2023 See Tickets Coach Times and Departure Points...

[maelzoid]

It'll be my first time on See Coaches. Despite the unsocial hours of my journeys, it still feels like a win compared to other options.

There is some guidance on the ticket about luggage and I have more or less understood it that if I can physically carry it to the bus stop, then it should be OK. I'll have a stuffed rucksack and a cool bag as my 'carry on.'

Just wondering for those that have been by bus before, any incidents of luggage being refused, either yourselves or have you witnessed it. Of course, anyone turning up with a trolley full of slabs of Dark Fruits is taking the piss, but anyone been turned away for less?

[gooner1990]

1 minute ago, maelzoid said:

It'll be my first time on See Coaches. Despite the unsocial hours of my journeys, it still feels like a win compared to other options.

There is some guidance on the ticket about luggage and I have more or less understood it that if I can physically carry it to the bus stop, then it should be OK. I'll have a stuffed rucksack and a cool bag as my 'carry on.'

Just wondering for those that have been by bus before, any incidents of luggage being refused, either yourselves or have you witnessed it. Of course, anyone turning up with a trolley full of slabs of Dark Fruits is taking the piss, but anyone been turned away for less?

The first year I got it in 2015 some guys had their big slabs of alcohol refused as the coach was rammed full and its only supposed to be one bag with you at your seat but I guess it depends on the driver as to whether he enforces it.

[Barneym]

Not wanting to be a downer on this but you did choose a Thursday departure, our group go for London Wednesday coaches before 9am if they are sold it’s onto the general sale like it was this year. I appreciate you can choose the times in London and not elsewhere 

I do however agree that they could just make all the Thursday ones early as it’s not like there are queues to get in by then

[rwhitehouse13]

I’m just hoping I don’t have a repeat of last year, when the coach didn’t arrive! Being stranded at 5.45am in a cold car park is not the way to start your Glastonbury. Replacement bus eventually turned up but we had to wait for our tickets when we got to the festival site as they had been on the original bus….nightmare!

[Barneym]

3 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

The first year I got it in 2015 some guys had their big slabs of alcohol refused as the coach was rammed full and its only supposed to be one bag with you at your seat but I guess it depends on the driver as to whether he enforces it.

I saw a trolley full of booze refused in London one year but it was just booze and they did seem to be taking the piss. If you can sit with it on your lap/under your feet then I can’t see why they would say no

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

3 minutes ago, maelzoid said:

It'll be my first time on See Coaches. Despite the unsocial hours of my journeys, it still feels like a win compared to other options.

There is some guidance on the ticket about luggage and I have more or less understood it that if I can physically carry it to the bus stop, then it should be OK. I'll have a stuffed rucksack and a cool bag as my 'carry on.'

Just wondering for those that have been by bus before, any incidents of luggage being refused, either yourselves or have you witnessed it. Of course, anyone turning up with a trolley full of slabs of Dark Fruits is taking the piss, but anyone been turned away for less?

I've never seen anyone have anything refused, but I have seen the hold underneath the coach get completely full, with people still needing to put their stuff into it. I'm not sure what they did about it, but the drivers do get quite stressed if it gets out of hand. I have also seen people take their rucksacks onto the coach itself, which I imagine they'd like to avoid for safety reasons. Also, it can't be fun having a heavy bag on your lap for the duration of the journey. If you're able to, try and get someone to take the more bulky or heavy gear in for you. Ultimately, I'd recommend packing as light as possible. If budget allows, avoid taking crates of booze, it'll be the first thing to jettison, if there's no space. Every coach I've been on, has been completely full, passengers and equipment.

[gooner1990]

3 minutes ago, rwhitehouse13 said:

I’m just hoping I don’t have a repeat of last year, when the coach didn’t arrive! Being stranded at 5.45am in a cold car park is not the way to start your Glastonbury. Replacement bus eventually turned up but we had to wait for our tickets when we got to the festival site as they had been on the original bus….nightmare!

oh wow! 😮 What was the story behind that?  Coach broke down?

[gooner1990]

Just now, Supernintendo Chalmers said:

I've never seen anyone have anything refused, but I have seen the hold underneath the coach get completely full, with people still needing to put their stuff into it. I'm not sure what they did about it, but the drivers do get quite stressed if it gets out of hand. I have also seen people take their rucksacks onto the coach itself, which I imagine they'd like to avoid for safety reasons. Also, it can't be fun having a heavy bag on your lap for the duration of the journey. If you're able to, try and get someone to take the more bulky or heavy gear in for you. Ultimately, I'd recommend packing as light as possible. If budget allows, avoid taking crates of booze, it'll be the first thing to jettison, if there's no space. Every coach I've been on, has been completely full, passengers and equipment.

I always get friends on GA tickets to take my camping chair and alcohol in their car for me.

[incident]

Just now, gooner1990 said:

The first year I got it in 2015 some guys had their big slabs of alcohol refused as the coach was rammed full and its only supposed to be one bag with you at your seat but I guess it depends on the driver as to whether he enforces it.

Would say it's more down to how much other people bring / how many of them take the piss than anything else. It generally seems like the drivers will attempt to fit everything on if at all possible and there may be a small amount of discretion in that - but if enough people bring trollies full of alcohol then it simply may not be possible and at that point the driver has to either leave stuff behind, or run illegally (stuff piled into aisles). Some may say fuck it and do that, but I certainly wouldn't rely on it or criticise any driver for refusing.

Never heard of any legitimate luggage being refused though, just people taking the piss with alcohol.

[incident]

5 minutes ago, Barneym said:

I saw a trolley full of booze refused in London one year but it was just booze and they did seem to be taking the piss. If you can sit with it on your lap/under your feet then I can’t see why they would say no

Because they're legally responsible.

[Stanton]

18 minutes ago, Supernintendo Chalmers said:

That's a heroic effort. Edinburgh to Glastonbury on a coach at the best of times is a mission. I cannot begin to comprehend the return journey

Been on that very seetickets coach the last 2 festivals. Its not as bad as it sounds. On the return journey I just slept most of the way. Got main sale tickets this year but we've still opted for an overnight National express from Edinburgh. Due it at gate A about 7.30am I think. The worst part for me is the journey down as I can't get to sleep due to sheer excitement.  Just have a reasonably early night on Wednesday (midnight - 1am) to try and catch up a bit. 

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

Just now, gooner1990 said:

I always get friends on GA tickets to take my camping chair and alcohol in their car for me.

I drive over to the site on Tuesday night (I live 35 minutes away) and park. My car contains the vast majority of my stuff. My partner gives me a lift back home. I pick the coach up from Taunton on the Wednesday or Thursday, walking on with a small rucksack. When I arrive at the festival, I go to my car, collect my things and walk in. This year, I also have friends taking my tent in, but I can't ask them to take all my stuff too. Post-festival, I drive myself back home.

[maelzoid]

17 minutes ago, Supernintendo Chalmers said:

I've never seen anyone have anything refused, but I have seen the hold underneath the coach get completely full, with people still needing to put their stuff into it. I'm not sure what they did about it, but the drivers do get quite stressed if it gets out of hand. I have also seen people take their rucksacks onto the coach itself, which I imagine they'd like to avoid for safety reasons. Also, it can't be fun having a heavy bag on your lap for the duration of the journey. If you're able to, try and get someone to take the more bulky or heavy gear in for you. Ultimately, I'd recommend packing as light as possible. If budget allows, avoid taking crates of booze, it'll be the first thing to jettison, if there's no space. Every coach I've been on, has been completely full, passengers and equipment.

This is all good advice. Personally I take very little in the way of booze anyway, usually some 'train beers' and a can to pop once the tent is up, but as I'll be on-site before doors open, it'll be far too early, so I won't bother. 

As for lap stuff, it shouldn't be too bad. Journey time from Bath will be about an hour.

But as I will be one of the first to arrive, I may be volunteered into bringing some tents in for mates to set up base camp. We can of course swap out some luggage as they'll get there later, but I just wanted to see what options there would be.

[Metal Monkey]

Does anyone know what the coach queues are like to the train stations at either Bristol or Castle Cary on Monday? 

[maelzoid]

3 minutes ago, Metal Monkey said:

Does anyone know what the coach queues are like to the train stations at either Bristol or Castle Cary on Monday? 

I've done the coach to CC at about 10am - waited 2ish hours. then over an hour at CC to get on the train.

[Metal Monkey]

1 minute ago, maelzoid said:

I've done the coach to CC at about 10am - waited 2ish hours. then over an hour at CC to get on the train.

That's what I thought. I might book a train ticket as a backup in case I can't face the 4:30am coach, but I don't fancy queuing for 3 hours with a hangover either.

[mufcok]

One of my friends has kindly agreed to take/sort my tent, 2pm from Manchester - hopefully be out for 7/8 there. Later than I'm used to, but anything morning/early afternoon on Wednesday is usually the sweaty mess of carrying everything/setting everything up anyway, so not losing too many hours.

I do agree with the comment earlier on a Thursday coach ticket price reduction, that seems fair

[Mark Greensmith]

Has anybody missed their return coach home? And what happened as a result?

[cidermonkey]

1 hour ago, cheesey_toastie said:

This sounds like some journey. Have you done it before? What time do you usually get to the fields?

I have been down on the Edinburgh coach a few times. Gets you to the gate around 8am give or take an hour.  Tend to not sleep much on the way down but crash out on the way back. Excitement builds on the way down as you see more and more Glastonbury traffic at the service station stops.

 

Is Glastonbury worth 10 hours sitting in a in coach ???

Hell Yeah

 

 

[Crazyfool01]

Apologies for my grumpiness earlier I’m just fairly set in my ways . It looks like my friends that arrived on same bus last time got pitched at 12.30 and the campsite was full with someone holding space . So I’m looking for a new home … somewhere near to jp with lockup access …. Was thinking over the other Side of the woods from gate A . Campsites are bigger any thoughts how quick they fill up ? Tops webbs ash area ? Should have appreciated others with worse times 

Edited May 25, 2023 by Crazyfool01

[mufcok]

23 minutes ago, Mark Greensmith said:

Has anybody missed their return coach home? And what happened as a result?

Friend of mine did years ago (Manchester) he ended up getting on one to Bristol, then train from there.

It sounds like you'll be fine jumping on any coming back. There's always gonna be people (like me) who get a lift home with someone instead so there's gonna be spaces here and there

[ilovelanegan]

2 minutes ago, mufcok said:

Friend of mine did years ago (Manchester) he ended up getting on one to Bristol, then train from there.

It sounds like you'll be fine jumping on any coming back. There's always gonna be people (like me) who get a lift home with someone instead so there's gonna be spaces here and there

As others have said, there is no obligation to take your return coach, you can make your own way home however you like.

However I wouldn't depend on being able to blag onto just any return coach - we were hoping we could get on a direct coach back to London on the Monday morning (our SeeTickets package was return to Bristol) but they were scanning everyone's tickets so it was a non-starter. We just got our reserved Bristol one and then made our way home from there. I imagine though, if there's space on earlier coaches, they are quite happy to fill them with people waiting for later departures to the same city.

 

[Skier68]

47 minutes ago, Mark Greensmith said:

Has anybody missed their return coach home? And what happened as a result?

Yes I have done it twice and got on a later coach. Was half empty as lots of people dont take the return coach. (Only a coach to Taunton though so might be very different for those hardcore souls coming down from Edinburgh, unlikely to be as many empty spots on those ones)

[Skier68]

2 hours ago, Supernintendo Chalmers said:

This is a fair point. They're trying to reduce traffic by promoting the coach option but I can't see the benefit for someone paying full price for a ticket, arriving in the evening of day two (almost 2/5 into the festival) and when you get there you have to scramble for a half decent camping spot. 

If they want to encourage more people to take the coach option, there's an argument to say they should be let in first. I appreciate that logistically, that's practically impossible but personally I think a 6pm Thursday arrival is outrageous.

In the past they have had an allocated camping field for cyclists. Wonder if they could do something similar somewhere near Gate A for Thursday coach arrivals that they don't open until Thursday? Would mean you still have a fighting chance of getting a pitch.

[Snoop Cat]

5 hours ago, TomViolence said:

Thurs 16:00 from Reading / 15:30 return. Awful.

Got tickets in 1st sale 

I got exactly the same - gutted 😞