Queues at Gate C

[Grace_135]

Hi guys,

I'm new to the forum and my fourth year at Glastonbury. I've normally driven to my uncle's who lives in Pylle and walked on site on the Wednesday but I never had to worry about getting a good camping spot as I was doing Camplite one year and camped backstage in other years.

This year I'm going with friends and we're gonna try camping in Pennard Hill which I know fills up really quickly. My question is does anyone have experience of the queues at Gate C (photos?) when gates open on Wednesday morning? We are staying at my cousins and walking to the gate early Wednesday morning, I know the searches will slow things down but it also says everyone has to stay in their cars until 8am so maybe if we got there early, we could miss the queues? I also know Gate C has less car parks surrounding it than Gate D so fingers crossed, what do you guys think?

[Magic Bus]

The queue for PGC on Wednesday morning is usually very long and slow. We're in a campervan and watch the progress of it every year. A couple of years ago, it was backed up through about 4 campervan fields to the car parks - I know this as I had to walk back along it to take bacon rolls to friends in the queue.

[Grace_135]

Ah thanks for the information. Any idea how long it takes in the morning?

[EasyUserName]

Your best hope is to try and get into the campervan field before 7am. In years gone past I assume this was done by saying you had friends there or something the night before, and camping over. This would have put you at the head of the car park people.  Seemed to be quite the popular method these last few years. I'd have guessed there was a good 400 - 500 people waiting inside the campervan field already before they let the car park people in, in 2015 when I last looked.

 

This year, who knows. Its possible the might tighten up on letting people into the campervan fields on foot, or possibly not.

 

I suspect they'll need to do something eventually as its getting a little silly now (especially when you compare it to campervan West where I believe the line at opening time has maybe 20 people in it - because there is no way in from the carparks).

[Flysheet]

9am last year there wasn't one cos everyone was stuck in traffic I guess. 

[EasyUserName]

3 minutes ago, Flysheet said:

9am last year there wasn't one cos everyone was stuck in traffic I guess. 

It was quiet, that's true. I went in from my van later than I tried in 2015 & you're right you could have camped with little time waiting (from the campervan field) - but you had to have been lucky just getting into the campervan field!

[Flysheet]

1 minute ago, EasyUserName said:

It was quiet, that's true. I went in from my van later than I tried in 2015 & you're right you could have camped with little time waiting (from the campervan field) - but you had to have been lucky just getting into the campervan field!

I'd walked from Cannards Grave at 7.30!

[Grace_135]

The way I'm walking in is down the road via Cockmill Farm so technically don't go through the caravan sites or anything to get to the gate so hopefully if we get there before they let the car park people through we should be fine. Gates open at 8am, any idea what time they would let the car park people through?

[Flysheet]

We're staying here the night before so it's a simple question, Gate C is nearest in via blue route, but risking bigger queue, or up to the garden centre and in purple route?

Going in Cockmill for reference 

 

[Youtopia]

16 hours ago, EasyUserName said:

 

I suspect they'll need to do something eventually as its getting a little silly now (especially when you compare it to campervan West where I believe the line at opening time has maybe 20 people in it - because there is no way in from the carparks).

We were in CV west in 2015, I can confirm the queue was tiny before 8am, prob around 15 poeple, we strolled through at about 8:30 having queued for 5 mins!

[p.pete]

3 hours ago, Flysheet said:

We're staying here the night before so it's a simple question, Gate C is nearest in via blue route, but risking bigger queue, or up to the garden centre and in purple route?

Going in Cockmill for reference 

 

I can guarantee that Gate B will have a worse queue.  Never quite sure why it's so long to get in there.  

[Flysheet]

5 minutes ago, p.pete said:

I can guarantee that Gate B will have a worse queue.  Never quite sure why it's so long to get in there.  

Cheers, last year, long story involving the wrong tickets but there was no queue at 9am at C last year but ended up going in B not long after 10 and little queue there either!

[p.pete]

Last year was great  No queue at gate A for us.

[wickmiller]

Apart from last year, we have always come through the East gates to head for Cockmill Meadow family camping. I know it is often the luck of the draw which car park (Blue or Purple) you are directed to, but does anyone have a view on whether Gate C is a quicker access option than Gate B?   We will be arriving late Tuesday evening/early hours of Wednesday morning.

My experience of Gate B is that the queues are prone are more to people pushing in and, therefore, slower moving, but once in from this entrance, it is short walk to Cockmill Meadow.  Gate C, on the otherhand has the infamous 'Hill of Death' to contend with, but at least this is only for any return trip and at the end of the festival. 

Also, still undecided on whether to take in a full loaded trolley in on the first entry and possibly get diverted to a different slower moving inspection queue, or take in the minimum on first entry to get the tent up and return for trolley at a quieter time in the day.