August 26, 2025

Bredy Farm’s BeCider Festival: Too good to be kept a Secret (Aug 25)

Festivals come in all shapes and sizes, but every so often you stumble across one that feels a little bit special. For us, that’s Bredy Farm’s BeCider Festival in Dorset. A micro-festival with a big-heart, it’s got all the right ingredients: stunning countryside, a single stage with a brilliant line-up, mouth-watering food, a heated pool (yes, really), and some of the friendliest people you could hope to pitch a tent beside.

This was our second year and now we get why so many others make it a tradition.

Bredy Farm magic

The farm owners Charlie and Chelsea have managed to pull off something magical, a mixture of everything that makes for a great weekend.

Awesome Camping

The festival straddles the lush Bride Valley, near Burton Bradstock. On one side: farm buildings. On the other: the main stage and camping fields.

One of the MANY reasons we love this festival is its accessibility. The car drop-off point is just a few steps from the tent pitches — a lifesaver when you’re lugging camping gear and no longer in your twenties.

We noticed far more campervans this year. For a brief moment we ‘almost’ switched to the roof-tent (as it was already on top of the car), but having packed the bell tent along with all of it’s paraphernalia, we stuck to plan-A. I’m glad we did.

Artists and facilities aside, camping neighbours can make or break a festival – we struck gold this year. Kevin and Kirsty, from Somerset, brought a tent big enough to swallow a jumbo jet (complete with sofa, which they kindly lent us after we forgot our camping chairs). On the other side of us was Dianne, she pitched up and quickly became part of a little weekend family.

Jurassic Coast sunsets

The location alone is worth the ticket. From the top fields you get sweeping views over West Bay and Lyme Regis. We wandered up there twice at sunset, the golden light spilling over the Jurassic Coast is unforgettable.

A proper ‘on site’ restaurant

The Parlour restaurant is a genuine farm-to-fork affair, open throughout summer and drawing visitors from far beyond Dorset. Our friends Steve and Lynda from Tolpuddle raved about it, so this year we booked early.

Last year we missed out, and now we know why; it’s seriously popular. The food was exquisite and gave us a couple of hours of pure indulgence in the middle of a festival weekend.

Heated swimming pool

Yes, really. Few festivals can boast a pool, let alone one that feels like a gigantic hot tub. I couldn’t persuade Emma to join me, but I loved floating there with a pint of Sweet Jesus, one of the farm’s own ciders.

By night, the pool area transforms into The Rattlesnake: an old shed turned bar and late-night DJ venue. Quirky, chaotic, and brilliant.

Amazing line up

This year’s line-up didn’t disappoint. Holy Youth Movement stole the show for us; their infectious, high-energy set had the whole crowd bouncing.

There’s only one stage at Bredy, which means no timetable juggling and no fear of missing out. You simply take what’s served up, and luckily for us, it’s consistently good.

Other highlights included Utah Saints, Kim Churchill, Thumpasaurus, and The Barley Mob. Honestly, the standard across the board was impressive.

Top bars and street food

Food and drink were excellent again this year. Our beloved venison burger van was absent, but the scallop bar more than filled the gap. Hand-dived, local, and absolutely melt-in-the-mouth.

The cocktail bar was another hit, always buzzing with queues. They actually ran out of alcohol on Saturday night, which probably tells you all you need to know! Prices were club-level, but the quality justified it.

We spent lazy afternoons perched on the hillside, cocktails in hand, soaking up the sunshine, the view of the stage, and the easygoing vibe.

Fabulous local beaches

The local beach is a short ten minute cycle ride, so we hopped on our bikes and headed for Burton Bradstock and its huge sandstone cliffs.

The tide was on the way out so it was safe enough to amble along the beach, and warm enough to go for a swim.

DJ sets.

When the main stages closes, those who want to party-on head up to the RattleShack, which is a converted barn designed for DJs to crank it up. Since last year there’s been a bit of make-over, with a few more added floors and drapes.

West Bay

The final day saw us explore West Bay, which is only a ten minute drive. The weather was perfect and the place was buzzing. So nice to see a place as vibrant as this on a bank holiday Monday – in England!