Arriving with kids at Glasto as single parent

[ZanyWany]

I am taking my 2 kids, 10 and 7 to Glastonbury this year. I have been before but I am dreading arriving at the site with tent, kids and all our gear and walking the long walk from the car to the site and then trying to find a pitch for our tent in the family camping. Any tips on how to go about it? Is there a separate car park next to the family camping? Do you need to get to the site early on Tuesday just to get into the family camping area?br

[King Kong]

I would highly recommend getting some sort of trolley (couple of trolley threads on here) - No car parking anywhere near the family camping so you've got a long walk with two kids who obviously wont be able or want to carry much. You'll want to get all your gear in in one go as you wont be able to leave your kids while you nip back to the car.

[PabloCoke]

I would highly recommend getting some sort of trolley (couple of trolley threads on here) - No car parking anywhere near the family camping so you've got a long walk with two kids who obviously wont be able or want to carry much. You'll want to get all your gear in in one go as you wont be able to leave your kids while you nip back to the car.

[lme]

I've done the last 4 years with 3 girls (now 8/12/14)and I'd echo the recommendation to get a decent trolly. We have one of those 4 wheeled garden carts with a handle and it is fantastic. Generally, we arrive on a Wednesday & park in whichever family field has space. Cockmills fills up fast but, with older kids like yours, being near the Kidz field is less of an issue. I'd be tempted to go for the 'new' family field as there is more space. Unless you travel really light, I'd do one trip with the tent, put it up & then go back for everything else. with or without the kids. Mine wander happily around the site with mobiles and love having the freedom to explore. If you want to travel light, I wouldn't bother bringing much in the way of food unless you are on a real budget. The food stalls are fantastic. We generally go home late on a Sunday, doing one run for everything but the tent then another with the tent (our tent is big). It is usually myself & my eldest doing the carrying / trolly pulling on the way back while the younger ones go off to the Kidz field.

[vinylvictim]

I go with what Ime said, we've taken our eldest for the past 3 years (last year I went on my own with him) and found family camping in Wicket Ground to be a very decent place to camp - it does involve a longer walk from almost everywhere at night but with a 4 wheel garden trolley it's more than manageable for everyone.

We were parked in the East car parks last year and had to hike across site - this year we're aiming for West car parks and Ped Gate A which is very close to Wicket. With a bit of luck we'll end up in a car park not too far away.

To keep the load down last year, we took virtually no food at all. Just some breakfast stuff for the wee lad. Managed both on-site and off-site trips in one go. Your eldest is probably at an age where they can help carry a bag - that'll help too!

[slaneuk]

Done this several times with 4/7/11.

Go on Weds - Kids field opens on Thurs and its fantastic to spend a day there.

If your tent is small, you'll find somewhere to squeeze in. After all, if there is a tent-size space near you one day, it'll be gone the next!!

Dont forget to fill out the kids school's authorised absence forms (based on must-take holiday during term time) for w/t/f/mon. Most schools will be fine with it and they'll know unofficially why you are going. Well-run music festivals are educational after all!! Its unfair to claim the sickie option as they'll be dying to tell their friends. Also stay till early Mon morning b4 leaving so you have a few hours kip. Dont put them in school on Monday as they'll be exhausted. (did it one year, they kept falling asleep in class )

Dont go to near the front of stages in the evening slots. Youngster get tired very easily and often fall asleep. Your surrounding neighbours are usually very considerate (the festival spirit) in making sure they dont get trodden on. Make sure they wear bright colours too so they are seen.

Trolleys are good. But with 7 & 10 year olds, make sure they have a good rucksack with strap across so they can pitch in and help. It adds to the join in spirit. Even if it is carrying their own clothes. If you must take two trips then tent first to pitch then back for the other stuff. After all, you'll be leaving the tent alone for several days, so there's no point stressing about the security of that! When packing up, its worth taking some stuff back to the car on sun morning. It lightens the load for the real trek home.

Plenty of food there but it is pricey so lots of healthy snacks will keep your budget down. We always seem to take too much food but we're getting used to it now We try to go on a big breakfast which keeps us going. The milk van is regular now in the morning and also sells orangejuice and flavoured yoghurt drinks. Captive market but convenient.

And above all else, enjoy the weekend. Friends were somewhat sceptical when we say we take the kids. Never had a problem and always had a good time