Easiest way to get to Weston Park from Manchester?

[Megan Rowlands]

Basically, we havent booked a coach or anything there's only two of us and I am thinking of driving up but it might be a pain queuing on the motorway, trains and shuttlebusses seem abit complicated but I'm just searching for the simplest way there. Any ideas?

[thetime]

Basically, we havent booked a coach or anything there's only two of us and I am thinking of driving up but it might be a pain queuing on the motorway, trains and shuttlebusses seem abit complicated but I'm just searching for the simplest way there. Any ideas?

[fenderstratz]

If you leave from Manchester before 6am you will miss most of the motorway traffic.

[juliebee_moosic]

I drove last year from Macclesfield set off at 7 didn't take us that long to get there. However, coming back was a nightmare. A car had set on fire on the road out of the carpark and we were in the car at half 11 ready to go and got home at half 6! Also the carpark we were directed to was miles away from the camp site and we made 3 very long trips from the car (to be far we over packed massively being out first year)

This year, I am going to get the train and shuttle bus. It wont work out much more money wise, Don't have to worry about traffic jams and the coach drop off isnt far from blue campsite which is where I'll be at again this year!

I suppose everone's different and it's trial and error but I'm avoiding the car this year!

[Mr Nasty]

drive, its wasy and you can take shit loads of stuff and leave it in your car then get it as and when.

from manc, go M6, get off at junction 14 and get to weston park from the back entrance to avoid traffic

[phil the shrew]

The M6/M54 junction gets very busy on friday afternoon before the festival so either set off early or try a different route

Possibility might be A49 from Manchester through Warrington and Whitchurch and onto Shrewsbury. Then A5 to Weston park - avoid the motorway then but as there is only one road into weston park expect a wait of some time to get in

[heated debate]

we will be coming from manchester, arriving hopefully about 7am. from the site map, it looks as though East car park is the best to park (i.e the least amount of walking!) i assume you can't choose where you want to park though, do the stewards tell you where to park? i'd be gutted if i had to park in West car park!!

[xxtinkerbellxx]

we will be coming from manchester, arriving hopefully about 7am. from the site map, it looks as though East car park is the best to park (i.e the least amount of walking!) i assume you can't choose where you want to park though, do the stewards tell you where to park? i'd be gutted if i had to park in West car park!!

[heated debate]

thanks for the tip!

[Jie Bie]

West car park is actually not too bad now. It used to be a horrendous walk but last year they changed the route so you could walk through the arena and it cut the walk down massively, only took me the same amount of time to get to camp-sites as the other car parks. You can't choose where you are parking if you go down the A5 route but if you go the M54 way you will be directed to west. I would actually suggest you head for west as you don't sit in traffic, and they open the car parks at 7am whereas on the a5 route you will be waiting around for hours!

[xxtinkerbellxx]

Can you only cut through the arena with all your gear on the Friday though?

If you could do it all weekend then you could just leave plenty booze in your car, go collect it on Saturday or Sunday, tell the stewards you are taking it back to your campsite but just drink it in the arena?

If they question you then just say you didn't want to leave it unattended in the tent on Friday/Saturday after you were robbed at a previous festival (hardly an unlikely story).

[Jie Bie]

Can't walk through arena on Sat/Sun. They stick barriers up on the Fri/Mon so you can only walk one way until you get to the main wristband exchange,campsites etc. They take them out when the arena opens so they are not obstructing the arena.

[xxtinkerbellxx]

So if you did leave some gear in your car and went to get it on Saturday or Sunday you'd have to walk all the way around the arena to get to the west car park and back?

[Jie Bie]

Yup. The walk is honestly not that bad any more though! They used to make you walk the scenic route but its more direct now. It took me longer to get to campsites in 09 when I parked in East than it did last year when I parked in West. East is a right nightmare in my personal opinion, massive fook off hill to walk back up Monday morning lugging all your stuff!

[xxtinkerbellxx]

Cool. Cheers from the info. Driving down from Glasgow on the Friday and thinking of coming off the M6 one junction early and going round to the West side in the hope of easier access. Not sure if it will make much difference though.

[netnet]

Last year we came in on the A5 from the M6 and ended up in the East Car Park which is right next to gold campsite which is fine for us, the previous 2 years we came the same way and ended up in the North Car Park and camped in Blue. So no real choice really other that coming in from the West but after 1 year of doing that was a nightmare and never again!

Wherever you park you'll have a long walk so buy a trolley and don't take everything at once!