Best Time To Leave Site?

[gerardfenton18]

Hoping someone can give me a bit of advice...

I will be traveling home on the Birkenhead(Liverpool) to Belfast Ferry. It leaves at 10pm so i would probably need to be ther for about 8.30pm on Monday night.

What is the latest i should leave site, taking into account it normally takes 3 1/2 hours , traffic leaving site and traffic around Bristol and Liverpool.

Any help would be great thanks

[Bonedaddy]

Personally i've never hung around on the Monday, i don't find the wind-down enjoyable like others do (many like to eke out the experience as long as they can and to see the site change). My advice would be to head to your car at 7am (all based on hangover, you don't want to be hitting the roads after Sunday night drinking), get onto the roads without any delay, get clear of the traffic and enjoy a stop-off en-route without any stress.

[pie_and_a_pint]

Yep, if you're in the car before 7am you'll be fine getting out of the car parks (allow a bit longer if there mud, of course, but there won't be ). If you leave later than that you risk being in the car parks for an extended wait - and it's not really predictable how long for.

[UEF]

Get out as early as you can. If you leave it much later than 9-10 AM you will be spending HOURS trying to get to the road... then when you're on the road, more hours in jams until you finally get home.

The truth of the matter is that the logistics of getting on and off glastonbury get worse every year.

Get our Sunday night or very early Monday morning if you can.

I'm tempted to stay to the end of monday this year and leaving late but seeing as you have to keep sober for the car I'd imagine it gets rather boring.

[gerardfenton18]

Get out as early as you can. If you leave it much later than 9-10 AM you will be spending HOURS trying to get to the road... then when you're on the road, more hours in jams until you finally get home.

The truth of the matter is that the logistics of getting on and off glastonbury get worse every year.

Get our Sunday night or very early Monday morning if you can.

I'm tempted to stay to the end of monday this year and leaving late but seeing as you have to keep sober for the car I'd imagine it gets rather boring.

[JGP]

Are the coaches often delayed and does it take a long time to reach the coaches from across the site?

Not sure how early to leave for my 2pm coach on the Monday

[Staff_Sav]

I was struggling by sunday, so hardly drank a thing on sunday day or night. Set an alarm for 4am and packed the tent etc away. Got everything packed into the car by 5am, and was back in Southampton by 6.45am. All depends on how you are feeling on the sunday IMO. If I want a drink then i'll stay and go with the flow, as it was I couldn't handle it any more, so was able to leave early on the monday

[glasto-worker]

Are the coaches often delayed and does it take a long time to reach the coaches from across the site?

Not sure how early to leave for my 2pm coach on the Monday

[frostypaw]

i was thinking along the same lines myself of leaving later 3-4pm ... it means i wont have to worry so much about anything in my system when driving and if im honest i'd prefer to wait about glastonbury site an extra few hours than Birkenhead.

leaving at 3.30 would give me 5 hours to do a 3 1/2 hour journey but would the traffic still be a nightmare?

[gerardfenton18]

this is what we do every year. the nominated driver sobers up, you get time to wander and have a last few munchies and you can listen to the chorus of car horns in the car parks

By the time you leave the car parks are empty and you have plenty of time to check the traffic reports to know which bits have clogged up. There's usually a traffic nightmare somewhere, but always avoidable if you check in advance

[shell82]

We leave late Sunday night/very early Monday morning, drive to a hotel of some sorts at a motorway services, have an awesome shower and sleep, before completing the drive back up north on Monday afternoon. It does mean the driver has to stay sober on Sunday though.

[gerardfenton18]

the whole sober sunday thing... ill be honest... its not going to work for me

[stuwilky]

Sadly it isnt a Science.

If you miss the ferry what happens? Leaving site at 3.30 means that with a good (well fantastic!) run you'll be hitting Birmingham between 5 and 6. Really wouldnt advise on doing that, youve a fair way to go on the M6 as well - which can be a nightmare at the best of times. If missing the ferry isnt an option Id go with an early dart - youve got service station stops to break the drive up and to swop drivers/drink coffee etc!

[Mark E. Spliff]

the whole sober sunday thing... ill be honest... its not going to work for me

[gerardfenton18]

Sadly it isnt a Science.

If you miss the ferry what happens? Leaving site at 3.30 means that with a good (well fantastic!) run you'll be hitting Birmingham between 5 and 6. Really wouldnt advise on doing that, youve a fair way to go on the M6 as well - which can be a nightmare at the best of times. If missing the ferry isnt an option Id go with an early dart - youve got service station stops to break the drive up and to swop drivers/drink coffee etc!

[Keithy]

I've never quite settled on the time to leave. I've done the Sunday midnight leave and the early Monday leave.

The one thing I like about the Sunday midnight leave is knowing you'll wake up in your own bed. The downside is it's a knackering drive - drink aside, don't underestimate how tired you will be driving home. Last time I had windows open, radio blaring, guzzling coffee, *anything* to stay awake. I would have rather have stayed at Glasto and slept .....but I'd taken down the tent.

The Monday morning does require you to be very strict with 'getting up'; it has to be military planning and no dawdling otherwise you'll start to hit the 'queues'.

Experience has led me to take everything bar the tent and the sleeping bag to my car at some point on Sunday afternoon. Then when I come back to the tent at midnight, I tend to make a snap decision - collapse the tent and go or have a 5/6 hour sleep. All depends on how I'm feeling!

[gerardfenton18]

I've never quite settled on the time to leave. I've done the Sunday midnight leave and the early Monday leave.

The one thing I like about the Sunday midnight leave is knowing you'll wake up in your own bed. The downside is it's a knackering drive - drink aside, don't underestimate how tired you will be driving home. Last time I had windows open, radio blaring, guzzling coffee, *anything* to stay awake. I would have rather have stayed at Glasto and slept .....but I'd taken down the tent.

The Monday morning does require you to be very strict with 'getting up'; it has to be military planning and no dawdling otherwise you'll start to hit the 'queues'.

Experience has led me to take everything bar the tent and the sleeping bag to my car at some point on Sunday afternoon. Then when I come back to the tent at midnight, I tend to make a snap decision - collapse the tent and go or have a 5/6 hour sleep. All depends on how I'm feeling!

[GlastoAwe]

The last few years we've left later on the Monday, between 2 and 4 and although we've generally found it easy getting out of west car parks at that time, last year we parked in the east carpark and left at 2ish and queued an hour and a half to get off site,which isn't terrible, but once out the roads were just at a standstill and ended up not getting home to just outside London until nearly 10pm. I realise that's a totally different journey to yours but just shows how totally pot luck it could be for you...how an normal under 3 hour journey could more than double!! To be honest thinking of leaving either during the night on Sunday (if I decide not to drink!) or first thing Monday, before 7 like an earlier poster recommended as I'm so keen to avoid last years hell journey!

[gerardfenton18]

The last few years we've left later on the Monday, between 2 and 4 and although we've generally found it easy getting out of west car parks at that time, last year we parked in the east carpark and left at 2ish and queued an hour and a half to get off site,which isn't terrible, but once out the roads were just at a standstill and ended up not getting home to just outside London until nearly 10pm. I realise that's a totally different journey to yours but just shows how totally pot luck it could be for you...how an normal under 3 hour journey could more than double!! To be honest thinking of leaving either during the night on Sunday (if I decide not to drink!) or first thing Monday, before 7 like an earlier poster recommended as I'm so keen to avoid last years hell journey!

[bekimo]

We left late afternoon on the Monday last year. I was going back with my brother who arrived later and parked about two miles away!!! It took forever toget back to the car but once there, we were out of the carpark straight away and we got home in around half an hour longer than it would normally take! (3 hours as opposed to 2 and a half) I'm having the Tuesday off work this year though! I fell asleep at my desk last year! :/

[gerardfenton18]

We left late afternoon on the Monday last year. I was going back with my brother who arrived later and parked about two miles away!!! It took forever toget back to the car but once there, we were out of the carpark straight away and we got home in around half an hour longer than it would normally take! (3 hours as opposed to 2 and a half) I'm having the Tuesday off work this year though! I fell asleep at my desk last year! :/

[GlastoAwe]

so in your experience it was easier to leave the west carpark at 2 that the east??

[bekimo]

Just the tuesday off??? Your game , i need at least a week off to recover from festivals!!

Out of interest were you parked in the west car park? And what time did you leave?? Thanks

[bekimo]

Edit: double post!

Edited May 1, 2014 by bekimo

[frostypaw]

West or east can be terrible if you're at the back of the queue through the fields - i'm not sure there's anything better about one over the other. someone nearer the exit in West will say it's easier than someone 10 fields in etc we've done both and had groups split up across both, no consistent pattern in over a decade!