Help a newbie get there and back

[Bort]

Okay, so the current plan is to fly into Bristol from Prague on June 24th or 25th, then get to the festival, and leave on the 29th and spend a few days in London. What's the best way to do this?

I am looking at Coach tickets on National Express (pretty expensive, yes?) and found an option for my complicated journey. It looks like £29.60 for a coach from Bristol Airport to the festival, and then from the festival to London. Is this the best I'll find in terms of price and convenience.

Also, on an unrelated note, should I reserve a camping pack from Joe Bananas or just buy my tent, sleeping bag, etc there separately? I can't bring that stuff in with me to the festival because I will be traveling all over for a week and a half and really do not want to haul all that stuff around and pay extra to bring it onto planes. I am looking at the camping pack for 2 people listed here:

http://www.joe-bananas.co.uk/campingpacks-c-25.html

Even though it is only me, it is cheaper to reserve this pack than it is to reserve the same tent and one sleeping bag separately from this site. So I guess I'll have an extra sleeping bag and blanket if anyone needs them, haha.

How much are Wellies and are they available on-site? And in size 13 1/2?

Thanks!

[Funkfarley]

Okay, so the current plan is to fly into Bristol from Prague on June 24th or 25th, then get to the festival, and leave on the 29th and spend a few days in London. What's the best way to do this?

Thanks!

[Funkfarley]

I was going to suggest maybe making a friend who could lend you the stuff instead...??

[Bort]

Donate it to charity? I understand I can do this on-site? I ended up doing this with my dreadful tent last year at Coachella.

[Dog Burger]

I live in Bristol and didn't realise there was a direct coach from the airport to the festival. I can speak very highly of the Airport Flier service, which leaves the airport every 15 minutes and will drop you at Temple Meads (railway station) or at the National Express coach station in Marlborough Street. You could either then get the train from Temple Meads to Castle Cary station and use the shuttle bus from there to the site or get a National Express bus from the coach station in Bristol to the site. Others will be able to give you more accurate details than me but I believe the National Express buses used to drop you inside the perimeter fence at the festival - so considerably easier than the train.

I wouldn't stress too much about camping equipment. There are several camping outlets onsite that will stock tents, sleeping bags, mallets, pegs, wellies etc and places like Joe Bananas are excellent for cheap extra blankets, ponchos etc if it gets really cold. I wouldn't really think you'd need to book in advance. Just relax into the festival's very laid-back vibe, have a mooch about and see what the best deals are when you arrive.

Welly prices can vary fairly wildly depending on the weather. If it's bone dry you could talk them down to about a fiver. If it monsoons then you'll quickly find Millets et al selling out. But generally I'd imagine you'll be looking at about a tenner a pair. Obviously the earlier you buy and the drier it is the more chance you've got of getting your size. Hope that helps.

[Greenish]

National Express are often the cheapest you can get.

On site there is usually a millets (camp store) onsite http://www.millets.co.uk/. Millets might not be quite as cheap as Joe Bananas, and i don't know if you can order in advance, but they're good.

I would strongly advise against getting the SS tent. Single Skins are terrible if it rains, which it often does.

[Bort]

Really? Damn. What's an affordable tent for one person that will keep out the rain?

[Dog Burger]

Really? Damn. What's an affordable tent for one person that will keep out the rain?

[Bort]

Oh, okay then. At Coachella there was just one camping gear vendor on-site and it was all expensive.

[Dog Burger]

Oh, okay then. At Coachella there was just one camping gear vendor on-site and it was all expensive.

[Greenish]

Really? Damn. What's an affordable tent for one person that will keep out the rain?

[PCP]

If i were you i would make some time in Bristol and get your stuff in the town centre. Isnt there a train to a nearby station and a shuttle bus from there to the site?

You could even head to Argos - if it's only got to last a few days I'm sure you can pick up some cheap camping bits if you're going to dispose of them afterwards anyway.

Edited March 31, 2009 by PCP

[CardiffWanderer]

By far the cheapest buses from Bristol to London (once you're in the city centre) are with Megabus - see www.megabus.com. They're fairly comfortable and most have toilets (if not, they stop at a service station).

I just had a look and the most expensive ticket on the 29th is £9! And no, I don't work for them.

The Colston Hall, where the buses depart, is right in Bristol city centre. I'll leave it to others to advise on the cheapest way to get there.

[HurrahBrother]

To be honest, the pre-prepared packs from joe Bananas do not inspire confidence. They always seem to have way better kit at their stall on site, including double skinned domes/igloos and a pop-up (umberella type rather than disk/spring type).

Their on site stalls also have woolen blankets (some are old army surplus, others, more civilian waffle pattern) old waxed jackets and old army ponchos (old vulcanized rubber German rain capes normally) all dirt cheep but effective. If you buy an air bed from them, they will inflate it for you there and then.

Before hand, see if you can, get hold of a silk sleeping bag liner (goto ebay, select sporting goods, camping, sleeping bags and search on the word silk and you will see some bargains). Comfy, packs down to a tiny size, weights next to nothing. Useful if your hosteling in Prague as well.

Boot liners/insoles as well (good quality ones, wellies are on site but are often unforgiving on the feet, an insole makes all the difference).

Your flying immediately before? Right out are stoves (any kind, even of you don't have fuel with them) and the alcohol hand gel (highly flammable liquid). The cheapest stove in the UK is the solid fuel hexi stove, they have a reputation of nasty fumes, being toxic to handle, difficult to get going and no control. Green heat is not reliable as well. If you want a stove, a cheap gas cylinder stove is what you want, the flat small breifcase style bistro stoves are often the cheapest.

Opportunity to buy before arrival to the festival? prices will be cheaper than onsite. If your not familiar with the UK, Millets is most likely the biggest chain of stores for camping goods in the UK http://www.millets.co.uk (own brand Eurohike dome = good, own brand Highpoint = bad as they are single skinners) they also have a sister company called Blacks which is slightly more up market/expensive but has slightly better quality kit.

Argos is a catalog shop with all the stock at the back out of sight. They have a healthy camping selection. http://www.argos.co.uk (under sports and leisure) most towns have an argos.

£40 should sort you for a tent, millets often has sales in store not on the website (previous years models). Many under £30.

Onsite

when you get to the site, time dependent, visit joe bananas (last few years, several stalls on site, the biggest stall they have is on the junction of the information point and leftfield) and millets who have a couple of stall there (main one is usually back of queens head between the Glade and the other stage) and size up what they have. There are other camping shops there as well.

You'll want a tent, A double skinned dome or igloo that pitches the outside first will be the best and most forgiving. Always ask about the Hydrostatic head, you want 1500mm or higher (800mm is technically water proof but usually useless, 1200mm proof vs light rain, you start to pay extra for over 2000mm). Avoid the sweaty/leaky monodomes and the Gelert SS/Quickpitch. We are due some a dry one, but if we get the sort of wet one we have had the last few, you will be grateful if your fussy!

a sleeping mat and something to sleep in, silk liner means you can make do with a couple of blankets, I hear Oxfam do have quits and blankets as well (many people prefer them to sleeping bags).

Wellies, Joe Bananas ones are good, I'm still using mine from 2005 (£15 then) but pack some comfy insoles/boot liners. Talc powder as well worth packing anyway.

Water bottles? re-use the large water bottles or the fizzy pop bottles.