31 replies to this topic

[swell]

Got to east 10 about 6.45, had a bit of a queue at the gate was pitched up in big ground by 9.45, had a couple of beers and a bifta then decided to head back to the cars for more supplies. Had a bit of a mission there and back, being sent around the long way and got stoped at the road in both directions,but was still in and had dropped all our stuff back at the tent then was sat waiting for the football to start by 2.15

[Ommadawn]

So where exactly were these long queues - at Gate B itself or just getting out of the car parks?  We're really lucky in that we get village passes each year and get to Gate B by following the fence and metal road down the hill to gate B. We got there at 10.30-11.00am and there were no queues at all - we just walked straight in. When we went out to get a second load of stuff, we were warned by security that people were queuing for up to 4 hours and that we would have to join to back of the queue (they obviously didn't know where we'd parked) but again Gate B wasn't busy at all.

[LondonTom]

Gate D seemed just as bad, took us about 2 and half hours to get through the gates, just seemed totally chaotic , We were parked in West 34, so could have used Gate A, but it wasn't explained it was quieter or how long the que at gate d was and there was a stream of people walking to it. Once we qued to get to the hill, it just locked down, no one was moving any where as they let others through on the road above. I can't be sure if they were car parks after us or not, but it seemed likely as the que was moving until for a while even if it was large.

Why they didn't have the que closer to the fence i don't know, so people weren't struggling on a slope in two directions, in the blazing sun shine, with the vast majority of us not knowing what was going on and what the hold up was. Also puting everyone in the same que would have been nice, instead of stoping one for a bit then letting another go through. After all this only made it to the top of dairy ground carrying my stuff and gave up and camped there

[Georgeh]

I must have been lucky! arrived in CV E19 on Tuesday evening had early night & up at 6, took a walk to E23 PGC & saw the already forming que, thought f**k that & went back to the van for breakfast. Just after 7am i noticed security were holding people off in E19 & the que was getting quite long. At just before 9am they let the E19 que go. I left the van at 9.10 & was in having a pint of Cider outside the Summerset cider bus by 10am.

Edited by Georgeh, 29 June 2010 - 08:22 PM.

[ICGenie]

1000yardstare, on 29 June 2010 - 07:59 PM, said:

We arrived at site at about half 7am. Directed to a ridiculous queue near W50, over a main road. Was intending to camp in Dairy Ground so needed gate D. people outside of the rope barrier were just walking up the path so we joined them. When we got to security they said if you want gate A go left (and towards gate A which had no queue) but back in queue for gate D. So we went through gate A and walked right the way across the site in less than an hour. Compared to the 3 hour queue we did ok. I just dont understand why there were no stewards or security explaining the ability to walk straight in to gate A??

We arrived about 8.30am and queued for Gate D for about 4 hours.  There was a point where two queues became one, they were allowing 1000 from one and then 1000 from the other.  1000 ended just as I got to the gate so I had to wait and got to listen to the security radio.  Despite everything I had heard about Gate A being empty (some people turned around to go in that way instead) they were telling security to divert everyone AWAY from Gate A TO Gate D because it was allegedly too busy!!!  Then heard another voice telling them to seriously reconsider because there were 7000+ people in the Gate D queue.

It all seemed pretty disorganised to me and as we were walking along the wall we couldn't quite work out why they have so few gates for the event.

Also, I don't think they should be issuing pass-outs when there are so many people trying to get in.  It just seems ludicrous to add to the queue in that way.

[bobobaggins]

amfy, on 29 June 2010 - 04:31 PM, said:

tbh - I always liken getting your stuff on (& off) site as being a bit like childbirth.

In the same way - the joy it brings makes you forget the pain.

My fiancee said the same thing, I thought it was a brilliant comparison. But I am a man.

[sonicpurveyor]

id heard about long queues for the east side of the site, left for an 83 mile journey at midday wednesday was in east 10 at 4pm, and tent pitched at 5pm, ok so i was lucky i was meeting up with mates in campervan field east 24, chilled by the tent till around 10pm then went straight into site to get wristband and to wander with no queue at all. back with my own van next year tho

[andyschest]

The whole Gate B queue was absolutely disgusting. First of all we wanted to get to the West car parks coming from Shepton Mallet, the road for the yellow gate was blocked off and we were directed away. As soon as we passed the entrance to the east car parks the steward blocked the road and pointed us into the entrance, I spoke to him and said we were trying to get to the West car parks at the yellow gate and his reply was, " you have to go in here it doesnt matter where you are trying to get to" and he refused to let us pass and forced us onto the car park. Obviously i was a bit pissed off but that was nothing compared to being put on E2 car park and having to queue from 9 am until 3pm to get through gate b, while my friends who we were meeting in the west managed to drive straight on to the west car parks and through gate A and were set up even though they arrived 2 hours after us.
Then of course we had to carry all of our stuff across the whole site from gate b to behind the john peel tent, and the wheel fell off my sack truck which didnt really help.
THe 3 and a half hours it took to get off the car park, despite leaving early on monday, and dragging all our stuff back across site, seemed like a holiday in camparison to getting in and getting set up.
NEVER EVER again will I go near the east car parks.

[theleedslads]

Tuesday 10:00pm - LEAVE LEEDS

---- Drive 250+ Miles ----

Wednesday 2:30am - ARRIVE ON SITE

Wednesday 7:30am - START QUEUING

Wednesday 12:30pm - FINISH QUEING

GET WRISTBANDS!!!!!!!!

Wednesday 1:15pm - FINALLY FIND A SHITTY PITCH NEXT TO TOILETS BECAUSE THERES NO WHERE DECENT TO PITCH!


Was really pissed off, no water available or anything in the scorching heat. And getting there so early you would think we would have the pick of the camping spots.

Edited by theleedslads, 02 July 2010 - 09:20 AM.

[Dirty_Dave]

I felt like Jack Bauer that day i.e. That was the longest mother trucking day of my life. The queue to get in through Ped Gate D was insane and seem to go on and on and on!

Got in the queue at 7:30am and didnt get into the site until 11:45am. I  had the worst trolley in the world (one that i had stolen from Ikea) and am still thanking the gods to this day that it got up the hill in one piece!! I did however feel like i was dragging it on its 3 inch wheels the majority of the way.
but yeah, i could have cried when i got the final gate. When i gave the woman my ticket she said 'How are you' and i simply replied 'What the hell does it look like!! Hot, tired and dripping with sweat' she smiled and then realised what i had said, and said sorry for the wait. GGrrrrrr

But i think alot of people were rushing to get in for the football TBH. Fingers crossed next year they introduce those electronic automatic walkways (like at airports).....arh just imagine!!  

[Ponyegg]

theleedslads, on 02 July 2010 - 09:19 AM, said:

Wednesday 1:15pm - FINALLY FIND A SHITTY PITCH NEXT TO TOILETS BECAUSE THERES NO WHERE DECENT TO PITCH!
Was really pissed off, no water available or anything in the scorching heat. And getting there so early you would think we would have the pick of the camping spots.

Ok, so you need to qualify this with the 'in our first field of choice'. At 1.15pm there was LOADS of space through-out the entire site. If you pitched next to a toilet on Wednesday it's because you wanted to stay in a very specific field that was obviously full.... find somewhere else instead. If you pitched next to a toilet at 1.15pm on Wednesday, well sorry but that's your choice. We researched 3 alternatives should our first choice not be available and yes we had a similar problem to you, drove down, got to carpark at 12.30, started queueing around 8am and spent 3hrs in the Gate D nightmare line eventually pitching up on Hitchin Hill around 1pm.

The ones I felt sorry for where the ones camped by the side of the road/hospitality fence on the road up from John Peel tent towards the old cinema field.

[ICESTONE]

Arrived at W37 about 6.00am to find a massive queue being held between Gate A,D as it seemed that about 4000 people has slept in their cars overnight, stood stationary for an hour watching tossers queue jumping and trying to look innocent when they join into a queue halfway up, security were policing the queue but no much info filtering down, people started to move at about 7.45 then decided to head over to gate A as D queue was stationary. Got thru the gate in an hour tent was up by 10.30ish and off in search of coffee by 11. Then heard from fellow camper that the Gate D queue was taking 3 hours to get through. It seems that luck plays as much of a factor as anything else. Gate A staff and stewards seemed efficient and quick to get people through even with random searches and ticker checks.

No complaints from me other than w*nkers queue jumping.