Glasto on crutches

[gormless69]

Hey people, it will be my first glasto this year and since i have bought my ticket i did something a bit dumb and ended up on crutches (again) and will still be on them when the festival weekend rolls around. Im not new to festivals at all having spent the best part of ten years going to Reading, Download, Big Chill and Bloodstock; but as im new to this one ands its the biggest one of them all i thought id ask some help. Would there be a decent place to camp thats kind of in the middle of everything to save needless walking? I dont really want to take a disabled ticket as there are people that need that service more than i do. The crutch is mainly for when my leg gets tired and i can still walk for long distances, just slowly. Im not going to be stupid about it and try to get to the front of all the stages or that sort of thing but i was wondering peoples thoughts of being on crutches at the festival. also how hilly is the area? any advise would be great and if you see a bald guy with one crutch that will be me!

[lofichic]

I was camped with someone on two crutches who'd broken his leg a week before in 1999, he was careful and didn't go around too much and managed fine, but the weather was nice. As you're a festie veteran, obviously you're aware that it's all about the weather - if it's good you'll be fine but if it's muddy you might have a problem!

Just take it easy - unlike a lot of other festivals, there are loads of places where you can chill and sit - tea tents and indoor coffee bar type places, benches at the back of jazzworld etc. Take a folding chair, and as long as your companions are supportive and understanding you should be fine. Generally, people will be helpful and take care of you but obviously it only takes one idiot to barge past you.

Good luck!

[pezzypops]

Holts (square P-8 on the map below) is the most central camping area, i've been there the last two years and had no problems with it. Kidey Mead (K-11) or Oxlyers (M-3) could be handy too, depending on which stages you want to be near.

Edited May 6, 2009 by pezzypops

[hazey_jane]

Join the club!!! Strangely enough my OH is on the phone right now to my MIL telling her that we're going to be taking my crutches to Glastonbury and a knee brace for 'just in case'. I dislocated my left kneecap over 3 months ago. What have you done, may I ask?

I feel your pain and I actually did a similar thread a few weeks ago asking similar questions, I'll see if I can find it and link to it for you. I am planning on taking a little camping stool with me for just in case of getting knackered reasons.

[tazzyb]

I would work out which areas you think you will spend most of your time and camp as near as possible.

As long as you take it slow and carefully you will be fine. I went to V a few years back with a mate on crutches and he was fine. Yes V is no where as near as big as Glastonbury but it does get very crowded. He fashioned his crutches so he could strap themn his back when he was standing watching a band.

Actually just remembered at one Glastonbury the fastest I ever saw some body move in the mud was a guy with one leg and a pair of crutches.

You will be fine lol

[hazey_jane]

Here's my thread on the subject with the answers I got: /index.php?showtopic=118753&hl=">http://www.efestivals.co.uk/forums/index.p...=118753&hl=

Also, as suggested on that thread I contacted Howl to see what happened to him and I hope he won't mind if I put up part of his PM to me:

"A bit of info on my situation at the time first. I broke my ankle and by the point of Glasto was out of a cast but still on crutches. I also had a think called an aircore walker boot that I'd been advised to wear which was like a plastic removable cast. I was good to put minimal weight on my injured foot too so it wasn't all on one leg. This was last year.

I was fortunate with the weather to be honest and against doctors orders only wore the boot thing once when it rained and got a bit slippy, but for the rest of the time I felt completely safe in just normal footwear. Of course everyone was helpful and courteous with giving me room to move. The only thing I will say with the crutches was that by necessity it was a quieter festival and I did miss a few bands I'd have like to have seen for not wanting to trek to the other end of the site and back. I was pooped by the last night too. But not so much it in anyway put a downer on the festival.

Another piece of handy advice would be that if you're taking crutches and you've had them for a while try and take some spare rubber bits for the bottom. By the time I went they had worn quite thin and on soft ground the metal ends broke through, meaning that on firm surfaces they jarred the wrists a lot. I wasn't able to get any replacements on site, but rang my local hospital when I got home and they gave me some no problem.

Lastly people love it if you decorate your crutches with bright colours! They respect the 'I'm not letting it get me down spirit' and it was quite a conversation starter. I also got some battery powered blue tube lights to wrap around them which meant it was easier for people to see in the dark and big crowds that I was on crutches and not just rudely barging into them. They also made decent glow sticks!!!"

If I end up using my crutches whilst there, I'm definitely going to decorate mine!

[miss star]

i broke my ankle in 2007 a greece a month before glastonbury, i spend the weeks before the festival trying every way i could of getting special access to the disable areas since i needed to use a wheelchair more often then my crutches (my arm is also damaged and cant support my weight)

glastonbruy were actually really unhelpful and wouldnt even give me a refund,

it was awful and i missed the festival.

but my friends and family which did go said that they had saw people on crutches there who were really struggling due to the mud caused by rain,

i would of probably gone if i could of convinced people id would be ok, but my mum was admimant that id be in pain and id suffer for it and make those around me suffer (usual mother talk lol)

but now looking back i know it was kinda the right thing

had i been better on crutches or further along in the break so i was able to weight bare on my foot i probably would of gone..

but my advice to you would be

take many pain killer,

plenty of waterproof coverings for your cast

and dont risk damaging yourself anymore

i missed last years festival due to injury again

this year ive been super careful all year but had an operation on my elbow last week..

although its loads better and ive got my ticket

ill be there being super carefull

[rollingpaulo]

hey

I like your attitude. I'm going to glasters for the first time in a wheelchair - adopt the right attitude and it'll be no worries. It's one of the friendliest places on the planet, if you're cool poeple are cool in return. A smile and someone will go to the bar - noodle shop for you. It'll be a good time.

If you see a wheelchair with big off road tyres with spokey dokey and fairly lights, pop over and say hi and I'll give you and shot of vodka from the optic hanging off the back.

Have fun

Paul x

[Peony]

Thanks for posting this, there are some good tips here that relate to us too - my husband is in the same boat, a month ago he was playing AFL (Aussie rules football) and ruptured his ACL as well as a bunch of other things and fracturing his femur and tibia.

Due to us coming OS for this festival his surgery has been pushed back until we return home, but in the meantime the doctors have given him a hinge brace so he doesn't have to be on crutches and can move around a bit easier and advised him to look after himself at the festival (i.e. no getting too messy) - probably a good thing as it will force us to take it easy.

So combined with the hinge brace and taking it easy, we also plan on taking some anti-inflammatory tablets along with us in case it flares up and becomes painful. Aside from that I guess all we can do is pray for sunshine!

[gormless69]

thanks very much for all the info people have entered into the thread, as well as the link to the other one. im mildly lucky in respect that the injury i have isnt bone and i wont have a cast. its a ligament or cartilage rip so i just put my knee strap on and walk slowly on one crutch. thank you for the map that was a great help. im sure there are millions of those out there but you spent the time to put it up so thanks again. i have the download festival a fortnight before so i suppose i can find out how much i can do so all i will need to do is double it and i wont be anywhere near the scale of glastonbury! im glad there are many resting stops along the way so if needs be a quick sit can be had. i think im going to be something of an invalid rambo with a chair and a crutch strapped on my back. i look forward to it.

and paul, the idea of the optic made me laugh so much. if i do see you i will swap ya some of my vodka that i will no doubt have on me at some point.

[miss_bunbury]

Thought I'd be in the same boat 'till a couple of weeks ago, I dislocated my knee last winter and it got fairly mangled in the process so the healing process has been quite slow. I've been doing what I like to call 'glasto training' over the past couple of weeks since I ditched my crutches, trying bit by bit to walk further distances every couple of days to strengthen my leg up a bit and doing as much physio as I can. I'm quite an independent person and don't like paying for taxis/buses and things if I don't need to so I got a lot of practice in on my 6 months on crutches so I thought I'd share a couple of tips I picked up that might be useful in general.

On average I think I was going through a pair of rubber feet about every 4 weeks so as mentioned before make sure you get a new set before you leave for the festival because without them things can become really uncomfortable.

If you havn't done so already try and make something to make the handles a little more comfortable, there are quite a few things you can buy for this but the best solution I found was to get some synthetic sponges and tape them to the handles of your crutches folded in half. You can shape them so they fit your hands. I used the green carpet tape (less slippy than duck tape) and then covered them with tubigrip (the small wrist support size fitted best), this is the best covering I found because it's not too soft that your hands slip and not too rough to be uncomfortable. Socks work quite well too if you sew them into the sponges so they don't move around too much.

Final tip is to get a small backpack if you're planning on going it alone at all (even small distances) to carry anything you can't fit into your pockets. Try and find something witch straps that aren't too rough because they can rub on your underarms a bit as you're walking, so if you're planning on this vest tops aren't the best option.

Festival wise I think most of the bigger main stages have disabled viewing stands, usually near the back, level to or to the side and just behind the mixing desk. That way you can get a good view without being pushed around. It's a really friendly festival so there will be plenty of people around willing to offer help and advice in general.

Hope some of this is helpful to someone and you all heal up quickly

P.s. Thanks for the idea on anti-inflammatory tablets Peony, that'll be the first thing on my list behind tickets and tent. Stupidly the idea has never even occurred to me!

Edited May 14, 2009 by miss_bunbury