Battles of the bogs

[stuartbert two hats]

Some deranged maniacs with rose tinted specs have been muttering about 2016 actually being worse than 2007.  They must have forgotten what it's like to have all joy sucked out of the festival from being continually rained on and every time it seems to have cleared up, getting shat on again.  And presumably didn't wear a proper pair of boots.

[eFestivals]

7 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Some deranged maniacs with rose tinted specs have been muttering about 2016 actually being worse than 2007.  They must have forgotten what it's like to have all joy sucked out of the festival from being continually rained on and every time it seems to have cleared up, getting shat on again.  And presumably didn't wear a proper pair of boots.

I've been going since 1986.

The worst was 2016, by a long shot.

[incident]

I'm firmly of the view that anyone who thinks that 2016 was the worst of those 2, either didn't go in 2007 or is having serious memory issues.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I didn't go in 2016 but was there in 2007. It's hard to imagine anything being worse than 2007. That nearly broke me mentally.

[stuartbert two hats]

2 minutes ago, incident said:

I'm firmly of the view that anyone who thinks that 2016 was the worst of those 2, either didn't go in 2007 or is having serious memory issues.

Or really, really hates mud.  Sure, 2016 had more muddy days, but by fuck - the Sunday in 2007 was miserable.

Edited March 13, 2017 by stuartbert two hats
Clarified which year the miserable Sunday was on.

[The Nal]

It started raining on the Thursday in 2007, rained nearly every hour and didn't stop for 4 days. 

Rained Thursday night, Friday morning, Friday afternoon, cleared up a bit Friday night, then started raining again, showers all day Saturday and then it rained all day Sunday and got worse and worse.

That real sweaty feeling of having the rain gear on and it being a bit warm. Shite weather. Fuck that. 

[eFestivals]

11 minutes ago, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

I didn't go in 2016 but was there in 2007. It's hard to imagine anything being worse than 2007. That nearly broke me mentally.

last year was worse, defo.

2007 was grim, but at least it was possible to walk about. Last year the mud was so deep and heavy it was far worse.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Everyone's a decade older, mind, which takes its toll.  Anyone over 30 needs a full programme of squats, lunges, deadlifts and lower back exercises so that they can remain standing up for 5 days in a row.

[Hugh Jass]

2007 for me.

I can only remember two performances from that whole weekend (Iggy and The Who), the only other memory from that weekend is the permanent and ceaseless thudding of rain on my hood.

It was awful.

[p.pete]

Wasn't there '07, but sounds like it was pretty miserable.  Two factors to consider though:

- anyone that was there at both was roughly ten years older by the second.  Some people will have gotten fitter in that time, some will be treating themselves differently, most are likely to have prepared better.  So a different impact for different people, but maybe relevant.

- the site is getting subtly bigger year on year, there's more things dragging us in more directions across the day.  The comparison would have been slightly easier if it was '05 vs '16 as the Park was where I camped in '05 vs being yet another direction my weary mind had to consider whether I had enough energy to be bothered with in '16.  Aside from the Park though I think year-on-year there have been subtle stretching of the boundaries of where 'stuff happens' (plus on average most camping is further away now - no more Dragons' field, Oxylers is smaller, no more camping where Leftfield is now, reduced Row Mead, no more Park area camping, more use of John Peel side for camping, then having to negotiate around hospitality on that side).  

So great that we're still going ten year on, and great that the festival hasn't stayed the same - but maybe worth consider in terms of 'which was shitter'

 

[Cnr_22]

22 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

I've been going since 1986.

The worst was 2016, by a long shot.

YAAAAY, My first Glasto and I still want to go back.... it's only up from here!

[giantkatestacks]

In 2007 I was in tears Monday morning by the time I got offsite. I was on the gates and being outside for hours in the cold and wet, especially the overnight Saturday shift broke me. Plus the mud was as bad in places as last year, around the gates, in Lost Vagueness and the cabaret field was particularly bad.

[drunk pumpkin]

2007 is the only one i've missed since 2005.

last yer was a real struggle. 

I agree with @p.pete that the site getting larger with less central camping fields takes its toll.

Last year was a fucker! no question about it. So many places i never made it to because of the mud!

This year i'm looking forward to getting to the Wood and the JP Tent for the first time!

 

[Fingerbobs]

Anyone else tune in hoping to find out which toilets were going to win the battle of the bogs? I turned up to offer my support for the Hitchin Hill long drops.

2007 was a misery of a thing that killed off the last of the gang I went with.  It's now only me and a mate that goes.

[The Nal]

23 minutes ago, p.pete said:

Wasn't there '07, but sounds like it was pretty miserable.  Two factors to consider though:

- anyone that was there at both was roughly ten years older by the second.  Some people will have gotten fitter in that time, some will be treating themselves differently, most are likely to have prepared better.  So a different impact for different people, but maybe relevant.

Being fit or not has nowt to do with the relentless sound of rain hitting people on the head. That rain vs poncho sound. Could hear it even during gigs. Festival sounded like this for 4 days.

 

When its raining that hard and often the mud is wet and splashy, and really really slippy. And you get hit from both directions, rain from above and mud and muddy water from below. And from the back of peoples wellies Thousands of people walking about with bits of mud in their teeth.

Give me the thick sticky stuff any day (fnarr fnarr).

8 minutes ago, Fingerbobs said:

I turned up to offer my support for the Hitchin Hill long drops.

Id plus 1 that. A fabulous evacuating experience, from Wednesday through Monday. 

Edited March 13, 2017 by The Nal

[incident]

Just now, Fingerbobs said:

2007 was a misery of a thing that killed off the last of the gang I went with.  It's now only me and a mate that goes.

Yep - that's a key difference.

After 2007 a lot of people stopped going - some temporarily, some permanently - as evidence by the poor ticket sales for 2008 and to a lesser extent 2009.

I can't imagine that nearly as many people came home from 2016 saying "I'm not doing that again", especially considering that the initial ticket for sale this year seemed to be amongst the most difficult for a while.

But I guess 10 years is enough time to forget just how bad, and how pervasive it got.

[funkyuk]

for mud 2016 was far worse.  2007 the mud was generally sloshy so you could walk around site.  2007 definitely wettest, but the sucking mud last year was fucked up

[simian_mobile_mushrooms]

Was it 2007 that tents actually floated away and/or whole fields were flooded? Surely that has to be the worst for the people involved

[funkyuk]

1 minute ago, simian_mobile_mushrooms said:

Was it 2007 that tents actually floated away and/or whole fields were flooded? Surely that has to be the worst for the people involved

no that was 2005.- the infamous pennards flood

[simian_mobile_mushrooms]

Just now, funkyuk said:

no that was 2005.- the infamous pennards flood

But not worse?

[incident]

1 minute ago, simian_mobile_mushrooms said:

Was it 2007 that tents actually floated away and/or whole fields were flooded? Surely that has to be the worst for the people involved

2005 - which strangely, wasn't all that bad for the rest of us not directly hit by floods or rivers through tents - all the rain fell in about 4 hours while most people were asleep on Thursday night / Friday morning - the site churned up a lot on the Friday, started to dry a bit on the Saturday, and I was able to switch back to wearing trainers by the Sunday.

Not saying I'd take it again mind.

[funkyuk]

I've just had a skip through my photos.  are you confusing 2007 with 1997?  2007 really wasnt  that bad. 

 

yeah, you have dates wrong.  plenty of sunny spells and big green swathes of grass at the end of 2007

Edited March 13, 2017 by funkyuk
swathes of green grass

[Hugh Jass]

2007 wasn't helped by being the only year I've gone on the official coach. 4am Monday morning in the pissing rain at the Gate A coach station was one of the grimmest experiences I've ever had at Glastonbury.

Weather was terrible, half the coaches had been delayed or cancelled due to them being stuck in mud, everyone was crammed into tiny pens which were getting dangerously overcrowded. Our coach arrived and about 200 people made a break for it, it got really nasty. I got one of the last seats and that was only because my 6ft 7 rugby playing beast of mate got on then turned around and dragged me out of the crowd and onto the bus.

It was really ugly.

[FuzzyDunlop]

I liked last years weather. I'll take that again easily.

Only issue I had was when I got sunburnt during madness.

[giantkatestacks]

Where does this idea that 2007 didnt have sticky massive mud? it really did, well at least it did where I was most of the time. I clearly remember being on the gate where the press/hospitality then came in and one of the Geldof girls happily skipping in with her friends (all of which had trainers on and were using wheeled suitcases) and their look of horror when they came round the corner and saw the sea of massive dense sticky mud a la 2016.