What is your arrival strategy ?

[nowyouregideon]

I usually get to the drop off point by about 4am, in the queue somewhere around 6. This year we have booked Holt Farm, which doesn't open until noon.

 

Ill still be going via pick up and drop off but I've never really seen the queues at any other time. Does anyone know would be a good time to get to drop off to be walking through the gates about 11am? Or is it better just to get it all done early as possible and then wait for 12 o'clock inside?

[Chris_R]

As I am working GFEL crew this year, looking forward to breezing in on Sunday lunchtime to pitch the tent and then come back on Tuesday evening after the Mrs finishes work.

[emmaroid]

15 hours ago, 4AssedMonkey said:

Having done the overnight drive/early queue every fest since 2010, this year we're in at Holt Farm.  Can't access the car park until midday on Weds so looking to drive down early AM from West Yorks (maybe 5am start?), meeting all the gang in Sainsbury's in Street about 11:00am, then driving in convoy to the site about 11:30am. Feels a bit weird not looking to pull an all nighter and drinking all night in the queue! 

Exactly the same here. I've always aimed to arrive at Gate D somewhere between midnight and about 2am to be guaranteed a good position in the queue. With booking Holt Farm this year, I've no idea when I should set off. It usually takes us just over 4 hours but no doubt the traffic will be a lot busier in the morning compared with late at night.

Do you think the HF car park will actually be open earlier than midday as presumably it uses the same lane/entrance as SL?

I do feel a little bit sad I'm missing out on the usual Tuesday night excitement but I am also looking forward to having a good nights sleep and feeling completely fresh on the Wednesday for a change.

[4AssedMonkey]

43 minutes ago, emmaroid said:

Exactly the same here. I've always aimed to arrive at Gate D somewhere between midnight and about 2am to be guaranteed a good position in the queue. With booking Holt Farm this year, I've no idea when I should set off. It usually takes us just over 4 hours but no doubt the traffic will be a lot busier in the morning compared with late at night.

Do you think the HF car park will actually be open earlier than midday as presumably it uses the same lane/entrance as SL?

I do feel a little bit sad I'm missing out on the usual Tuesday night excitement but I am also looking forward to having a good nights sleep and feeling completely fresh on the Wednesday for a change.

 

I emailed Holt Farm just after booking it to ask whether the car park will be open earlier than midday and they said not.  The claim is that there are licence restrictions.  I reckon they're hoping the Gate D queue will have gone by then so it will be less congested.

[LinvoyPrimus]

I'm camping in Love Fields and currently trying/failing to work out what time arrival is – I understand glamping sites have a delayed opening time to ease the pressure on the main gates etc., just not a clue when that is!

So my arrival plan is... whatever time they open. It's a separate car park and all that and my understanding is that there's a separate 'route' into the car park.

Edit: I have rather embarrassingly just seen that gates open at 12pm.

Edited May 29, 2024 by LinvoyPrimus

[svphie]

We're driving from Cirencester, so about 1h45 to the area according to maps. does anyone know if us leaving home at 7am is worthy of getting space for 2 tents in, say, dairy ground or the edge of paines ground?

 

I'm such a noob when it comes to driving there and have no idea what to expect really. just would like to camp around there without having to get up suppppper early.

[Spindles]

Should be no problem in Paynes or Dairy, I've arrived at midnight on the Wednesday and fit 2 tents in Paynes without a problem.

[Monty Pythagoras]

Should be getting to site about 6:30/7:00 Gate A. What time should we expect to be getting in?

[upstream]

On 5/29/2024 at 11:18 AM, Chris_R said:

As I am working GFEL crew this year, looking forward to breezing in on Sunday lunchtime to pitch the tent and then come back on Tuesday evening after the Mrs finishes work.

popping in this evening to pitch tent 

[flyingmonkeypigs]

59 minutes ago, Monty Pythagoras said:

Should be getting to site about 6:30/7:00 Gate A. What time should we expect to be getting in?

My coach was due in at 6am in 2019 (think it was a little earlier than that in the end). It felt like I was one of the first on site, no tents around when I pitched up in Paines Ground. Would have thought you'll be in by 10 at the latest.

[flyingmonkeypigs]

Coach from Manchester at 0230, little later than I'd have liked but I left it too long to book. Should arrive around 0800, queue, long walk to Pennards, pitch up then catch up on sleep ready for the weekend. Wake up to new neighbours 

[Aragorn]

Working - so in at 8am Monday morning before taking it all in and finding a crew bar 😄 

[Twiggy553]

I live in the South Lakes and I’m staying in CV East.

 

Trying to decide whether to do the drive in one, (probably arriving around midnight Tuesday).

or

 

Stay at my parents (around 2hrs  from the site) and set off after breakfast, probably arriving around 10am Wednesday…

 

I think the latter is probably the sensible option 🤷‍♂️ 

 

[mrfunk]

Working, aiming to get too red Gate 9am Monday.. any crew on here have any inclination what the traffic is like on the Monday morning? I was assuming it’s going to be busy as F, with the catering arriving?

[Aries]

Away with work next week, back from Belfast on Weds night, home around midnight then 6am train on Thursday morning arriving at Castle Cary at 11am. All going well I won’t be waiting too long for a shuttle to site and then to Bushy Ground, try and get a spot near mates. Then straight to the cider bus 😁

[tarw]

5 hours ago, Aragorn said:

Working - so in at 8am Monday morning before taking it all in and finding a crew bar 😄 

A bar at 9am?  Will you make the meet?

[upstream]

went in yesterday and set tent up and caught up with some old friends 

[gherkin8r]

Looking at arriving late on Tuesday night and queueing before hopefully getting pitched up in one of the family camp sites pretty swiftly on Wednesday morning. Is purple route the best bet here and Cockmill family camping? Had toyed with the idea of going for pink/orange car parks and giving wicket family camping a try.

[Avalon_Fields]

Just imagine if the gate queues were always like this:

[dicko_belfast]

Flight lands from Belfast at 9.40am, then 11am coach down to Gate A - also staying at Holt Farm, some folk previously kindly advised that we should probably stick to the perimeter and walk around the outside to Holt Farm entrance rather than going through Gate A and through the site - will be carrying lots of stuff so hoping we don't get lost! 

[Crazyfool01]

waiting nervously at home while all the early arrivals happen and staring at the webcam  ... then setting off at 5.30 am for the festival 

[gooner1990]

6 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

waiting nervously at home while all the early arrivals happen and staring at the webcam  ... then setting off at 5.30 am for the festival 

staring at it at 4.30am ?!

 

I've been away for two weeks.......came home last night and was like 'oh, glastonbury is in three days!'

[nikkic]

My son has his sports day on Wednesday, which I wouldn’t miss for the world. 

So we’ll do the school run Thursday AM, drop the dog off at the sitters and then head down at 10ish. 

Hopefully on site by 2pm.

 

Our pals are taking our tent, so cider will be in hand by 2.15pm. 

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, gooner1990 said:

staring at it at 4.30am ?!

 

I've been away for two weeks.......came home last night and was like 'oh, glastonbury is in three days!'

probably from tomorrow 🙂 .... hope you enjoyed the Euros 

[gooner1990]

1 minute ago, Crazyfool01 said:

probably from tomorrow 🙂 .... hope you enjoyed the Euros 

 

yeh was great, i went to 6 games in 7 days which was quite a lot but brilliant fun...Turkey V Georgia was another level crazy....

 

Resting the liver now until Wednesday. 🙂