How successful was your exit strategy this year?

[deepkittycaz]

After messing up mine last year due to oversleeping, and therefore leaving at peak time, this year I booked a very early morning National Express coach.

 

I was pleasantly surprised - virtually no queue, it left on time, and got me back to Bristol in about 1 hr 15 mins. Sadly we then had to wait another half hour as all our luggage was sent to the wrong place, and had to be brought back to us! 

 

How did the rest of you get on?

[Walter Sobchak]

We got out of Sticklich around 930 with no holdups and luckily missed the accident that closed the motorway.

[Spindles]

I've been home about 20 minutes, left camp at 11:45, coach was 90 minutes late (National express) and we didn't get off til 2.

 

It was relatively painless, the organisation at the coach park was the best I've ever seen at the festival and the only gripe was moulding with my gear for 2 hours when I just wanted to be out of there.  I believe that this was due to the same kind of traffic problems that added 2 hours to my journey getting in on Wednesday where traffic was snared up from Shepton.

[Fighter]

I got up about 6AM this morning (Sunday), packed up, and was off site via car park with no bother.

[Crazyfool01]

Loading up took 10mins queue to leave carpark maybe 10 mins … then 25 mins traffic for smaller roads to clear 1hr 30 to get home total normally would be an hour to Pilton from here …. Best carpark departure ever . Do feel sorry for anyone caught in the 2 M5 delays departing and I think there was one hitting arrivals too 

[The Red Telephone]

Left at 7.30am and had trouble free exit. Back home for 2pm. 

One of my favourite things about the Monday is seeing the bedraggled masses at various motorway service stations. Michaelwood Starbucks surely has its busiest day of the year?

[Andeeroo]

National Express to Plymouth. Due at 9am. Left about 9:05. Back in Plymouth at 12:45 as expected. Plain sailing all the way.

 

Not sure of the full story but it did seem that someone's bag wasn't on the coach when we arrived in Plymouth. Not sure how that happened but must be a hellish way to finish the weekend.

[MilkyJoe]

2 minutes ago, The Red Telephone said:

Left at 7.30am and had trouble free exit. Back home for 2pm. 

One of my favourite things about the Monday is seeing the bedraggled masses at various motorway service stations. Michaelwood Starbucks surely has its busiest day of the year?

I spoke to one of the staff at Michaelwood years ago and they said it was by far the busiest day of the year for them. She did say how many times over and above the normal it was but I can’t remember. Sadly I think I had lost my ability to concentrate on anything for more than a few seconds by the Monday morning.

[dotdash79]

Wanted to be in the car all packed and ready to leave at 10 am. I hit that exact time, managed to leave the pink car park straight away, with only 1 emergency break as someone wasn’t looking and pulled out on me. 
 

ended up going through cheddar and to the M5 at western super mare, missed the accident and was mostly clear to Manchester for 3:30. 

[panasonic2011]

I’m glad people seemed to have got out a lot easier this year.  Main problem for us years gone by is getting out of disabled parking and heading towards Shepton.  Once through though it’s plain sailing 

[CaledonianGonzo]

Goated exit.

 

Easiest, quickest, coolest, least hungover. 

 

The exemplar, probably never to be repeated.

[henry bear]

Someone on one of the Glasto FB groups posted on Sunday to say she had left early and many others were doing the same. I guess that eased the strain today a little 

[CaledonianGonzo]

Just now, henry bear said:

Someone on one of the Glasto FB groups posted on Sunday to say she had left early and many others were doing the same. I guess that eased the strain today a little 

It being quieter generally will also have helped loosen the stranglehold.

[TokiDoki]

Left campsite around 10am, 40 minutes walk to the car at the far end of Purple parking. Then around 30 minutes to get from the carpark out to the A37. Not bad, much better than last year which took us around 6 hours to get out of the Blue carparks at a similar time (due to incompetent queue management!).

[Pinhead]

Back to tent by 3am, slept till 5am, packed up by 6am, back at E2 by 7, out and back by 8. Result! That Hill of Death though...

Edited July 1 by Pinhead

[Another eforum account]

Volunteering till 4pm Mon finished shift & straight onto park & ride bus, 20 mins to Bath & West and then another 20 mins to home. Perfect! 

[Simsy]

Not my most successful exit. Nat ex to Bath left 2.5 hours late, they really need a food truck in the coach park.

[SighMo]

Worst exit experience of any festival. Big night so late to get going but still shouldn’t have been this bad. Have no ideas why either. Moved the car down to near the icecream van at Ped B, Purple Parking then got loaded by 1pm. Took 4.5 hours to get up the hill and out of the first field. We are normally up and out by 9 or 10.  Please tell me this isn’t normal at this time. We just didn’t move for hours. 

[balti-pie]

Up at 6:40, car packed and sorted by 7:40, porcelain poop at Southampton services at 10:10, and bunging my first load of washing on by 1pm. Pretty much fine the whole way and listened to a load of podcasts while I drove back, it was actually quite enjoyable! (Jeez, I do sound old sometimes) 

[monday]

Left Pink 47 at 6.45am and it was an absolute sh*t show. Stewards had a sign that said turn left. So I joined the queue. Didn't move for nearly an hour as cars on the adjacent rows kept joining.

There was a main pathway up ahead and they were all flowing out and all seemed to forget the Glastonbury spirit and wouldn't let out row merge.

 

Why are there not stewards on every junction to stop and start cars with a traffic light system?

 

After an hour I stood up out of my car, turned around and could see the road behind us now had a sign pointing all cars exit a different way. So not sure if the original steward cocked it up. I told the car behind and we all turned around and went backwards. This field had an exit on to the tarmac road a couple of yards away and we all flowed out in seconds.

 

Piss poor planning and traffic management.

[faymondo]

Woke up at 7.30am back in Liverpool for 2pm.

 

Not too bad getting out of West 54.

 

Tough effort for the driver but a couple of quick stops. Not sure I could do it these days. 

[Dreamingofsunnydays]

Shocking- in pink car park by 2.15pm- didn’t move for two hours and finally out of the festival at 5.30pm. Something wasn’t right and it’s not fair to put the earliest arrivals into the furthest car park. We only got to Bristol at 7.15pm and left the campsite at 1.30pm! 

[deepkittycaz]

22 minutes ago, Simsy said:

Not my most successful exit. Nat ex to Bath left 2.5 hours late, they really need a food truck in the coach park.

 

Agreed. I got there at about 5.45 am, and there were already several hundred people queued up for the GF Bristol & Local bus services. I think anyone else getting there at the same time as me would be waiting several hours.

[paulshane]

Decided to take it easy on Sunday night, so I was up at 8am to get my carvan ready (it folds away to a trailer, can't do that the night before 🙂 ) , drove off at about 8:30, out onto the road by 9am, hope by 10:30 am, best exit in years.

[dondo]

Left Purple just after 8 and got out no problem.

 

Stopped at Gloucester services (along with half the festival it would appear) for breakfast and charging my car.  Back in Leeds just after 3.

 

Very pleased with journey compared with mare of last year.