California to Glastonbury

[Friend Chicken]

I'm from California and considering going to Glastonbury 2016 if I can get a ticket. Just perused the guide section pinned above which was a wealth of information. I'm getting a mixed vibe on the coach tickets - my other options would be renting a car or taking the train I suppose. For international visitors what would you recommend?

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I'm from California and considering going to Glastonbury 2016 if I can get a ticket. Just perused the guide section pinned above which was a wealth of information. I'm getting a mixed vibe on the coach tickets - my other options would be renting a car or taking the train I suppose. For international visitors what would you recommend?

 

Well, you get first bite of the cherry with coach tickets being available on line first, so if you really want to go then I'd recommend you factor this in. To my mind it would be a good option for you.

 

On the other hand you could wait until the Sunday ticket sale and then go via train or hired car. In going for this option though, you'll have limited your chance of getting a ticket. Also, are you familiar with driving on the other side of the road in a foreign country? That would be too hairy for me to handle, especially after the festival when you might feel a little jaded. Not only that but there's the expense - you'll be paying for a car that's going to sit in a car park field for most of the duration. I can't see any problems with using the train though. 

[Friend Chicken]

Well, you get first bite of the cherry with coach tickets being available on line first, so if you really want to go then I'd recommend you factor this in. To my mind it would be a good option for you.

 

On the other hand you could wait until the Sunday ticket sale and then go via train or hired car. In going for this option though, you'll have limited your chance of getting a ticket. Also, are you familiar with driving on the other side of the road in a foreign country? That would be too hairy for me to handle, especially after the festival when you might feel a little jaded. Not only that but there's the expense - you'll be paying for a car that's going to sit in a car park field for most of the duration. I can't see any problems with using the train though. 

 

Honestly I'm not 100% sure I want to go which is why I was thinking of waiting for the general sale where my chances might be lower. lol. I've been to England twice and was thinking it might be "fun" to try driving but now that I think about it...might be foolish. 

 

What's the shower situation like at Glasto? Non-existent?

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Honestly I'm not 100% sure I want to go which is why I was thinking of waiting for the general sale where my chances might be lower. lol. I've been to England twice and was thinking it might be "fun" to try driving but now that I think about it...might be foolish. 

 

 

I can see where you are coming from - kind of let fate decide for you. I guess I don't blame you because getting to Glastonbury is a long haul from America. Would you be dissapointed if you came all that way? I really don't think so. In my opinion there's only two festivals that are in the super league and those are Glastonbury and the Burning Man festival. The only thing that could possibly spoil Glastonbury for you is if the weather isn't favourable ie it's constantly raining. Don't get me wrong, I've had many a happy muddy Glastonbury festival, it's just that if I had travelled as far as you'd be travelling then maybe i wouldn't have been so happy.

 

May I ask if it's the music or something else (eg other arts) that attract you to Glastonbury?

 

 

What's the shower situation like at Glasto? Non-existent?

 

There are showers available but there can be long queues for them. I've heard that it's best to go late at night rather than in the morning to avoid the queues. I have only used the showers on one year when I went when Radio 1 provided some but nobody seemed to know about them, so you could just walk in to them without queing. A lot of people now kind of cleanse themselves with wet wipes - kind of a compromise between showering and not showering at all.

Edited September 10, 2015 by Yoghurt on a Stick

[incident]

The best option for Public Transport is likely to vary depending on when/where you're starting from, but remember that you can still go by coach even if you don't buy the "coach travel included / mandated" tickets - National Express run a fairly extensive service to the Festival from most major cities and don't have either of the 2 major disadvantages that put me off the inclusive coach tickets - ie you actually get a choice of times and the flexibility to change your plans.

[Friend Chicken]

Great feedback, thanks. Key questions: Is this the last year before the fallow year, or will 2017 also be a festival year? I would particularly like to go before any major site change is made, which I read about. (If that's been debunked as well, fill me in...)

 

I can see where you are coming from - kind of let fate decide for you. I guess I don't blame you because getting to Glastonbury is a long haul from America. Would you be dissapointed if you came all that way? I really don't think so. In my opinion there's only two festivals that are in the super league and those are Glastonbury and the Burning Man festival. The only thing that could possibly spoil Glastonbury for you is if the weather isn't favourable ie it's constantly raining. Don't get me wrong, I've had many a happy muddy Glastonbury festival, it's just that if I had travelled as far as you'd be travelling then maybe i wouldn't have been so happy.

 

May I ask if it's the music or something else (eg other arts) that attract you to Glastonbury?

 

 

 

There are showers available but there can be long queues for them. I've heard that it's best to go late at night rather than in the morning to avoid the queues. I have only used the showers on one year when I went when Radio 1 provided some but nobody seemed to know about them, so you could just walk in to them without queing. A lot of people now kind of cleanse themselves with wet wipes - kind of a compromise between showering and not showering at all.

 

Yeah Burning Man is increasingly enticing but just seems so open-ended and without structure. I'm a Coachella regular and have enjoyed camping the last 4 years. Does it usually rain at Glasto? I was kind of figuring on that to some extent. I'm primarily interested in the music but I'll never forget my first Coachella and being in awe of the 'community' coming together in the desert for a weekend, seemed out-of-this-world. So the atmosphere is key to me.

 

The best option for Public Transport is likely to vary depending on when/where you're starting from, but remember that you can still go by coach even if you don't buy the "coach travel included / mandated" tickets - National Express run a fairly extensive service to the Festival from most major cities and don't have either of the 2 major disadvantages that put me off the inclusive coach tickets - ie you actually get a choice of times and the flexibility to change your plans.

 

Interesting. So maybe going for the general sale would be more appropriate for me.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Great feedback, thanks. Key questions: Is this the last year before the fallow year, or will 2017 also be a festival year? I would particularly like to go before any major site change is made, which I read about. (If that's been debunked as well, fill me in...)

 

 

Yeah Burning Man is increasingly enticing but just seems so open-ended and without structure. I'm a Coachella regular and have enjoyed camping the last 4 years. Does it usually rain at Glasto? I was kind of figuring on that to some extent. I'm primarily interested in the music but I'll never forget my first Coachella and being in awe of the 'community' coming together in the desert for a weekend, seemed out-of-this-world. So the atmosphere is key to me.

 

 

Interesting. So maybe going for the general sale would be more appropriate for me.

 

No, fortunately it doesn't always rain so it's worth the risk, in my opinion.

 

If you like the community spirit then Glastonbury will be right up your street.

 

Not sure if the previous guide you mention was Tort's but just in case it wasn't then here it is;

 

http://www.glastoearth.com/the-faq

[incident]

As of right now the intention is for the the fallow year to be 2018 and so the 2017 Festival is currently on. But I wouldn't rule out that changing again between now and then.

Don't worry too much about potential site changes affecting your Festival experience - nothing is set at this stage and if anything does happen then it's more likely to be the fields outside the fence or around the fringes of the site that are affected - maybe a camping field needs to be moved, or an access road needs to be rerouted, or car parking shifted further off site - I have to think that any changes are likely to be logistical rather than something that'd affect the core vibe of the festival.

[tjamest]

Honestly I'm not 100% sure I want to go which is why I was thinking of waiting for the general sale where my chances might be lower. lol. I've been to England twice and was thinking it might be "fun" to try driving but now that I think about it...might be foolish. 

 

 

There are only a few days difference between the coach sale and the general sale and both sell out Very quickly (minutes rather than hours) so don't hesitate for long

[Friend Chicken]

As of right now the intention is for the the fallow year to be 2018 and so the 2017 Festival is currently on. But I wouldn't rule out that changing again between now and then.

Don't worry too much about potential site changes affecting your Festival experience - nothing is set at this stage and if anything does happen then it's more likely to be the fields outside the fence or around the fringes of the site that are affected - maybe a camping field needs to be moved, or an access road needs to be rerouted, or car parking shifted further off site - I have to think that any changes are likely to be logistical rather than something that'd affect the core vibe of the festival.

 

So the articles and talk from a few months ago - about the actual festival location being moved - were blowing things out of proportion? It's my understanding Glasto has always been held at that site, and I'd hate to miss experiencing that.

[incident]

Yes, there's definitely some issues with land use/availability and that has lead to a lot of rumours - but moving the Festival would be a nuclear option and I personally don't see it happening in the near future.

I worked at the Festival this year, and the way some of my colleagues were talking, they were absolutely convinced that the 2015 Festival would be the last one - at this stage we can safely say that's not the case.

The (very) simplified version is that the Festival Organisers own most of the land "inside the fence" - ie the land that forms the main part of the Festival site - camping, entertainment, etc fields.

The problem is that they don't own most of the land "outside the fence", which is used for Car Parks, Staff Camping, Campervans, Logisitics, etc. Over the past few years the various landowners have been increasing their rental charges & imposing restrictive conditions, which is making it increasingly difficult for the Festival to operate.

Moving the Festival (on the same scale) would be an incredibly difficult undertaking. I doubt there's even a suitable site that could do it and that they'd get permission for - reports have mentioned the Matterly Bowl, but that has its own issues with neighbours that would probably make it even more problematic..

My opinion (and bear in mind I could end up being very wrong) is that the land issues will continue but that it won't result in a move or a significant downscale - my best guess is that if the Festival loses enough fields adjacent to the site, they'll start locating certain things (starting with the car parks) further away from the site and run a shuttle service.

[incident]

In fact while I'm thinking of it - they already started doing exactly that - The Drop Off & Collect Point and the Private Coach Parking and a couple other things have been moved off-site to the Bath & West Showgrounds, and a shuttle service provided.

[Friend Chicken]

Thanks everyone for the great information! The Tort's link in particular. I'll probably be back with more questions...

[glasto-worker]

Thanks everyone for the great information! The Tort's link in particular. I'll probably be back with more questions...

 

Hiring a car that will spend most of the week in a field does not make any sense at all unless you are going in a group so reducing the cost.

 

Buying camping gear also has to be factored in so a pre-erected tent may be a better option ' but its still expensive '

 

Have you looked at the total cost ? as its something you have to consider before you buy a ticket.

 

weather should not be a factor as no one can predict how it will turn out so far in advance.

 

Whatever will happen in the future even if GFL wanted to move it will take years to plan out as they need to apply for a site licence and as far as I can see - it sounds a bluff to force greedy landowners to stop charging outrageous fees as after all if they move that land value drops away down.

 

They have spent a fortune on the infrastructure so they would be dead reluctant to ever move + they have been expanding areas not directly connected to the main site 

 

Its a big undertaken to fly over - it can be done but it will cost you.

[whisty]

As Glasto worker says, expense of car hire could be restrictive & not worth it to park up for 5 or so days. Personally, if I was travelling from afar, I'd fly London (Bristol would be better if that's available but doubt it). National express, you can choose your own travelling time/date. Spend the car money on a pre erected tent or stay locally, maybe Bristol or Bath a day or two before the festival opens.

 

Lots of options assuming you get a ticket. One rider, If you book the coach ticket through the festival you have no choice of travel time but of course you get an earlier/another chance to get a festival ticket. 

 

As for the weather, wellies and some sundries will take that fear away. 

 

Good luck

Edited September 17, 2015 by whisty

[glasto-worker]

As Glasto worker says, expense of car hire could be restrictive Personally, if I was travelling from afar, I'd fly London (Bristol would be better if that's available but doubt it). National express, you can choose your own travelling time/date. Spend the car money on a pre erected tent or stay locally a day or two before the festival opens.

 

Lots of options assuming you get a ticket. One rider, If you book the coach ticket through the festival you have no choice of travel time but of course you get an earlier/another chance to get a festival ticket. 

 

Good luck

 

That is a good point as its fitting things in with the flight.

 

One of my Team lives in Iceland so each year he will land on the Monday as our Crew Coach departure time is at Noon on the Tuesday from London so it does not matter if his flight is delayed - we will meet up have a drink and a meal and then its back to my place to try and have a sleep - I lend him my own camping gear so he does not have to transport anything in and its all packed and ready to go - on the Monday he will help me get the camping gear back to my place and he will fly out late that evening just in case there is any delays - for some reason there was a massive jam in a previous year so that delayed our Coach for a good three hours but this year it all went as planned.

 

I can appreciate why its not possible to book a Coach time with a combined ticket but I am sure it does cause some people hassle.

[theDandy]

Great feedback, thanks. Key questions: Is this the last year before the fallow year, or will 2017 also be a festival year? I would particularly like to go before any major site change is made, which I read about. (If that's been debunked as well, fill me in...)

 

 

Yeah Burning Man is increasingly enticing but just seems so open-ended and without structure. I'm a Coachella regular and have enjoyed camping the last 4 years. Does it usually rain at Glasto? I was kind of figuring on that to some extent. I'm primarily interested in the music but I'll never forget my first Coachella and being in awe of the 'community' coming together in the desert for a weekend, seemed out-of-this-world. So the atmosphere is key to me.

 

 

Interesting. So maybe going for the general sale would be more appropriate for me.

 

I went to Coachella in 2012 and Glastonbury in 2014 and although Coachella just seemed like any other festival (albeit a brilliant experience) to me Glastonbury is something else completely. If you like music and festivals then it's a bucket list thing most definitely. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anybody at all, regardless of age or personality or anything, it's the best place that I've ever been to. Bearing in mind too there's so much more to do at Glastonbury, the size of it really is ridiculous compared to any other festival I've ever been to I don't think I got to walk around half of it over the 5 days I was there, just go for it you won't regret it one bit!

[Amnesiac83]

I'm from California and considering going to Glastonbury 2016 if I can get a ticket. Just perused the guide section pinned above which was a wealth of information. I'm getting a mixed vibe on the coach tickets - my other options would be renting a car or taking the train I suppose. For international visitors what would you recommend?

 

Hello. Coachella regular from California here, as well. Just signed up for this board as I'm planning on attending my first Glastonbury in 2016 as part of a Euro vacation. =)

[tjamest]

Hello. Coachella regular from California here, as well. Just signed up for this board as I'm planning on attending my first Glastonbury in 2016 as part of a Euro vacation. =)

 

Good news - Have you also registered your details on the Glastonbury site? as you need to do this over the next few days otherwise you can't buy a ticket

[Amnesiac83]

Good news - Have you also registered your details on the Glastonbury site? as you need to do this over the next few days otherwise you can't buy a ticket

 

Yes, thanks for checking! I did that months ago - photo upload and all. Going for it on the coach sale to increase my odds.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Yes, thanks for checking! I did that months ago - photo upload and all. Going for it on the coach sale to increase my odds.

 

Wise move. Will keep my fingers crossed for you to get ticket(s). Hope the rest of your euro holiday is both a blast as well as being informative.

[Amnesiac83]

Wise move. Will keep my fingers crossed for you to get ticket(s). Hope the rest of your euro holiday is both a blast as well as being informative.

thanks for crossing those fingers! got my pass today on the coach sale.

[dixietheduck]

Sound advice all around here. I come over from LA every year, and have tried a few different ways of doing Glasto..driving and getting the coach from different departure points. If you're not hiring a car, I'd recommend staying in Greenwich and getting the London SeeTickets coaches, which leave from the O2. Then you can still do some London sightseeing after Glasto. Or go with a Bristol departure because it's closest and least exhausting.

Driving is easiest because you can keep your suitcases in the car, rather than having to stash them at a hotel or something..but it's not worth hiring a car for specifically I don't think.

Realize this info comes a bit late given ticket sale dates. I'll try and stay a bit more plugged in for an other questions :-)

[tjamest]

thanks for crossing those fingers! got my pass today on the coach sale.

Good  news, get ready for the week of your life

[Amnesiac83]

Good  news, get ready for the week of your life

 

Thanks, cannot wait! Just need to figure out where we'll lay our heads. I have a hotel booked in Wells Somerset, but will likely cancel and camp. I don't want to lug my camping gear from California to London, so I may just buy the camping essentials once I arrive in London on Monday. !!!