13 replies to this topic

[redmuz]

Our group has been lucky/organised enough to camp in Williams field for the last five years and we were all a bit sad that it and Dragon ended up being crew camping this year. I was wondering where other regulars of Williams and Dragon ended up this year, and how you found it?

We ended up in West Park instead, the one with the campervan west exit in. A nice, enclosed field with a handy row of east facing hedgeness that provided much welcome relief from the early sun. We had a decent sized camp and lovely neighbors, and not sleeping on ground that is vibrating with the bass from Shangri-La was a novelty! Mind you, it never stopped me sleeping before. Campsite crew were fantastic, offering to spray people with water from bottles coming in and out of the area - bliss! Portaloos nearby, with the inevitable heat/smell/morning queues issue. We did miss having decent long drops nearby and it felt like a hell of a trek to and from the tent in comparison to before, particularly with the wiggle around the Park stage area. I guess we've been spoilt in the past having all the Greenfields stuff on our doorstep; a favourite late-night part of the festival that we didn't hang out in as much this year. But we did spend more time up at the Park in the wee smallies, which was ace; a different experience rather than a lesser one.


So, where did you camp? How was it? Would you recommend it for next year? Any general thoughts about the closing of Williams and Dragon for regular punters?

Peace and Glasto Love

[refriedgenes]

It wasn't what I wanted hear from a Steward after having been awake for knocking on 30 hours and having just lugged all my stuff halfway across the site in the blazing sun.

I liked it in Dragon field for the same reason of the Greenfields. So I ended up in Pennards but right over on the East side of the field - I think I was actually nearer to the Green Futures field this year but for this reason I didn't spend as much time in the Late night Bass district.

No great complaints overall - still made friends with the group next to me so I suppose it was a gain.  

[hedgepeg]

Was the entire Dragon field closed to civilians? I thought it was just a section of it that had been taken up by crew/climate camp. I was going to camp here again this year but for some reason chose the Dairy ground what a mistake that was.

Edited by hedgepeg, 29 June 2010 - 03:32 PM.

[r0cky]

hedgepeg, on 29 June 2010 - 03:31 PM, said:

Was the entire Dragon field closed to civilians? I thought it was just a section of it that had been taken up by crew/climate camp. I was going to camp here again this year but for some reason chose the Dairy ground what a mistake that was.

It was all crew, save for a few bits by the hedge.

[redmuz]

Yeah, it was all closed off. the camsite crewmassive maps also had it shaded as Crew Camping only. We went for a nosey at our old home...compared to other years, Dragon was really sparsely populated!!

Part of me wonders about the future of the Greenfields; will it end up being mostly visited  (esp. at night) by crew and residents as public camping has shifted mostly over to the other side of the site? Does that matter? For me, it is the heart of the festival and I worry that it could end up being less visited by the general populace and newcomers as public camping moves further away. Perhaps I worry too much....

[redmuz]

hedgepeg, on 29 June 2010 - 03:31 PM, said:

Was the entire Dragon field closed to civilians? I thought it was just a section of it that had been taken up by crew/climate camp. I was going to camp here again this year but for some reason chose the Dairy ground what a mistake that was.

Hedgepeg, what was up with Dairy? curious...

[themuel]

I was absolutely gutted to find that the whole field had been given over to crew camping, especially as none of the stewards told me until I got to the field entrance and I was carrying four tents!

We had to camp in Pennards and I have to say I didn't like it very much at all after 4 years of bliss in Williams field.  All of our neighbours had things stolen (one had her tent slashed open while she was in it, woke up to a knife in her face) and I was on edge about our tents being targeted.  I had an absolutely amazing weekend though, this was the only possible negative I can take away from the experience.

Bring back Williams and Dragon for the people organised enough to get there early!!!!       

[hedgepeg]

redmuz, on 29 June 2010 - 03:45 PM, said:

Hedgepeg, what was up with Dairy? curious...

For me it just seemed like a massive slog to back and forth to the tent once or twice a day, it was my own fault really for camping near the big oak tree next to a ditch(it looked good at the time but soon turned into a urinal). Last year in the Dragon it was the easiest thing in the world to stroll out past the climate camp and walk straight into the Green fields and to the 50p tea tent.  

I hope they'll reopen it up to people next year.

Edited by hedgepeg, 29 June 2010 - 04:00 PM.

[Pinhead]

Camped in Dragon's again anyway - but was a bit of an effort.

First of all, ignored the stewards telling us it was crew camping only on our way in as the final online map still had the small strip of Dragon's as public and we thought they were just trying to stop the place becoming too rammed. Got there, set-up in the lower part of the field, stewards didn't stops us, no obvious signage that it was now all crew there, nothing. A little later, after setting up, was told by a steward that this area had now become crew and we'd have to move as we'd not be able to get back in later. Complained about the map saying otherwise, lack of signage, fact they didn't tell us this when we were setting up etc., but in the end decided that it would be best not to have to blag our way back into our area every night and very luckily found some space further up the field near the underground bar on the corner. Picked up the tent and moved the whole lot again - absolutely melted in the heat doing all this, especially after having just lugged everything in! Was on a bit of a slope, but afforded better views of the festi in the end so not such a bad compromise. Was also lovely and quiet, but did receive a few falling lanterns from King's Meadow every now and again.

Would not be surprised at all if this was crew from now on either - that corner of the festival is simply so big and requires so much crew now to keep it all going.

[Greenish]

i was not a happy bunny, having slept in the carpark overnight with my sights set on the dragon field, after a decade of camping there.  missed my morning stroll through the green fields, and the tasty food on offer up there.   ended up at the bottom of park home ground.  the flatness was novel, i missed the vibrations and noise of shangrila, but not the permeter floodlights.  found a lovely bunch of people to camp with, internet friends of a rl friend, who were great company.  didn't like walking so much further to everything i enjoy, and will return to dragon if they give us a chance again.

[Buddhafish]

Have been in Williams Greenfield with my mates since it first opened to the public, so we were all gutted when we found out it was closed. Anyway, we parked out East and walked up to Diary, in the south east of Diary in fact, and we loved it. Still had a good view, toilets were ok (I never had a bad one, but some mates did) and we were near a treeline which gave some shade in the evening. Lovely neighbours (apart from some eejits nearby - see below), water nearby, not too far from stuff.

It was a little bit of a trek in, but not annoyingly so. Only small bad point was that it was so quiet, that when a crowd spent all Wednesday night shouting at each other, it kept us all awake, esp one woman that laughed hysterically for 5 solid hours ("milk milk, lemonade" anyone else hear that? Jesus   ). The lack of background noise we were used to from Shangri La meant you could hear a pin drop, which was a new experience. It was only a problem for one night though, they were fine after that.

Still, it made the whole festival feel a bit new again, and I'd definitely stay there again.  

Edited by Buddhafish, 29 June 2010 - 06:00 PM.

[Saturday Boy]

I didn't get through Ped Gate D until almost 10am, so I thought the chances at Dragon were pretty slim, but I'd pushed my bike through 3 hours of queues so I could make a quick dash across site and claim my spot in the hallowed land, so I thought I'd give it a shot. The bike  worked very well and I was on the railway track, nearing Avalon within 5 mins. Optimism was returning until a Steward stopped me and told me the bad news about Dragon going to crew. I was a bit peeved then, but I was really pissed off on Friday when I passed through Dragon and saw how sparsely camped it was. Surely they could have left half for the public!

We ended up in Pennards halfway between Glade and Park. Found it a bit crap, tents rammed in, busy paths, no shade, quite a way from the loos. Nothing really wrong with it, but nothing to make me go back.

About 10 years ago it seemed that the camping was spread around the core of the site, but the expansion of camping fields has all been to the west and now they've closed public camping fields in the south east it's beginning to feel more like camping *next to* the festival. I think I'll camp further out next time to get a bit of space and a quieter field for more sleep. I am even thinking I might as well keep going into the campervan fields or even off-site so I don't have to bother with getting there Tuesday night. Then I realise how expensive that will be and start thinking of giving up on Glasto. Then I feel sad.

Why do things always have to change?

I bumped into Eavis in the wee smallies on Sunday, but forgot to ask him to give Dragon back - doh!

[kerplunk]

After the queuing trauma at gate D we just flopped into dairy ground - miles from anywhere. First time I haven't been in the dragon field since 97 so had to pay a visit and yell 'cuckoos!' at them from the path! For me it was a big part of my glasto missing that the improved late night stuff didn't really compensate for but I guess it's been on the cards for a while. Looking at my map it looks like the cockmill croft farm land on the other side of the fence would be ideal for crew camping and would 'un-cork' the pressure in that corner but I think that's where some of the luxury off-site camping is located so probably won't happen.

[redmuz]

Saturday Boy, on 29 June 2010 - 04:50 PM, said:

About 10 years ago it seemed that the camping was spread around the core of the site, but the expansion of camping fields has all been to the west and now they've closed public camping fields in the south east it's beginning to feel more like camping *next to* the festival. I think I'll camp further out next time to get a bit of space and a quieter field for more sleep. I am even thinking I might as well keep going into the campervan fields or even off-site so I don't have to bother with getting there Tuesday night. Then I realise how expensive that will be and start thinking of giving up on Glasto. Then I feel sad.

Why do things always have to change?

I bumped into Eavis in the wee smallies on Sunday, but forgot to ask him to give Dragon back - doh!

the bit in bold is what troubles me slightly. Someone commented that it felt a bit like an arena with camping around it. while it is still  far, far from being an arena festival, the combination of camping and festival areas - and therefore opportunities for just happening across stuff rather than making a point of going to a specific place - is (in my opinion) part of the glastonbury magic.

hey ho. times change and the festival evolves. i agree that the expansion of the late night stuff down that end probably means the end of public camping there. but i hope they do look at other alternatives and Williams/Dragon comes back to us