Traffic on Monday afternoon

[MilkyJoe]

So in 2010 and 11 we left the site mid afternoon on Monday and had a fairly decent run up the A37 to Bristol and onto the M5. However going the same way in 13 was a nightmare. Do any people heading north go directly across the A361 and A39 to the M5 and up that way? If so is the rough timescale to get to Bristol? Finally has anybody used the A371 towards Cheddar and up to the M5 that way?

Thanks folks.

Shaun.

[clarkete]

1 hour ago, MilkyJoe said:

So in 2010 and 11 we left the site mid afternoon on Monday and had a fairly decent run up the A37 to Bristol and onto the M5. However going the same way in 13 was a nightmare. Do any people heading north go directly across the A361 and A39 to the M5 and up that way? If so is the rough timescale to get to Bristol? Finally has anybody used the A371 towards Cheddar and up to the M5 that way?

Thanks folks.

Shaun.

I tend to avoid it, but have been the M5 way and found it a pain before, as the A roads had a slow queue.

[BluePaul]

We usually do the A361/A39/M5 run, both in and out, having had dreadful problems going north towards the M4 on the A37.  We are in Campervan West though, so less traffic coming in on the Tuesday, and we normally leave late Sunday night after the headliners.

[Wallace]

I have to drive to Holyhead in Wales to get a ferry at 1am on the Monday night / Tuesday morning.  According to google maps it's around 5 hours however with Glastonbury traffic, does anyone have a suggestion of what time we should aim to leave (campervan field west)?

[dingbat2]

Because we get there late, we drive to the west side of the site (we come from Norfolk!) because that side is where most of the last camping pitches are. It also means we usually park in the west car parks on the other side of the A361. This means we get funnelled out of the area on the Monday (takes about an hour to get out of the car parks), and have little choice which direction to go. Saying that, although its in completely the wrong direction to where we want to head, we have found the road west through Glastonbury has been pretty good to us. Once you get past Glastonbury it has been pretty plain sailing to the M5 then M4. We have also headed north to Bristol before and it was an absolute ball ache.

You might also want to check some of the back roads when you get nearer to Glastonbury, there are a few short cuts if you look on the map before you go. Don't look for shortcuts nearer the site as most have been closed off

 

 

 

[johnomatic]

I usually get the coach but last year I was due on a train back quite early on Monday. I was in no fit state to leave when I would have had to, and I'd forgotten my railcard and didn't fancy paying the extra so my friend offered me a lift back in the mid-afternoon. We didn't get off until a fair bit later than that (back to Bristol) and though the A37 was fine the surrounding road on the Glastonbury side seemed really hellish even at that time. Came from one of the east car parks. 

[cb4747]

In 2014 it took me over 10 hours to get home. From Glastonbury to Rainham in Kent usually a 3/4 hour drive. I think that Monday drive home is the absolute worst part and would rather fall down a long drop that sit in that traffic. That was leaving around Midday due to losing a person, we usually leave early morning and have no problems. 

[LSF]

Just looking at the national express timetable and it says leaving the festival to go back to birmingham is about 4 hours, surely with all the traffic this can't be true?

[incident]

10 minutes ago, LSF said:

Just looking at the national express timetable and it says leaving the festival to go back to birmingham is about 4 hours, surely with all the traffic this can't be true?

I certainly wouldn't rely on it arriving on time, definitely allow an extra 3-4 hours if you're booking onward connections, but (especially around the site) coaches do have access to a couple of roads near the site that regular traffic can't (or to be more accurate, isn't supposed) to use so can avoid certain queues.

[djcolsen]

Always leave late Monday afternoon towards southwest London, it's a bit of a shitter and staying awake in traffic is no mean feat but it's not too bad, think the key is to leave Sunday night or later on the Monday

[Jugtanion]

The last 3 years I've left the site around 4 / 5pm on the Monday. I don't have a set route, I try to stay awake, avoid crying through exhaustion and find signs for places I recognise, such as Shepton Mallet. I think I usually end up finding A37 to Bristol. I never find the traffic that bad considering the volume on those small roads. I've a mate who was in a new relationship last year, desperate to see his girlfriend and so set off at 11am to get to Torquay. He spent the next 4 hours more or less in the same spot in one of the pink car parks.

[Junglist1981]

We always leave Sunday night or very early Monday morning, getting out of the car park is normally a breeze.

We normally head up the A roads to cut through Bath. The worst part of the journey is this one T junction on the A37 where it meets the A39 about 10/15 miles from the festival, you can queue there for ages.

I'm such a dweeb that I've found it on the map https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.2915282,-2.5399129,1153m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

[MilkyJoe]

Thanks for all the replies folks, I may try setting off a little earlier but let's be honest, it's hard to leave on the Monday isn't it! I think I'm going to stay clear of the A37 this year and try the 361 although I may take a couple of detours onto smaller roads and chance it.

[blackred]

Never really hit any traffic leaving early afternoon Monday, normally coming from west car parks then head west till the A34 - only issues have been getting out the car park in muddy years.

[stixmcvix]

I'll be getting the Monday morning coach back to London, leaving 10am. Anyone have any experience of what sort of duration journey I'd be looking at?

[shoptildrop]

4 hours ago, Jugtanion said:

The last 3 years I've left the site around 4 / 5pm on the Monday. I don't have a set route, I try to stay awake, avoid crying through exhaustion and find signs for places I recognise, such as Shepton Mallet. I think I usually end up finding A37 to Bristol. I never find the traffic that bad considering the volume on those small roads. I've a mate who was in a new relationship last year, desperate to see his girlfriend and so set off at 11am to get to Torquay. He spent the next 4 hours more or less in the same spot in one of the pink car parks.

Sounds like our friends left like well early spent 4hrs in car park we left at 4-5pm straight out (even though knackered)

[Waapster]

Last year we left on Monday morning around 5.30am. Easy out and no traffic until Stonehenge but through that relatively quickly.

[Fishman]

1 hour ago, stixmcvix said:

I'll be getting the Monday morning coach back to London, leaving 10am. Anyone have any experience of what sort of duration journey I'd be looking at?

Tend to leave around the same time (have done this for the last three years) and you're looking at around 6 hours. However, it does all depend ...

You've got to factor in ... accidents on the roads near the site, Stonehenge traffic (always shit - try and get the driver to go round it), M25 rush hour, coach driver not knowing the way (although this normally is more of a problem on the way in), coach driver pit stops and the dreaded "Sorry guys, I'm out of hours for the day".

2013 had to go via Reading to find a new driver and it took 9.5 hours. 

[D-Low]

Always been fine coming out. It's when I hit Bristol I get the traffic. 2 hour long rush hour queus. Always make the mistake of taking the rural scenic route home and not the motorway way so end up coming right through Bristol city centre Hopefully will remember to turn right out of the carpark this year and not left

[stixmcvix]

17 hours ago, Fishman said:

Tend to leave around the same time (have done this for the last three years) and you're looking at around 6 hours. However, it does all depend ...

You've got to factor in ... accidents on the roads near the site, Stonehenge traffic (always shit - try and get the driver to go round it), M25 rush hour, coach driver not knowing the way (although this normally is more of a problem on the way in), coach driver pit stops and the dreaded "Sorry guys, I'm out of hours for the day".

2013 had to go via Reading to find a new driver and it took 9.5 hours. 

Oh brother. I gotta be back in Hertfordshire by 6 to pick up my kid. May well have to get an earlier coach

[Fishman]

19 minutes ago, stixmcvix said:

Oh brother. I gotta be back in Hertfordshire by 6 to pick up my kid. May well have to get an earlier coach

I have assumed here that you are on the See coach to the O2.

You are allocated a departure time but these are never checked. You just get funnelled into a holding pen and queue for the first available coach, so you can leave at whatever time you want. The queue has never taken more than an hour for me. If I had to be in Herts by 6, then it's 4 at the O2, so I'd want to be on the road by 9, so at Gate A by 8. Hope this helps.

Remember, the coach home and not Sunday night is for sleeping!

[stixmcvix]

3 hours ago, Fishman said:

I have assumed here that you are on the See coach to the O2.

You are allocated a departure time but these are never checked. You just get funnelled into a holding pen and queue for the first available coach, so you can leave at whatever time you want. The queue has never taken more than an hour for me. If I had to be in Herts by 6, then it's 4 at the O2, so I'd want to be on the road by 9, so at Gate A by 8. Hope this helps.

Remember, the coach home and not Sunday night is for sleeping!

Good advice, cheers @Fishman

[Mezhyp1]

23 hours ago, Waapster said:

Last year we left on Monday morning around 5.30am. Easy out and no traffic until Stonehenge but through that relatively quickly.

That would mean 30 mins to get them inside the temple, back to the tent, everything packed up, to the car park and away, in 30 mins, I'm afraid that's an impossible task

i admire your ability to be away at that time 

[Waapster]

On 5 May 2016 at 3:06 PM, Mezhyp1 said:

That would mean 30 mins to get them inside the temple, back to the tent, everything packed up, to the car park and away, in 30 mins, I'm afraid that's an impossible task

i admire your ability to be away at that time 

Honestly, it wasn't planned like that. I was completely fucked by the time Ryan Adams finished and went to bed (I'll pace it better this year) and went to bed. By 4am wide awake, it was getting light and I was ready to head back to real life.

I admire your ability to still be going at that time, its a much greater achievement...

[Peroni]

We normally leave early Monday...parked on the west but head towards London way so traffic seems okay as we are going the opposite way to the majority of the flow.

 

i tend to wake up early and most stuff is packed up the night before so it's a swift operation to get tent down and trudge back to normal life.   Only time we've had trouble was near the school run the time as I think they close the road out of the car parks to keep main supporting roads clear.