Where do you camp and why?

[petewilson09]

7 minutes ago, dotdash79 said:

Into the car park we was pitched at around 10:30

Cool, thanks.

Would you make any changes/recommendations to what you did in 2019? 

[dotdash79]

Just now, petewilson09 said:

Cool, thanks.

Would you make any changes/recommendations to what you did in 2019? 

Well we are traveling down on the Monday and staying in Glastonbury town. We are traveling to site on Wednesday morning at 6am. 
 

I would travel as much as you can the night before and stay in a hotel as close as you can. Motorways hotels are normally cheap and they deal with people traveling at all sort of times. 

[gfa]

Just curious - coach will arrive around 11-12 noon, what would the coach queue be like then? Pretty much walk in right?

also for 10am coach queue?

[al_coholic]

4 hours ago, petewilson09 said:

We are first-timers and have a rough plan of driving down from Leeds leaving about 2am on wednesday morning, getting to car park about 6 ish. 

We have planned to come in via Blue route or at least east side of site and coming in gate B or C. 

We have discussed camping in Big Ground/kidney mead.

Has anyone any thoughts on whether this is feasible or would we be looking at a long queue? Or would we be best leaving earlier  than 2am or leaving later to avoid huge queues? 

 😀 

It's a good plan but I think you are under estimating the times and traffic. 4 hours from Leeds to the East side is a really short time. I think you need time allow another 2 hours. For example I left Telford at 2.30am in 2016 and was in the queue about 05:30am. And that was west side. East side is longer in my opinion. 

[JoeyT]

14 hours ago, Olshansky said:

the only time i ever did the tuesday overnight queue was in 2015.  I didn't wear proper clothes, and even with a blanket and sleeping bag wrapped around me I was absolutely freezing. Not like, annoying freezing - miserable freezing.  Didn't really sleep either, but took a nap after the tent was all set up.  

after 5am or so, the queue would move a good distance every so often, so you didn't really get a chance to rest anyway.  And then of course, the excitement sets in.  

Sounds as horrific as I imagined it to be!

[Harry49]

Overnight Q

 

16 - somehow got into a gate A car park around 4am after trying for East car parks and ending in traffic jam and taking various lanes to skirt round site. Still no idea how. Anyway, pretty grim rain whilst in Q but we’re in to an empty site within 15 minutes. Ended up in Row Mead as could not drag tents further. Aiming for Kidney Mead.

17 - Gate B  arrived about 2 and the q was massive. Got in around 9.15-30 and squeezed party of 6 tents into Big Ground. Caught a couple of naps waiting but the home to gate was pretty tiring with people pushing and shoving most of way.
 

19 - Gate C arrived about 12.30. Very near actual gate. In within 20 minutes of gate opening, set up on 

KM after having choice of location. Had a couple of hours sleep and this was easily best experience.

We like KM/BG so have been happy to Q but a rainy forecast would put me off now. Just happy to be anywhere and not damp and cold for first day.

 

[nikkic]

We've always come through pedestrian gate D, but mainly because we've been ushered that way when driving. 

Are those of you coming through B specifically aiming for that side of the festival?!

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

8 minutes ago, nikkic said:

We've always come through pedestrian gate D, but mainly because we've been ushered that way when driving. 

Are those of you coming through B specifically aiming for that side of the festival?!

Walking from Gate B to any of the western campsites would be pretty horrendous I’d imagine. Would assume anyone going through Gate B wants to be camped around that general Pyramid part, at least I can’t really think of any advantage of aiming for gate B but camping on the west side of the site?

Edited April 7, 2022 by Deaf Nobby Burton

[gfa]

17 hours ago, gfa said:

Just curious - coach will arrive around 11-12 noon, what would the coach queue be like then? Pretty much walk in right?

also for 10am coach queue?

bump

[Divein]

24 minutes ago, gfa said:

bump

They stagger coach arrivals so not everyone arrives at the same time. I think the coach queue is pretty quick as you’re only queuing with other coach people. There’s a separate Q for Gate A for car park people. 12pm should walk straight in, 10am maybe a little longer. 

[gooner1990]

50 minutes ago, gfa said:

bump

I went by coach in 2015 and got into a queue at Ped gate A about 10.30am and was through the gate about 11.15am (just had a look back at some old messages from that years fb messenger group for the festival!)

[nikkic]

1 hour ago, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

Walking from Gate B to any of the western campsites would be pretty horrendous I’d imagine. Would assume anyone going through Gate B wants to be camped around that general Pyramid part, at least I can’t really think of any advantage of aiming for gate B but camping on the west side of the site?

Yeah it would be a long old walk for sure!! 

We always aim for Gate D, but I have this irrational fear that one year we’ll be ushered into an Eastern parking spot!! 

[jimmillen]

3 minutes ago, nikkic said:

Yeah it would be a long old walk for sure!! 

We always aim for Gate D, but I have this irrational fear that one year we’ll be ushered into an Eastern parking spot!! 

FWIW, this is what the festival says:

Quote

 

It is important that you approach the site on the side that you want to park. Using local roads to get to the opposite side of the site causes delays so use main roads that are well away from the site. A few extra miles travelled further away can save hours in queues near to the site. Always follow the directional signs, variable message signs and park where directed by staff.

Also please note that those who parked on the east side of the site last year had the shortest queues at the pedestrian gates and the shortest queues getting out on Monday.

 

I don't think you'd ever be stuck in the opposite side of the festival so long as you arrive from the side you want 🙂 

[incident]

1 minute ago, jimmillen said:

FWIW, this is what the festival says:

I don't think you'd ever be stuck in the opposite side of the festival so long as you arrive from the side you want 🙂 

The only time it happens is in the very rare event that Car Parks on one side are completely full. It has happened (the East Car Parks filled up in I think it was 2015), with people being sent over to the other side, but it's rare and realistically wouldn't happen before the Friday afternoon at the earliest.

[jimmillen]

Just now, incident said:

The only time it happens is in the very rare event that Car Parks on one side are completely full. It has happened (the East Car Parks filled up in I think it was 2015), with people being sent over to the other side, but it's rare and realistically wouldn't happen before the Friday afternoon at the earliest.

Oh, that's interesting - I hadn't realised that!

I guess they'd probably announce it on social media ASAP these days if that were to happen again.

[McCor]

On 4/5/2022 at 5:07 PM, gooner1990 said:

I'm on the coach from Oxford this year, not been on the coach since 2015. 

Does it still depart from outside the Playhouse?  What were the departure/return times in more recent years?

Hello mate 

not sure about the see coaches, we’re doing national express from Gloucester green 

[gfa]

1 hour ago, Divein said:

They stagger coach arrivals so not everyone arrives at the same time. I think the coach queue is pretty quick as you’re only queuing with other coach people. There’s a separate Q for Gate A for car park people. 12pm should walk straight in, 10am maybe a little longer. 

 

37 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

I went by coach in 2015 and got into a queue at Ped gate A about 10.30am and was through the gate about 11.15am (just had a look back at some old messages from that years fb messenger group for the festival!)

cheers

[gooner1990]

16 minutes ago, McCor said:

Hello mate 

not sure about the see coaches, we’re doing national express from Gloucester green 

ok thanks for the reply anyway!

[incident]

1 hour ago, jimmillen said:

Oh, that's interesting - I hadn't realised that!

I guess they'd probably announce it on social media ASAP these days if that were to happen again.

Honestly, I'm not sure they would, unless it happened so early as to involve significant numbers - they didn't in 2015, and as it was only the latest of arrivals that got sent over, the traffic through the village wasn't all that significant - my guess is at the absolute most a couple of hundred cars total, spread across the Friday evening and Saturday daytime.

[glimmers_of_hope]

Quick question,  I'm going on my own this year but want to camp with my friends who will be in the family camping... Will I be let in? I won't have any kids And I'll be arriving on my own on the Thursday (I'm a dad myself and not a party animal... any more).

[David_303]

20 minutes ago, glimmers_of_hope said:

Quick question,  I'm going on my own this year but want to camp with my friends who will be in the family camping... Will I be let in? I won't have any kids And I'll be arriving on my own on the Thursday (I'm a dad myself and not a party animal... any more).

If Cockmill: It's just a field, so you'll have no probs. 

If Wickets: They may have to come and vouch for you at the entrance (to Wicket) , but it will be OK. 

Edited April 7, 2022 by David_303

[jimmillen]

1 hour ago, glimmers_of_hope said:

Quick question,  I'm going on my own this year but want to camp with my friends who will be in the family camping... Will I be let in? I won't have any kids And I'll be arriving on my own on the Thursday (I'm a dad myself and not a party animal... any more).

I believe Cockmills family camping fills up fairly quickly, as it's nearest the kids field there are obvious advantages. If your friends are able to take your tent & pitch up beforehand (if they are arriving earlier?) that might be a good idea. Maybe offer to babysit for a couple of hours to return the favour though, as a parent myself that's always hugely appreciated 😉. 

[Pinhead]

Fucked off with that Gate D queue - always made worse by the topography- up a bloody hill than through 2 snakes at a slant...

Did B last time and was immeasurably better on the level.

[plot2pot]

4 hours ago, glimmers_of_hope said:

Quick question,  I'm going on my own this year but want to camp with my friends who will be in the family camping... Will I be let in? I won't have any kids And I'll be arriving on my own on the Thursday (I'm a dad myself and not a party animal... any more).

We camped in Wicket Ground in 2016 with friends who have kids and had no problems although we did arrive with said friends. Pretty sure if you get them to meet you before you head in so they can vouch for you you’ll be fine. If they can put a tent up for you you’ll have no problem as I came in and out on my own loads of tiles and nobody said anything!

[SecretFish]

I’ll be arriving before the kids (school) and setting up. Hope no issue getting into cockmills without them.