue with communication about tickets etc. shortly before the festival. Hopefully this can be put right for next year too.
It sounds like you certainly didn't let the difficulties spoil your enjoyment of the festival Old_Albanian, and your post reminds us that this is something that any of us might have to deal with in the future.