Camping near the Pyramid

[FuzzyDunlop]

In my previous 6 festivals I have never camped near (within sight) the Pyramid. How fast does it fill up? We are in the queue to the gate by 5:30am and normally through the gate by 9am.

Does it mainly go to workers?

 

[russycarps]

row mead is by far the best place I've ever camped. But after the capacity was slashed a few years back you definitely need to know someone who will pre-erect for you if your group is bigger than 2 tents.

 

[The Nal]

2 minutes ago, russycarps said:

row mead is by far the best place I've ever camped. But after the capacity was slashed a few years back you definitely need to know someone who will pre-erect for you if your group is bigger than 2 tents.

Yeah still on the wish list for me. Will try this year.

[CaledonianGonzo]

You can see Pennards filling up on the webcam all week, long before the gates have even opened - so I presume Row Mead is even worse...

[Calvin Klein]

What's the experience camping in Big Ground?

The closest Ive been to the Pyramid was Hitchin Hill and it was pretty good. Quite calm, good distance to the stages and a fantastic view. The only down side was walking up the hill when going back to you tent. 

 

[Quark]

2 minutes ago, Calvin Klein said:

What's the experience camping in Big Ground?

The closest Ive been to the Pyramid was Hitchin Hill and it was pretty good. Quite calm, good distance to the stages and a fantastic view. The only down side was walking up the hill when going back to you tent. 

 

I've been in Big Ground every year, just south of the big tree by Muddy Lane, and I've never had a bad one up there.  Because it's on the perimeter you don't really get many people stumbling through on the way to anywhere else; we've had space for a fire 4 times out of 5; and if you can't be arsed to move you can see and hear the stage pretty clearly if you just want to chill.

Only reason I might go somewhere else this year is the whole solo thing and wanting to do a completely different festival.  But then I'll probably get smashed, trudge up Muddy Lane and get pissed off when I remember I've camped in Park Home!

[clarkete]

In that field in the 80s there used to be some folk who would just ride their motorbikes in, park them up in the Pyramid field but over to the side, put a tent next to it and just tie a bit of string between them.  Other folk riding on the footpaths on trial bikes with their girlfriends on the back.  That and people camping next to their cars seems mental now.

Happy days  

[incident]

2 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

You can see Pennards filling up on the webcam all week, long before the gates have even opened - so I presume Row Mead is even worse...

I'm not sure that's really a good example.. The Festival are pretty strict about staff camping in public areas in the build up - In 2015 I was on site before gates opened - as of approximately 10pm on the Tuesday night, Row Mead was 100% empty, and security had been actively removing the tents of anyone who camped there. And yes, there was no sign of the Pyramid Palais crew at that point.

The difference in Pennards is that you've got the Staff Camping Area at the bottom of the hill, and the large Camplight area at the top so you will see some tents. But the rest of the field is kept clear.. Here's a couple webcam shots from this year that demonstrate it a bit better.

7:20pm on the Tuesday, 12 hours before Gates Opened - Pennards is largely empty except for the Staff Camping & Camplight:

7:20am on the Wednesday, approximately when gates opened - a bit more difficult to see because of the drizzle & mist, but it looks approximately the same to me:

[CaledonianGonzo]

Fair enough.  I stand corrected...

[Quark]

3 minutes ago, incident said:

And yes, there was no sign of the Pyramid Palais crew at that point.

Always wondered - how do those guys get that spot every year?

[Hugh Jass]

3 minutes ago, Quark said:

Always wondered - how do those guys get that spot every year?

Was just about to ask exactly the same thing.

[EZYSEY]

Camped in Big Ground this year with a great view of the pyramid just in front of the big tree. We got there at about 10am Wednesday morning and it was pretty much full as far as i could tell. Its a great spot but Muddy Lane gets harder and harder to walk up as the festival goes on and due to PGB being a nightmare to get through with the mud we ended entering/exiting through PGC which made getting our stuff to and from our camp a mission. It literally broke me on Monday morning.

[p.pete]

1 minute ago, Quark said:

Always wondered - how do those guys get that spot every year?

I have the impression that they're grizzled Oxfam staff/volunteers, so they'll have free access to the site a bit early.  Presumably if security were being uncooperative they still would have had an easy time strolling to their spot 7am Wednesday morning.

[russycarps]

6 minutes ago, incident said:

I'm not sure that's really a good example.. The Festival are pretty strict about staff camping in public areas in the build up - In 2015 I was on site before gates opened - as of approximately 10pm on the Tuesday night, Row Mead was 100% empty, and security had been actively removing the tents of anyone who camped there. And yes, there was no sign of the Pyramid Palais crew at that point.

The difference in Pennards is that you've got the Staff Camping Area at the bottom of the hill, and the large Camplight area at the top so you will see some tents. But the rest of the field is kept clear.. Here's a couple webcam shots from this year that demonstrate it a bit better.

7:20pm on the Tuesday, 12 hours before Gates Opened - Pennards is largely empty except for the Staff Camping & Camplight:

7:20am on the Wednesday, approximately when gates opened - a bit more difficult to see because of the drizzle & mist, but it looks approximately the same to me:

I'm sure someone came on here the other year confessing that most of row mead is set up by people already onsite. I suppose they do it in the early hours of wed morning then.

 

[Avalon_Fields]

16 minutes ago, Calvin Klein said:

What's the experience camping in Big Ground?

The closest Ive been to the Pyramid was Hitchin Hill and it was pretty good. Quite calm, good distance to the stages and a fantastic view. The only down side was walking up the hill when going back to you tent. 

 

We did 9 years at Big Ground. Great view, no serious downsides, would recommend.

[FuzzyDunlop]

31 minutes ago, russycarps said:

row mead is by far the best place I've ever camped. But after the capacity was slashed a few years back you definitely need to know someone who will pre-erect for you if your group is bigger than 2 tents.

 

Thanks - we also thought of Kidney Mead if that filled up.

We camped on Paines ground in 2016. Dairy other times and 2014 in Woodsies. Fancy somewhere new

 

[Quark]

1 minute ago, EZYSEY said:

Camped in Big Ground this year with a great view of the pyramid just in front of the big tree. We got there at about 10am Wednesday morning and it was pretty much full as far as i could tell. Its a great spot but Muddy Lane gets harder and harder to walk up as the festival goes on and due to PGB being a nightmare to get through with the mud we ended entering/exiting through PGC which made getting our stuff to and from our camp a mission. It literally broke me on Monday morning.

You weren't one of the guys trying to order flowers for his mum while coming off an acid trip were you?  One of the best overheard conversations I've ever had

[incident]

Just now, Quark said:

Always wondered - how do those guys get that spot every year?

My theory - and I wasn't fussed enough to check it out - is that one or more of them goes in as Staff. Then they can pitch up at first light on Wednesday when security have more important stuff to do so aren't bothered about policing it. All I can say for sure is that there definitely wasn't any sign of them at about 10pm on the Tuesday night in 2015.

[EZYSEY]

1 minute ago, Quark said:

You weren't one of the guys trying to order flowers for his mum while coming off an acid trip were you?  One of the best overheard conversations I've ever had

 Not guilty however I hope Interflora pulled through for him.

[Quark]

Just now, EZYSEY said:

 Not guilty however I hope Interflora pulled through for him.

It was amazing.  In between phone calls to local florists trying to get a Sunday delivery he was complaining to his mate about the strength of the tabs.  Pretty sure he got his conversations the wrong way round at least once...

[mr gumby]

I volunteered in 2014, so was on site from the Monday. I offered to meet up with the efests solo campers group at Beat Hotel on the Wednesday morning and help them pitch their tents. As I wandered down the pyramid field, shortly before gates opened, Row Mead was roughly 50% full, just from those already on site. 

[kerplunk]

8 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

You can see Pennards filling up on the webcam all week, long before the gates have even opened - so I presume Row Mead is even worse...

I can't speak for Row Mead but that's defo not the case for Pennards, and especially not so in 2016. There are signs up in the public camping areas saying no tent erecting until  wednesday and in previous years that meant you would get a few people waiting until midnight on tuesday night and then putting their tents up. I did that in 2014 and the numbers doing it were a drop in the ocean on Pennards. This year I had access to the site on tuesday again and tried to do the same thing but the security on Pennards were inisisting no tents up until the gates opened and were constantly sweeping the field with high powered torches and pouncing on anyone daring to unpack a tent (I sat by the fire with the campsite stewards watching them at work  - there were arguments!!).

[EZYSEY]

2 minutes ago, Quark said:

It was amazing.  In between phone calls to local florists trying to get a Sunday delivery he was complaining to his mate about the strength of the tabs.  Pretty sure he got his conversations the wrong way round at least once...

Amazing. They sound a lot more fun than our neighbours. We were camped next to a load of Brummies of which one girl was very annoying and kept banging on about politics first thing in the morning every morning. 

[Quark]

Just now, EZYSEY said:

Amazing. They sound a lot more fun than our neighbours. We were camped next to a load of Brummies of which one girl was very annoying and kept banging on about politics first thing in the morning every morning. 

Oh God I heard her a few times.  Ruined my morning smoke she did...

[CaledonianGonzo]

To be fair, most tents were banging on about politics this year on the Friday morning.