Loco

The name says it all. Rototom is full of sun, splashing down amongst the soothing sounds of reggae drums. Here’s a couple of factoids for you: Rototoms are drums which have no shell, and unlike most other drums, they have a variable definite pitch (I love Wikipedia). Factoid number two: saying “rototom” in a thick Welsh accent is highly amusing. Go on, really roll that first ‘r’. Yeah!

This year the sunny vibes of Rototom are on the move. They’ve packed up their steel drums, twisted their dreads into extraordinarily large hats and made their way to Benicàssim in Spain. We’re welcoming this so called ‘exodus’ with open arms and wish them the best of luck at their new home. Tickets are on sale now…

Located between Barcelona and Valencia on Spain’s East coast, Benicàssim (or Castello de la Plana depending on your atlas) is easy to get to by Loco2 means and  is bathed in sunshine for 300 days of the year. After 16 years of battling red tape in Italy we’re happy to announce that they’ve found a new, more tolerant home in Spain, and think they deserve a pat on the sun kissed back.

Getting There

I love Barcelona. You should probably know that about me before you read anything else I ever write. Not only is the food good, the music plentiful, and wine oh so delicious, but my best friend lives there, and it’s a city on the beach…so if in doubt, I will always have a cheeky stopover in the fair city. So perhaps unsurprisingly,  that’s exactly what I’ve done here.

London to Barcelona by train is a walk in the proverbial park, and requires only the tiniest bit of effort on your part. Hop on a Eurostar at London St. Pancras, marvel at the engineering that is an undersea train tunnel, and before you know it you’re in Paris. Dip your nose in the froth of a cappuccino, indulge in a baguette with brie, then board a night train to Barcelona’s Estacion de Franca. Bob, is in this case your uncle.

From Barcelona there are numerous daily trains to Benicassim (Castello de la Plana) from Barcelona Sants. For details of these have a look at renfe for daily departure times. Be aware that the timetable info at this site can only look a maximum of 120 days in advance so for trains in August you’ll have to wait a little longer. Be aware that there is a price difference depending on the type and speed of the train; for instance the R. EXPRESS 18093 at 9.33am costs €18, but go an hour later and the same journey – albeit a little faster – will cost you €34.

If the Spanish website puts you off, my gut feeling tells me you could probably get a seat on one of these trains on the day of travel (but don’t quote me). This journey only takes a couple of hours and will be a beauty. The sun, the sea, and the approaching sound of drums, bring on the good times!

Things to note

Have a look over here for details of Eurail passes as these may decrease the overall cost of your journey if used properly. If you opt for an Inter-rail pass, the main factor affecting the overall price of the journey is the Eurostar ticket. It doesn’t really matter where you buy your ticket, it will almost always be the same price. However, each train has a certain number of cheap tickets and once they’re gone, that’s it so book ahead for the cheapest fare. The lowest price you’ll get for a return to Paris for is around £60 minus the discount that you’re eligible for with an Inter-rail pass.

Most night-train reservations are compulsory, but the cost differs, with the quickest/most direct trains having the highest fees. Book this ahead if you want to get a good night’s sleep because you won’t be getting on the train if you haven’t made a reservation. If you’re not bothered by sleep deprivation then consider a cheaper, and much less comfortable seat for this leg of your journey.

If you start your journey without purchasing night-train reservations, you can get them on the way in major train stations, but there is the chance that the trains in question will be full. If you choose to spend nights in the cities and take trains in the day instead, then there will be fewer, if any, compulsory reservation fees (though obviously you’ll have to pay for accommodation in the cities).

Note that for night-train journeys that begin after 7pm, you only use up one day of your inter-rail pass (as long as you haven’t already made a journey using the pass on that day.

Not the train

The festival organisers have done a fine job of providing details of other means of getting to the festival. This includes contact details of the various bus companies – with links from Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante etc – so you should have no trouble finding a bus if that’s your cup of tea. They also mention the Barcelona ferry port (Porto di Barcellona) from where you can get ferries to and from Italy, Morocco and even Ibiza. If you’re thinking what I’m thinking then is turning into one hell of a summer holiday

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