Traveling to and from Glastonbury - Best Method

[tokyodub]

Thanks all for the advice, although now going to have to pray my trolley holds up based on feedback.

Going back and forth with friends regarding the best time to arrive by train, they want to arrive around 10AM to get a better spot but I'm in favour of around 3PM to miss the worst of the queues for the shuttlebus and getting into the festival.

I have a feeling that even if you get there at 10AM, with all the queues, you wont be getting into the festival until 2PM and therefore most of the good camping spots will be gone anyway, so you might as well leave later to spare the waiting around.

Would be good to know peoples thoughts here?

[Losing my hair]

8 minutes ago, tokyodub said:

Thanks all for the advice, although now going to have to pray my trolley holds up based on feedback.

Going back and forth with friends regarding the best time to arrive by train, they want to arrive around 10AM to get a better spot but I'm in favour of around 3PM to miss the worst of the queues for the shuttlebus and getting into the festival.

I have a feeling that even if you get there at 10AM, with all the queues, you wont be getting into the festival until 2PM and therefore most of the good camping spots will be gone anyway, so you might as well leave later to spare the waiting around.

Would be good to know peoples thoughts here?

It really depends on where you want to camp. If you haven't already, then start by reading Tort's Guide to all things Glastonbury. 

https://www.glastoearth.com/ 

[Fish Bulb]

1 hour ago, tokyodub said:

Thanks for the advice - Do you think I would be able to bring one of those collapsable trolleys on the shuttle bus from Bath and West? Its this one if it helps - https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/all-terrain-transport-cart/_/R-p-329960

Yeah you'll be fine with that on the shuttle. Especially if it's folded up and you unfold and load it the other end. 

[Crazyfool01]

2 hours ago, gooner1990 said:

2013 we were in a car park what is now I think Purple 2 (if you look at the 2022 map!) it was so far away may have well been in Shepton Mallet.

Me and a couple of mates went to the car (I think) Friday AM to get some more beer out of one of the cars and the whole ordeal took 2-3 hours! 😄 

That’s why we take the bikes and trailers makes it a fair bit faster and easier on the back 

[Clarence Clemons]

first time taking train back to London on the Monday - booked for 10:30am.

Heard it can be painful, is it a bit of a free for all? 

Will have to leave plenty of time for shuttle to castle cary...

 

[Elmo93]

Hey - I'm actually selling two coach tickets for the following times from London Victoria if this helps? We booked as a group of 6 and 2 of us can't make it but National Express won't let us cancel 2 without the whole group doing the same. 

 

Wednesday 26th

Departs: 09:30

Arrives: 13:00

 

Monday 1st July (early morning)

Departs: 04:30

Arrives: 08:25 

 

 

 

[Pateen]

Train for me from London is always a winner.

Queues getting back to the station takes 4-5 hours but its fine

[Witness]

On 4/26/2024 at 12:23 PM, Pateen said:

Train for me from London is always a winner.

Queues getting back to the station takes 4-5 hours but its fine

 

We're on the 10.30 train down from Paddington on Wednesday. Is the actual train mental or is it just the shuttle queues when you get off the other side?

Thanks

[Johnnyseven]

13 minutes ago, Witness said:

 

We're on the 10.30 train down from Paddington on Wednesday. Is the actual train mental or is it just the shuttle queues when you get off the other side?

Thanks

 

From my experience the trains weren't that busy, they'll put you on whatever train is waiting rather than the train you have specifically bought a ticket for. The queue at Castle Cary was huge though so you could be waiting some time. This was arriving mid to late morning Weds.

 

If it was me, i'd pick coach instead of train. No queueing for a shuttle bus, even though it takes longer.

Edited May 2 by Johnnyseven

[glimmers_of_hope]

On 4/24/2023 at 10:30 PM, TheDayman said:

How many are you splitting the taxi with? Don't underestimate how much space your stuff is going to take up too.

Second that - dependent on whether the people you are travelling with have got tents  it is likely you will need at least a people carrier  because of all the stuff you will need to take.

 

also a consideration, if it is a very wet and muddy year your taxi driver may not be that happy if you all rock up covered in thick wet mud with welly's on.  You might get an additional charge if they need to get the interior cleaned afterwards.  I know it sounds silly but on a really muddy year everything is a state on Monday.

[Twiggy553]

When i lived in London i loved the coach/national express, the convenience was just unbeatable

Edited May 4 by Twiggy553

[foals98]

Very specific question but I have the choice of either getting a train that gets into Castle Cary at 8:18pm or a coach that gets into the festival at 9:30pm on the Wednesday. Which do you think will get me into the festival quicker? I’m basically trying to figure out how busy Castle Cary will be on Wednesday night and how likely it is that I will have to queue for a while for the coach.

[gooner1990]

6 minutes ago, foals98 said:

Very specific question but I have the choice of either getting a train that gets into Castle Cary at 8:18pm or a coach that gets into the festival at 9:30pm on the Wednesday. Which do you think will get me into the festival quicker? I’m basically trying to figure out how busy Castle Cary will be on Wednesday night and how likely it is that I will have to queue for a while for the coach.

Six of one half a dozen of the other

[EavisAintDead]

4 hours ago, foals98 said:

Very specific question but I have the choice of either getting a train that gets into Castle Cary at 8:18pm or a coach that gets into the festival at 9:30pm on the Wednesday. Which do you think will get me into the festival quicker? I’m basically trying to figure out how busy Castle Cary will be on Wednesday night and how likely it is that I will have to queue for a while for the coach.

The transfer from Castle Cary will take 30 mins with maybe a 15 minute wait for the next bus to arrive and then into the same queue as the coach will drop you at (no people but a 5 minute walk with your stuff) so I think train might just win and less time on the train than on the coach but we're talking about minutes difference, not hours

[balti-pie]

for the simplicity of getting on the bus at the start, and then pulling into just outside gate A, and not having to fluff about with transport changes/queues/trains/etc i think i'd go with the bus 👍

[Johnnyseven]

5 hours ago, foals98 said:

Very specific question but I have the choice of either getting a train that gets into Castle Cary at 8:18pm or a coach that gets into the festival at 9:30pm on the Wednesday. Which do you think will get me into the festival quicker? I’m basically trying to figure out how busy Castle Cary will be on Wednesday night and how likely it is that I will have to queue for a while for the coach.

 

Definitely the coach option. Last time I arrived by train on the Wednesday morning I had to join a humungous queue to get on the shuttle bus and had to wait for ages. Plus there is the less hassle factor of only having get one mode of transport and not having to lug all your kit between the two.

Edited June 11 by Johnnyseven

[Aries]

Anyone have any idea what the shuttles from Castle Cary are like on the Thursday? Train is due in at 11:06 and hoping to get in asap!

[foals98]

Thanks for all the help so far, does anyone know what the castle Cary bus queue times are like at 8pm?

[EavisAintDead]

1 minute ago, foals98 said:

Thanks for all the help so far, does anyone know what the castle Cary bus queue times are like at 8pm?

 

26 minutes ago, Aries said:

Anyone have any idea what the shuttles from Castle Cary are like on the Thursday? Train is due in at 11:06 and hoping to get in asap!

Both will be almost non-existent 

[tickleyt]

Hijacking the thread with my own travel question if that's ok!

 

We bought coach tickets (not the ticket inclusive package through SeeTickets, direct from National Express) as we decided against driving this year. We arrive from Manchester at 8am on Wednesday morning, and our coach home is at 2am Sunday direct back to Manchester.

 

With these national express coaches, do we have to be on the 2am one as we've pre-booked it? I've heard various opinions from -
"you'll need to be there 1-2 hours before your coach home and towards the front of the queue or they'll just load other people on it"

"it's a free for all so just turn up at 1.30ish and hope it'll be fine"
"turn up just before 2am but don't be surprised if you end up waiting a few hours"

 

Unsure if it differs when you've booked directly from National Express instead of through SeeTickets? Any help would be amazing please as my wife is worried we should leave the headliners early on Sunday to avoid any issues.