by Sarah Becker
Being among thousands of warm, friendly, people in an attractive wood was a real breath of fresh air. The activities gave you a chance to connect and it was the food and atmosphere that made it shine.
When I arrived at the campsite, I wasn’t prepared for the sheer number of people. Tents were everywhere. VCO is advertised as the world’s largest vegan camp out – they weren’t joking. I think there were well over 10,000 people there, all pitched up on site.
Despite the sheer numbers of people the organization was impressively slick.
This was VCO’s 9th year and previous events have been held in different locations in the UK. At this setting in Bygrave Woods in Herfordshire, I barely queued to get in, parking was effortless, and the whole process was stress-free which was no mean feat with this many people.
The event was advertised as 4 days and 3 nights of camping, talks, live music, afterparties, yoga/meditation classes, workshops and some of the UK’s best vegan food.
Armed with my obligatory brochure, I headed in – past an attractive field of sunflowers.
First stop: food.
Now, here’s where I made my first rookie mistake. Faced with a humungous choice of food stalls – Ethiopian, Portuguese, Chinese, even vegan “hog roasts” – I made my decision based on the longest queue, and ended up with a smashed burger. It was fine, but as I later discovered after hearing peoples’ recommendations later, there were so many alternatives, I wished I’d saved myself for. As I also found out later, the same stalls kept popping up on peoples’ lips.
While eating, I caught the tail end of a talk by an animal activist. There were two or three tents hosting speakers on animal rights, so I dipped into a few over the day. Lured in by free vegan tasters, I chatted with some lovely Viva! volunteers, and then a lady from the group. I told her that I wanted to contribute in some way in Northampton. The inevitable question came: “Are you vegan?”
My reply: “I’m on the journey.”
That earned me a couple of mini-lectures about why I had to commit fully to really get involved. To be honest, I wasn’t totally convinced. Many of the people I met had started out vegetarian before transitioning, so it felt a bit contradictory to say my involvement had to be limited, until I was “100% vegan.” However, negotiating and accepting different viewpoints is a vital part of the process
Everyone can cook vegan
I also met Maryanne Hall, author of the cookbook Everyone Can Cook Vegan, and had an inspiring conversation with her about cooking vegan – especially the importance of sauces in bringing dishes to life. She was inviting people to sample some of her delicious vegan brownies (which didn’t disappoint!). Having had a sneak peek inside the cookbook, I spotted plenty of inviting recipes to try – including a mouth-watering Tofu Katsu Curry.
Mind and Body
The real highlight of my day came in the Mind and Body Wood.
This was a gorgeous little space in the woods where I joined a session led by yoga instructor and animal communicator Anne Heiners. She guided us through exercises to connect with our inner child, particularly around making big life decisions.
The setting itself was therapeutic – we were surrounded by tall trees, the sound of the wind and chatting with friendly strangers. A group of three ladies near me told me this event was the highlight of their year. The only downside was the weather. It had poured with rain the night before and the skies still looked threatening.
Which brings me to my icing on the cake: Vegan Speed Dating.
After the inner child workshop, I was on the path to my car. Storm clouds were brewing. But then, in the field of sunflowers, I bumped into one of the women I’d sat next to in the workshop earlier. She admitted she was about to bail too. Buoyed by solidarity, we decided to go back – and I’m glad we did.
Speed-dating; vegan style!
People had seemingly come from ‘out of the woods’ for this. The sessions were divided into categories – by age, by gender, by preference – and I joined the age group. In my group the women outnumbered the men, so it turned into a bit of a mixer with three women chatting to one guy at a time. But it was brilliant fun. I met doctors, a journalist, even a comedy writer. Honestly, it was just as fun chatting to the women as it was to the men.
If I go again (especially solo), I’d probably head straight for the Vegan Singles area. That felt like the heart of the social side and I found it really fun meeting people from so many different occupations – some more offbeat as well.
And actually, that’s one of the things I love about going solo to events – without your usual friends to lean on, you naturally open yourself up to meeting new people. Take John, for example, who I met in the tattoo queue. He reappeared later at speed dating, proudly showing me his brand-new tattoo. Brilliant.
Fuelled by my chats; many revolving around food, food recommendations were coming thick and fast. I headed for the Chinese food stall. It did not disappoint. It was delicious! The ‘prawn toast’ particularly so.
I didn’t really get so involved with the music side of things – but if I’d stayed I would have headed for the main tent where a punk party was going to take place. I also feel with these events, the more you throw yourself into, the more you get out. Maybe one day wasn’t enough to explore all the talks and workshops on offer and get into the friendly vibe.
That’s where I called it a day, but honestly, it was a great experience. Yes, you had to seek out activities, and there wasn’t always loads happening at once, but just being surrounded by thousands of warm, friendly people who all share a common belief in ending animal suffering – in a wood, no less – was refreshing. I also came away with a renewed sense of motivation to help stop animal suffering.
For details of Vegan Camp Out 2026 visit the VCO website https://www.vegancampout.co.uk/post/vegan-camp-out-2026-early-bird-tickets-on-sale-now