What's your exit strategy?

[Crazyfool01]

around about 10-11 am a gentle stroll to the car .... might do a run on the sunday to make things lighter ..... as long as its not by Ambulance like on a sat previously I will be happy  

[Phoenix Girl]

Husband made me leave during the headliners in 2015. Never again. In 2017 we didn’t want to leave at all - we wandered round the site for half of Monday trying as much of the food as possible. 

[dotdash79]

Not been before but the plan is to leave at about 1pm on the Monday and take our time back up to Manchester. 

[Quark]

4 minutes ago, dotdash79 said:

Not been before but the plan is to leave at about 1pm on the Monday and take our time back up to Manchester. 

Taking your time is a sensible approach. Accept you won't be going anywhere fast and it can massively reduce the amount of rage when you're stuck in traffic!

[Spindles]

I have camped right by the lockup by the coach station the last few years.  What I have seen of the people queuing to drop off and collect stuff it seems like a massive waste of time and effort that only adds to congestion at a key exit point.

 

I really would not recommend it.

[incident]

1 minute ago, Spindles said:

I have camped right by the lockup by the coach station the last few years.  What I have seen of the people queuing to drop off and collect stuff it seems like a massive waste of time and effort that only adds to congestion at a key exit point.

I really would not recommend it.

Yeah, I got caught in that Gate A lockup queue in 2016, I'd left my wallet in there with spare cash etc and needed to get it out on the Sunday night - I was queueing for over an hour with all the people who were trying to get their kit out and who were getting increasingly frantic about missing their departure time.

So anyone that does try that - may be better to select a lockup deeper into the festival site.

[dotdash79]

6 minutes ago, Quark said:

Taking your time is a sensible approach. Accept you won't be going anywhere fast and it can massively reduce the amount of rage when you're stuck in traffic!

Yea, nothing you can do about traffic and if you are in it you are causing it. 

 

We have tuesday off so can have a lazy lazy day the next day. 

[Spindles]

Also beware of the time the lockups close on Monday and how long it can take for everything to be moved to the central lockup after that point.  One year my son left his car keys and satnav at the Gate D lockup, didn't get up til 2pm Monday and the lockups were shut at, I believe, midday.  He then had to go to the lockup up by medical, only to find out it would be later before the stuff arrived, then trudge back across the site and wait in the baking sun for a couple of hours before making the journey there and back again quite late in the afternoon.  It was 2016 and no one could understand how it was a complete mudfest but we both came back like lobsters.

 

A decent exit strategy is worth having, but I have often just decided to wing it on Monday and get offsite by whatever means is most convenient.  I've hitched off with workers a couple of times, nice way to leave, driven across the site as people are packing down and struggling out.  I find the bus to temple meads is a good method of exit, queues aren't usually too bad from later in the morning onwards. 

Edited April 29, 2019 by Spindles

[doogie]

Last time I packed up my stuff during the day on Sunday and left it at one of the lockups.  Around midnight I collected my stuff, headed to gate A and took the 2am National Express coach back to London.  Arrived at Victoria around 6am, got the tube home, dropped off my stuff, had a shower, got changed and went to work for 9am.

I'll probably do the same this time.

Sleep is for wimps.

[Quark]

1 minute ago, doogie said:

Last time I packed up my stuff during the day on Sunday and left it at one of the lockups.  Around midnight I collected my stuff, headed to gate A and took the 2am National Express coach back to London.  Arrived at Victoria around 6am, got the tube home, dropped off my stuff, had a shower, got changed and went to work for 9am.

I'll probably do the same this time.

Sleep is for wimps.

That's as much nonsense as eating is cheating!

[4519dennis]

Normally pack up tent and stuff Monday morning at 6.00 am (usually in Pylon Ground) and amble over to car park. Always drive straight out without any queues. Only varied from this once when we left around 8.30 am and found massive queues to drive out as exits close whilst locals so their school runs (I think that was the reason). Best to go before or simply wait till later mid morning.

[hfuhruhurr]

2010-2016 - in the campervan field, so getting out relies mostly on neighbours moving, but no matter what time we've left, we've got back at 5:30pm.
2017 - since we had Rock Werchter on Wednesday (got G tickets in re-sale unexpectedly), decided to stay sober on Sunday and drive back after daughter had listened to Ed Sheeran - took the trolley loaded with stuff out towards end of Biffy Clyro. What a stupid mistake - utter chaos getting out of car park - stuck for hours, 4 hr drive rather than 2 hrs, got home at 5am.

2019 - staying until Monday noon I reckon, lazy way home.

[dccool]

Bloody hell we've not even arrived yet and we're already talking about coming home!! 

I'll decide my exit strategy around midday on Monday 1st July

[Homer]

Did anyone else click on this thread thinking it was about the long drops?

[Sasperella]

54 minutes ago, Mezhyp1 said:

 just after 5 nights of debauchery 10 hours on a coach really isn't what i want to be doing.  

True! After the grimness of '14 and '16, coaches currently seem like the best option, but a coach to Sheffield is a very different beast to one to Glasgow. Oh well, this year my friend wanted me to still travel from Sheffield with her..which gives me at least a year until I have to worry about that Glasgow hell coach

[Sasperella]

55 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

around about 10-11 am a gentle stroll to the car .... might do a run on the sunday to make things lighter ..... as long as its not by Ambulance like on a sat previously I will be happy  

Ambulance?!

Maybe we need a thread for WORST exit stories...

[Funkyfairy!]

56 minutes ago, tumbles said:

But not all of us are actually going home. Just makes it easier to stay on longer in evening and then leave when we've had enough be it 10pm, 1am, 7am.. packing up is the worst so I get it out of the way early doors while little else is going on!

yeah I know  , it just makes me sper sad and at that stage I am in denial that its even the last day, but seeing people going back to the car as I'm going in makes it all so real that its the last day :-(

[MaseTMT]

Sunday night? not a chance

I treat the Sunday night like its a Friday/Saturday night. Back to the tent around 6-7am once the music has ended and kip for a few hours. Leave once i'm up and awake in no rush. I obviously book the correct amount of time away from work in advance

[Penrhos]

Pack up the camper-van on Sunday morning,

Stop drinking alcohol and switch to water Sunday lunchtime.

Party until 4AM, drive off site and get to decent roads far enough away to escape festival traffic.

Find somewhere quiet to park up and get a few hours kip, finish 5 hour drive home....

[theDandy]

1 hour ago, Mezhyp1 said:

This is particularly unenjoyable living in Glasgow, the coach home is fucking murder for want of a better phrase. Considering flying home this year, just to spend less time actually travelling 

It’s disgraceful enough on the coach back to Liverpool, cannot begin to imagine the harrowing ordeal it is back to Glasgow! My thoughts and prayers go out to anyone who has to experience this 

[Mardy]

We’ve got a coach back this year at 10am, don’t think I’ve done that before. Due back in Canterbury at 3ish, then another hour to get home from there, I guess. Hopefully can just kip/stare out the window

[Flysheet]

Done all sorts over the years, 90 we were back in our local near Sheffield at 9.30pm in the Sunday!

92, kipped up at the Stone Circle then woke up and drove to Sheffield.

93, mullered on the Sunday, threw an all nighter again, drove to Bristol to a mates for a shower, then to Sheffield, went shopping and then home to Chester!

99, outside Joe Bananas at 3am before it was suggested I get some kip!

2000, 02, 03, had the kids in tow so earlyish night with a spliff and up and off by 8

In more recent times, it’s an age thing I guess, 4-5 hours kip, up at 6 and off site stopping at Brislington Tesco for a fry up.

Spot the times when I was single...

 

[sloseph]

Lay down 

Try not to cry 

Cry a lot 

[Flysheet]

Mate of who’s not on here, 07 his only year (a bit damp IIRC). Anyway, on the Monday, he waited for hours for his coach in the chaos. I got hold of him in the way home some time mid-afternoon to tell him that Sheffield was under several feet of water at the drop off point and was a disaster zone, there was no transport and no power at his parents’ house! 

It was three days before could shower and that after a 4 mile walk across the city wading

[Penrhos]

I did the coach in 2017 (Resale lucky ticket). 

Dumped all my stuff in the lockups by Other stage after hearing of long queues at Ped-A lockups and went down SE corner until 2 hours before the coach was due to leave at 6:30AM. Picked my stuff up from lockup, straight onto bus, caught some Z's up to the Gloucester services, had breakfast, went back to sleep, woken up by driver on an empty bus when got home, got bag off bus, caught taxi home. Two hot showers, bed and work the next day.

Was properly broken for rest of week at work though.

If doing the coach/train exit strategy will depend on what time you need to leave site - if dead early try to pull an all-niter and pack-up when you get up, if later get some kip and allow 2 hours to getaway..