Were do i Start

MartC78 · #1 03-06-2011, 04:46 PM

HI Guys

Sorry if this has been posted or discussed before.

Me and the wife have never been to Glasto before. We found out yesterday we won tickets.

We are getting to the site early hours of thursday morning and are looking for suggestion on were would be a decent place to pitch tent. We know it will be heaving but it there any quietiet areas people could suggest. as my wife can get a little nervous but want to be a part of everything.

Also what is the traffic like very early thursday morning?

Like i said soory if this have been covered i am still in a state of shock we never usually have any luck.

Many thanks in advance guys.

OH MY GOD I GOING TO GLASTONBURY !!!

Liz2021 · #2 03-06-2011, 04:55 PM

Firstly, well bloody done!! Double whammy for getting tickets and actually winning them!!

I cant say where I think would be less crowded on the day itself but I know that the camp stewards are able to direct you to areas with space left to pitch up!

Our friends drove down midday Thursday last year and flew in no problems! Where as the past 3 years that we have got down there on the Wednesday we have experienced some traffic/queues but last year was most def the worst for us. Dont worry about that though the excitement will take over!!

Have a brill time!

MartC78 · #3 03-06-2011, 05:00 PM

Thanks Liz

Also sorry for my spelling it was terrible!!

We have always wanted to go but have either been skint or away so yeah bloody lucky does not describe how i feel.

Nelly · #4 03-06-2011, 05:02 PM

Hello and welcome!
Wow lucky you winning tickets. You will have an amazing time; there are places that are quieter if your wife want to get away from the madness (Brides/Bridgets garden near the stone circle), camping wise, I’m a Pennard Hill girl myself and this is only my second Glasters so can’t comment on the quieter areas for camping.
You will get answers very soon for those in the know, but please do read as much as you can on here and also here http://www.glastoearth.com/ which is a first timers bible in my opinion.
Have a great time!

Liz2021 · #5 03-06-2011, 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by Nelly

Hello and welcome!
Wow lucky you winning tickets. You will have an amazing time; there are places that are quieter if your wife want to get away from the madness (Brides/Bridgets garden near the stone circle), camping wise, I’m a Pennard Hill girl myself and this is only my second Glasters so can’t comment on the quieter areas for camping.
You will get answers very soon for those in the know, but please do read as much as you can on here and also here http://www.glastoearth.com/ which is a first timers bible in my opinion.
Have a great time!

Glastoearth is a life saver !! I read it every year as I get so excited and obviously have a lot of time on my hands!! ha ha. It will have all the answers you need though!

tort · #6 03-06-2011, 05:31 PM

Hopefully you'll find everything you need in my FAQs on GlastoEarth (see Nelly's link above). As far as quiet camping is concerned your choices are restricted anyway on the Thursday as most people arrive on the Wednesday these days. However if you head for the Western car parks, enter via Gate A and head straight down the hill you will find there will be plenty of space to camp and it's relatively quieter on that side anyway as the fields were new last year and very few pople have discovered their benefits to date. Also if you get there early Thursday you should pretty much walk / drive straight in without too much queueing.

Enjoy!

MartC78 · #7 03-06-2011, 06:19 PM

Aww Guys

Thank you so much for your suggestions. yeah we are planning on getting there about 7am on thursday. We have family staying in the tipis but with 3 weeks notice there was no way we were getting any alternative to camping.
But I really cant wait!!

I am about to read "thebible" so hopefully will open my eyes.

Thanks again

SarahO · #8 03-06-2011, 06:23 PM

We arrived on site at 9am Thurs morning and sailed straight in! Pitched up in Bushy Ground and loved it there. Met some lovely people and it was fairly quiet ish. Hadnt been before so didnt know what to expect. Would be v happy to be in Bushy Ground again this year. Just a short walk through the Dance Village to the main action! Once you leave a main path, just weave through a few tents and you will find lots of gaps even on Thursday morning!

MartC78 · #9 03-06-2011, 08:33 PM

Thanks Sara very handy info!

Tort glastoearth FAQ is awesome. my wife has been reading through and said it was really great and it has eased all the nerves and unanswered questions she had.

I wish everyone an amazing Glasto.

I am going to pack now !!

stinkywitch · #10 03-06-2011, 09:12 PM

What competion did you win it from?

It would have to double the excitement levels knowing you got in for free! Well done you xx
And welcome to the forum, be sure to mention us when you thank the company responsible for getting you there

MartC78 · #11 03-06-2011, 11:21 PM

From the Guardian competition last saturday. No skill involved just pure luck. We did not believe it till they called my wife yesterday. We have just scrambled around getting stuff together and days off work. we wish we could get there early wednesday but it is impossible so it a 2.30am start thursday morning.

Everybody has been wicked on here will make sure the Guardian know all about you.

MrsBee · #12 04-06-2011, 12:36 AM

Many congratulations on your win

well done.

It will be myself and hubby's first glastonbury as well but we have a caravan and were fortunate enough to get 2 tickets and a campervan pass in the very last resale. Can't give you any advice unfortunately but I am feeling very much the same as your wife, very excited but slightly apprehensive. I've read through tort's pages so many times now, lol!!

Hope we all have a fantastic time, I'm sure we will

Nelly · #13 04-06-2011, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by MrsBee

Many congratulations on your win

well done.

It will be myself and hubby's first glastonbury as well but we have a caravan and were fortunate enough to get 2 tickets and a campervan pass in the very last resale. Can't give you any advice unfortunately but I am feeling very much the same as your wife, very excited but slightly apprehensive. I've read through tort's pages so many times now, lol!!

Hope we all have a fantastic time, I'm sure we will

Think I might have to re-read it all now. Just because I'm EXCITED!

Glasto-worker · #14 05-06-2011, 09:20 AM

well done .

Try to park on the West car parking area

I agree with other people advising Bushy Ground - this is how it looked a week before the gates opened { shot from a private plane although I was not the photographer - it was passed to me by a friend } - its the empty field just under the blue dot - note the area marked with a red dot is and will be again Crew camping only - crew passes are checked on entry and exit }

here is how it looks during the event { note due to the football only half of it was used } but you can see there is still space.

Please note the fence near the road was breached last year and because of the football security were just handing out warnings - this year I don't think they will be all that polite

That is a very busy production road and it was a miracle no one was killed as they squeezed though the fence

The daft part is that just around the corner is a crew security check point so people were risking their lives for nothing.

Bushy Ground used to be crew camping { for some of us }

go back to the first image as its easier to explain - this may look a gentle sloop but when you are there you will see it falls away to the left { our left as in the image } - now just in case it does rain { I have been to Glasto where it was perfect weather up until the Thursday night and then it was none stop all weekend - so you have to presume its going to rain } camp to the right as that is the highest. { has to be 10/15 feet higher than the left }

Why pick there ?

{ 1 } its near Gate D { west car park }
{ 2 } it has a decent slope so as long as you camp on the right you will never get flooded.
{ 3 } its quieter but at the same time is not far from the main stages.it was well light last year { although you are advised to carry a LED Torch }
{ 4 } - its likely there will still be spaces free on the Thursday as that camp site is not well known

You will love it - I have not missed a Glasto since 1979 and I know if it was my first time I would pick Bushy Ground over any other area

MartC78 · #15 06-06-2011, 10:55 AM

Glasto Worker Thanks for the awesome pictures they have really helped.

Thanks to everybody who has given their suggestions and help out. My wifes nerves have been replace by excitement.

you are all wonderful if you see me there then you can have a pint

Thank you so much much it has shown that Glastonbury is not a festival its a family!!!

MartC78 · #16 06-06-2011, 12:55 PM

Any suggestion on the best way to ID my tent ?? I keep having a recurring dream that everybody will have the same tent.

tort · #17 06-06-2011, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by MartC78

Any suggestion on the best way to ID my tent ?? I keep having a recurring dream that everybody will have the same tent.

Best way to spot it from a distance is with a unique & brightly coloured flag on a tall pole. If you don't have one yourself then try to camp near somebody who does.

When pitching your tent don't camp too close too the paths but also don't head right into the middle of the field because once it fills up it will take an eternity of guy rope hurdling to get in and out. 20 metres from the nearest path is about perfect imho.

First time you leave your tent try to put into practice those boy scout triangulation skills by working out where you are in relation to several fixed points. The landscape can change imeasurably in very short space of time on the Wednesday.

When you've worked out where your best entrance and exit point is for your tent try to remember where that is on the path by identifying something nearby so that even if you can't see your tent you should at least be heading in the correct direction if you head in from that point at right angles to the path.

m1keanderson · #18 06-06-2011, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by MartC78

Any suggestion on the best way to ID my tent ?? I keep having a recurring dream that everybody will have the same tent.

One way is to pitch close to someone who's taken a flagpole to mark their campsite, another is to pitch close to a tipi style tent or use a gps tag app on your phone.

Possibly the best way is to buy your own telescopic tent pole, from someone like http://www.skyblueleisure.co.uk/acat...pic_Poles.html and also a blank flag and fabric paints (same company http://www.skyblueleisure.co.uk/acat...d_Banners.html) and make your own camp flag! Don't forget the ground spike / anchor though.

m1keanderson · #19 06-06-2011, 01:50 PM

P.S. Congratulations on your win. Epic.

Nelly · #20 06-06-2011, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by m1keanderson

One way is to pitch close to someone who's taken a flagpole to mark their campsite, another is to pitch close to a tipi style tent or use a gps tag app on your phone.

Possibly the best way is to buy your own telescopic tent pole, from someone like http://www.skyblueleisure.co.uk/acat...pic_Poles.html and also a blank flag and fabric paints (same company http://www.skyblueleisure.co.uk/acat...d_Banners.html) and make your own camp flag! Don't forget the ground spike / anchor though.

Now this is common sense to most, but don't use this method to find your friends when watching a headline act at the Pyramid stage. Mr Nelly did this last year, he went off to the loo and when he came back said flagpole had gone. He spent ages looking for us and I was getting really worried about him thinking he'd fallen in a hedge or something.

Lou's other half · #21 06-06-2011, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by MartC78

Any suggestion on the best way to ID my tent ?? I keep having a recurring dream that everybody will have the same tent.

Nostell Priory '82 (Jethro Tull, Lindisfarne): someone approached our campsite and said, "Have you seen my tent? It's green. It's around here somewhere..." Funnily enough, we couldn't help, so invited the poor lost soul to join us around the campfire for a drink and a smoke. 20 minutes later he wandered off into the night, and every 20 minutes we could hear, "Have you seen my tent? It's green. It's around here somewhere... Oh, don't mind if I do, thanks"

Moral: losing your tent for a few hours isn't the worst fate that can befall you at a festival!!

Glasto-worker · #22 06-06-2011, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by MartC78

Glasto Worker Thanks for the awesome pictures they have really helped.

Thanks to everybody who has given their suggestions and help out. My wifes nerves have been replace by excitement.

you are all wonderful if you see me there then you can have a pint

Thank you so much much it has shown that Glastonbury is not a festival its a family!!!

The guy who shot the top image will be flying over Glastonbury Monday 21 st of June but I am working at the Bob Dylan Concert over that weekend and then have to get ready to catch the Crew coach Tuesday so I may not have time to post them but will try.

I have asked him to get a few shots of the same area as its not clear where the WBC Camp will be - its in that area and its claimed its moved closer to the Dairy Unit but how close I will just have to wait and see - I bet the setup crew are baffled why a private plane is swooping over that area - he is going up to HD this year so the images will be far sharper

By the way there is a brand of UFO LED Light { you can see it hanging down in the bottom images } http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/2009-2009/...09-2009-1.html

that comes with a remote control { I am not joking } - now these are 48 LED's and when turned on it does light the tent up and is visible from the outside from a fair distance.

Now I don't have a clue as to the range of the remote control as my version does not have a remote control as I don't need one { the crew camping area has a lot less tents }

Have seen them on sale on ebay.

By the way if you do camp in Bushy Ground well you have fixed buildings { they are far taller than they appear in the images } so really your worrying about nothing the crew camping area across the road is well light up so its easy to get a fix.

stinkywitch · #23 06-06-2011, 07:35 PM

We have bought some wind sox from some pound shop or bargain basement store. (been in that many recently I can't remember which one)
Going to stick the bumble bee one on the tent and take the dragon fly one out and about with us. We also have 3 flags we couldn't decide which one to take so packed all 3. Thye are very light

Glasto-worker · #24 07-06-2011, 03:35 AM

Ok this is Bushy ground 2009 when it was a Crew Only area - It still does not show the massive incline but you can see it dips at the right you will note no one is camping to the right.

There was in fact a wall up separating the crew camping area but don't have a clue who was camping behind the wall but if you zoom in you can see that also has a wall.

We were amazed to discover a few people had climbed over the first wall and then over the second wall and then were caught by Security as they will pull up anyone not displaying a crew pass.

and they also had to evade the mobile unit http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/glasto-200...o-2009-19.html

Even if they were not spotted there is still a staff gate { as per below } where they have to show their crew pass http://www.wbc-team.co.uk/glasto-200...o-2009-21.html

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On a side issue we also get people climbing into the crew camping area at Latitude as they assume they are climbing into the festival - in fact all they got into is our camp and there is
six other fences they have to get though even although if they walked about 100 feet they could get in to the carpark without climbing any fence - still not into the festival but far closer than where they were climbing into our camp { and all the other camps are Security campsites - } not a wise move.