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Festival Tales Of Woe #245607372
out shooting 1990s, opening act on Saturday. Left camera bag in press office. Over £1000 of lenses, numerous filters/card readers/memory cards, my coach tickets to and from the festival, a spare ticket to festival, my passport, my diary, my mobile phone etc in it. Came back to find it gone
bag well gone, reported it to police after Mogwai
got back in time for Primal Scream. Left during them to come back to press office for my for
laptop, met friends, said bye, decided to take shortcut to buses home.
Shortcut turned out to be several harrowing miles, or so it felt, of
unlit country road. No light at all, pissing rain, when cars going by
had to jump onto unlit verge, no pavements. Fell down holes in verges,
pissing rain, 5D and 70-200 around neck, laptop in a binliner under my
arm. Eventually decided lucky to still be alive and turned back. Met
one guy using mobile as torch who said he knew where he was going.
Followed him, turned out he had less idea than me. I stopped to ask
some security for directions when it turned out the bus stop he was
leading us to was a campers car park, while I was talking to security
my guide ran away. Security gave me vague directions, after walking
for half hour and dodgy directions I ended up back at same security.
They eventually managed to stop a car in pissing rain, after fifteen
minutes with no shelter,and got me a lift to Inverary. Cops I reported
theft to standing where I got dropped off. Told I'd twenty minutes to make a
half hour journey for last bus, made it in twenty, missed last bus by
about three minutes. By this time about 1.20am, pouring rain, camera
round neck getting soaked, laptop in binliner under arm. Made it back
to press office, deserted, St Johns Ambulance guys donated me a
sleeping bag and a pillow for night. In cold, deserted press tent on own, full of
midges, covered in bites and I smell bad and really need a shower, a
bed and a change of clothes. Instead it's a bare floor on my own with
the insects till I can get a bus home. Touch and go whether I'll make
it back tomorrow and if I do it'll be for LCD Soundsystem and Bjork
then home. All I've had to eat is two tubs of porridge, drinking the
dregs of other photographers discarded water bottles in tent
:)