Gate worry

[I feel like Pablo]

Hi me again,

Been trying to research gate b and c on here as will be entering from east side for first time this year. 

From what I've read it seems like there are massive disorderly queues on this side and everyone slips into the caravan field with friends and then starts queueing for the gate hours before anyone else can. I am finding this a little concerning. 

Does anyone think I would be better off sticking with what I know and using gate D and trekking accross to cockmill? At least I know where I am and what to expect queue wise, how far to the gate etc. Would be going in blind to gates b and c and can't arrive at 11pm Tuesday as usual due to the little one won't be able to arrive until 5/6am Wednesday morning. 

Essentially, help me. 

[incident]

I don't have an answer for you, but last time I saw it, Cockmill filled up ridiculously quickly - If you're coming in via Gate D, I reckon you'd need to be one of the first in if you want to get a reasonable spot. Everyone entering through one of the East side gates will have about an hour on you, and that alone will be enough to more than half fill the field.

Would Wicket Ground not be an option? It's also Family Camping, with easy access to Gate A, and doesn't tend to fill up at all.

[I feel like Pablo]

Hi thanks for responding! 

Yeh I just don't get how it fills up so quickly? Do people go ahead and then come with their kids after? This was my other thought that we could do that.  but then the thought of wrangling my baby on my own going through the gates separately from my husband some hours later through a route I've never been through somehow felt like the worse option? 

Haven't really considered wicket as a first option due to being further away and using gate A as we're coming by car so not sure how we would get there? 

[incident]

Gate A is accessible from all the same car parks as Gate D (it's actually closer to quite a few of them) - just a matter of following the signs and if you get stuck ask a steward or marshall.

[sedra]

If you are arriving at that time weds morning you should be ok - the queues are not that disorderly for gate C - there is a clear path through the camper van fields for everyone and a zig zag queuing system set up bottom of the hill. If you want Cockmill you should be fine. We don’t usually arrive til 8.30am and always manage to get over to Kidney Mead ok. Blue car parks are for gate C and Purple car park for gate B. Haven’t done B for years so not sure what the queues are like there. 

[BlueDaze]

also, it really isnt masses that come in to the CV fields with friends on Tuesday.. less than 50 i would suggest.

[I feel like Pablo]

Thanks everyone. I saw a post saying it was about 500 people in CV fields already waiting which alarmed me haha. 

I think we will go with the east side entry and try cockmill but if it's looking full push on to wicket. 

Thank you for your advice. I'm sure it will all be ok. Only 8 weeks to go!!

[EasyUserName]

13 hours ago, I feel like Pablo said:

Hi me again,

Been trying to research gate b and c on here as will be entering from east side for first time this year. 

From what I've read it seems like there are massive disorderly queues on this side and everyone slips into the caravan field with friends and then starts queueing for the gate hours before anyone else can. I am finding this a little concerning. 

Does anyone think I would be better off sticking with what I know and using gate D and trekking accross to cockmill? At least I know where I am and what to expect queue wise, how far to the gate etc. Would be going in blind to gates b and c and can't arrive at 11pm Tuesday as usual due to the little one won't be able to arrive until 5/6am Wednesday morning. 

Essentially, help me. 

In years gone by (2016 and before) the East campervan fields to the left of the Blue Route (E19, 20, 21, 22 (now gone), 23 & 24) had their own smallish fence around them (still do).  You would drive in your van, have it checked and parkup.  Once in, it was not straightforward to get in and out on foot, but I believe you could do it by saying you were "meeting friends already there" etc.  Few people seemed to do this though.  People parking in the carpark overnight on the Tuesday would form a line outside of a gate in East 17.  Around 8am (usually), this gate would be opened, and there would be a flood of people walking through the campervan fields to join the line for Gate C.  The "hack" used to be that you would go in with your mates in a van (or meet them after), camp the night in your tent by the van, get up and join the line around 7am.  There were usually a couple of hundred people there forming the line from about 6am.  Doing this got you a good nights sleep, and put you ahead of everyone in the carpark line. 

 

All this changed in 2017 though.  For this year, the campervan fields were "open" from the Tuesday onwards, and so no line formed at the gate in E17, but rather formed on the "hill of death" outside of Gate C.  By 8am there were some considerable hundreds (if not a thousand or two) people, and when I joined the line around 8am I started at the top of the field (the line snaked around quite a bit down the hill).  I didn't get in until around 1130 / 12ish from memory? 

 

Here is the line at Gate C in 2015 at 1730 on Tuesday afternoon.

 

 

This is the line on Wed at 0700 (looking towards the gate).  There was at least the same amount of people behind me at this point.

 

 

I don't have any photos for 2017 to hand, but at 0800 the line went up the side of the field (away from the gate), around the field to the top of the hill and back past the food vans etc almost to the entry between East 20 and East 19.  Thousands I'd say at that point. 

Source:  Many years in a campervan in East. 

[I feel like Pablo]

42 minutes ago, EasyUserName said:

In years gone by (2016 and before) the East campervan fields to the left of the Blue Route (E19, 20, 21, 22 (now gone), 23 & 24) had their own smallish fence around them (still do).  You would drive in your van, have it checked and parkup.  Once in, it was not straightforward to get in and out on foot, but I believe you could do it by saying you were "meeting friends already there" etc.  Few people seemed to do this though.  People parking in the carpark overnight on the Tuesday would form a line outside of a gate in East 17.  Around 8am (usually), this gate would be opened, and there would be a flood of people walking through the campervan fields to join the line for Gate C.  The "hack" used to be that you would go in with your mates in a van (or meet them after), camp the night in your tent by the van, get up and join the line around 7am.  There were usually a couple of hundred people there forming the line from about 6am.  Doing this got you a good nights sleep, and put you ahead of everyone in the carpark line. 

 

All this changed in 2017 though.  For this year, the campervan fields were "open" from the Tuesday onwards, and so no line formed at the gate in E17, but rather formed on the "hill of death" outside of Gate C.  By 8am there were some considerable hundreds (if not a thousand or two) people, and when I joined the line around 8am I started at the top of the field (the line snaked around quite a bit down the hill).  I didn't get in until around 1130 / 12ish from memory? 

 

Here is the line at Gate C in 2015 at 1730 on Tuesday afternoon.

 

 

This is the line on Wed at 0700 (looking towards the gate).  There was at least the same amount of people behind me at this point.

 

 

I don't have any photos for 2017 to hand, but at 0800 the line went up the side of the field (away from the gate), around the field to the top of the hill and back past the food vans etc almost to the entry between East 20 and East 19.  Thousands I'd say at that point. 

Source:  Many years in a campervan in East. 

Thank you for this. So would you say 2017 was better or worse than previous years? we will be arriving around 5.30am to the east side. I suppose we will have to just take what were dealt! In previous years at gate d there seem to have been a distinct lack of stewards and when queues snake round the perimeter of fields they have a tendancy to collapse as people skip the corners and go right down to the edge. Hoping for more Stewards and directions this year. 

Perhaps there will be with more security set up as there was in 2017. 

[EasyUserName]

Evening Pablo.  Would I say 2017 was better or worse than previous years?  That depends on your perspective.  If you were in the carpark, then I'd say 2017 was better.  If I was in the campervan field (as I was) I'd say worse. 

 

I see you mention Gate D and a lack of control on the queues.  Well, with Gate C, the final approach in the camper-van fields is very limited.  I can't say how it will be this year, but in 2017 it followed the yellow path (below):

 

 

There was fencing, and stewards.  There was no room for "cheating" on the line. 

 

What will 2019 bring?  I can't say personally.  I've benefited from the system for some years now, and enjoyed being in East Camper-van fields (left).  This has meant (for me), no stress breakfast before walking down to the line in the early (0700-ish) morning to get in on site for 0830-ish, casually walking in.  2017 changed that. 

 

What would I do, based on your information?  There seems to be me to be a couple of "hacks" left.  Firstly, work on site.  That's not an option here, so I'd say get in on the bus.  There seems to me enough comments to say that in the past Gate A bus people have the priority in their queue.  Rather like it used to be for "friends" in the East Camper van fields.  Park, get the shuttle bus from Bath & West.  Appreciate that you have a youngster - it might be worth splitting up. One of you get the bus from B&W.  I've seen a few comments to say that the bus into Gate A will get you on to site very promptly.

 

Are you expecting to be arriving Wed 0530?  I'd say based on what I can see, that's not the best time (for any gate you can drive to).  If you think about this - everyone wants to be "early".   Arriving 0530 for everyone is "early".  There will be plenty of people who are there from 2100 the night before. 

 

 

[Miathedog]

Hi, we always used to queue overnight for Cockmill, with baby etc. In 2017 we rocked up about midday and strolled straight in and found a fair bit of space. We are never not going to do this again. So much easier. We reckon it's because everyone is glamping these days.

Helps if you only take a little tent, obvs. We used to take a massive one and everything but the kitchen sink but now it's lightweight all the way,

[I feel like Pablo]

Hi all,

Sorry for late reply, thank you so much for your responses. A lot to think about - namely does my husband arrive Tuesday night without me, do we both arrive at 5.30am and hope a steward takes pity on me with the baby OR do we gamble and arrive at midday? 

We are going to take some time to think it over and decide a little closer to the time. Will report back but in the mean time, if anyone else has any advice to add to the pile it would be greatly received to help us decide. 

[EasyUserName]

13 hours ago, I feel like Pablo said:

Hi all,

Sorry for late reply, thank you so much for your responses. A lot to think about - namely does my husband arrive Tuesday night without me, do we both arrive at 5.30am and hope a steward takes pity on me with the baby OR do we gamble and arrive at midday? 

We are going to take some time to think it over and decide a little closer to the time. Will report back but in the mean time, if anyone else has any advice to add to the pile it would be greatly received to help us decide. 

Who can say how it will play out this year?

 

For some extra detail from 2017 on how it went for me:

This map I have made shows Gate C, E21 & E20.  On the morning of the Wed. after wandering down before breakfast, I saw how big the line was (back to E19) and decided to have breakfast at the van.  I joined the line around 1030 towards the back of E20.  I took three photos along the way. 

 

This one below is at 1054, in E20, looking back towards the entry from E21.  The vans in this shot are the vans that sit on top of the hill in E20.  I'd guess I'd been in the line 20-30m by this point?  I've labeled this as "Point One" on the map above.

 

 

By 1113, I'd moved to point two (so around 20m between the two points).  This is the view looking towards where I was in the above photo.

 

 

This is the view looking down the field showing the line and the gate.  The line runs to the right of this photo, and expanded out at this point as the field was quite wide there.

 

 

I was in and taking a photo at the Avalon Inn by 1316 though, so it took me a further 2 hours to get from Point Two (above photo) to the Avalon Inn, or about 3h for the whole trip from the start of the line, or at least 3 to 3h30m hours from the van in E21 to my first beer.

 

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by EasyUserName
Photos the wrong way around

[Cooter]

Great info and great pics EasyUserName

 

but can you change "due to the slope" to "due to the hill of death"

[ThePope]

Hola,

Myself and a few cardinals have general admission tix for the first time in 5 years. Want to try to secure a space in Pennard for around 4/5 tents. Do we need to be in the queue Tuesday night at 9pm Or is 2/3am Wednesday okay? 

 

Also, is PGA the best to enter through, or is PGD better? I’ve only ever gone through A, but this year will be coming from West Car Parks.

Thanks in advance. 

 

Pope

[StoneCircle]

15 minutes ago, ThePope said:

Hola,

Myself and a few cardinals have general admission tix for the first time in 5 years. Want to try to secure a space in Pennard for around 4/5 tents. Do we need to be in the queue Tuesday night at 9pm Or is 2/3am Wednesday okay? 

 

Also, is PGA the best to enter through, or is PGD better? I’ve only ever gone through A, but this year will be coming from West Car Parks.

Thanks in advance. 

 

Pope

I would suggest you start a new thread asking the question as it bears little relevance to this thread. 

[ThePope]

11 minutes ago, StoneCircle said:

I would suggest you start a new thread asking the question as it bears little relevance to this thread. 

Well the title of the thread is ‘Gate Worry’ and in it, there is the discussion of gates and worry and queues, which part of my question is in relation to. Instead of opening a 362788th thread, I thought I best put it in the most relevant one. 

 

Apologies if if that’s not common practice.

 

[StoneCircle]

5 minutes ago, ThePope said:

Well the title of the thread is ‘Gate Worry’ and in it, there is the discussion of gates and worry and queues, which part of my question is in relation to. Instead of opening a 362788th thread, I thought I best put it in the most relevant one. 

 

Apologies if if that’s not common practice.

 

I just think you would get more replies in a new thread, nothing at all to do with common practice on here. On any forums people tend to read the OP (Original Post) and then reply, so your question will be lost. Only trying to help! 

Edited May 10, 2019 by StoneCircle

[ThePope]

6 minutes ago, StoneCircle said:

I just think you would get more replies in a new thread, nothing at all to do with common practice on here. On any forums people tend to read the OP (Original Post) and then reply, so your question will be lost. Only trying to help! 

Cheers Stoney. You’re a good bloke/bird. 

[ThePope]

I’m often misdiagnosed as a bad egg because I’ve got -11votes. This was essentially due to saying how much I enjoyed Kanye. 

 

All the best 

[StoneCircle]

7 minutes ago, ThePope said:

Cheers Stoney. You’re a good bloke/bird. 

Have an upvote from a bird! 

[EasyUserName]

1 hour ago, ThePope said:

I’m often misdiagnosed as a bad egg because I’ve got -11votes. This was essentially due to saying how much I enjoyed Kanye. 

 

All the best 

Let me help with another one vote up.  Kayne wasn't all that bad

 

I am afraid I cannot help with "up-to-date" detail on the West side.  The only information I've seen is that the bus people (coming in via Gate A) get some sort of priority for Gate A.  I assume in a practical sense, this is done by the carpark line being herded one way, and the bus line being added in closer to the gate (think "fast track security" at the airport). 

 

If I was a punter coming in (aiming for camping this year), I'd personally try the "Bath & West Hack" that I've seen discussed.  That is to say, park (or something, I am not too sure how it works on the Bath & West end) and get the Bath & West bus over around 6am.  I've seen comments to say there are buses over from there to Gate A that early.  This (assuming it worked) would mean you'd be towards the front of the line for Gate A, ahead of those people in the carpark line going to Gate A.

 

If I was keen on a specific site (Kidney Meed was always my favorite when I camped), then this is what I'd be trying this year. 

 

 

 

 

[Jung]

On 5/2/2019 at 10:08 PM, I feel like Pablo said:

Hi thanks for responding! 

Yeh I just don't get how it fills up so quickly? Do people go ahead and then come with their kids after? This was my other thought that we could do that.  but then the thought of wrangling my baby on my own going through the gates separately from my husband some hours later through a route I've never been through somehow felt like the worse option? 

Haven't really considered wicket as a first option due to being further away and using gate A as we're coming by car so not sure how we would get there? 

Send the baby in first, they are smaller so will be able to crawl through people's legs in the queue and get a good spot for you in the campsite, then you and your husband follow up later with all the kit

[Gabi_says]

On 5/10/2019 at 7:50 PM, ThePope said:

I’m often misdiagnosed as a bad egg because I’ve got -11votes. This was essentially due to saying how much I enjoyed Kanye. 

 

All the best 

 

On 5/10/2019 at 7:56 PM, StoneCircle said:

Have an upvote from a bird! 

And have another one. And hopefully a great Glasto, enjoying whichever band/artist you like. 

[Flysheet]

There was still room in Cockmill well after lunch in 17, prime spots had gone but you could get in.