Glasto First-Timer from USA

[Magump]

Hi all,

If I can snag a resale ticket, I'll be attending Glasto for the first time, and also visiting England for the first time (woohoo!). I've been to many US multi-day festivals before, but this is my first international experience, so I was hoping for a bit of advice. Some additional info: I will be solo, no car, coming to and from London, flight back to the States will leave the Monday after the festival around 12:00.

My main question revolves around travel:

What is my best option for commuting to and from London to the festival? Ideally I'd like to arrive Thursday morning (this is flexible), but I absolutely have to be back into London on Monday morning (early). I keep hearing about the coach ticket options, but I was also wondering - would the train be a safer/faster/more efficient bet if I absolutely need to get out early Monday morning to get back to London for my flight? The Glastonbury site suggests the Castle Cary station - anyone ever used this option leaving the festival? Maybe buying a single coach to get there on Thursday morning and then take the train back?

On a related note, if there are any other US citizens reading this who registered a profile on the Glastonbury site: the field that says "postcode" mentions international residents should put their town - for US citizens does town mean state? Or does it mean our ZIP code? For example, would City = Los Angeles and Postcode = CA or is Postcode 904XX? Attached a pic of the registration site for reference.

Either way - thanks for the help and hopefully I'll be celebrating with you guys in June!

[musky]

Can't really help with with what to put in to the postcode box, but it sounds like you should put in Hollywood, Watts or whatever your neighbourhood is called.

As far as returning by coach or train goes, I'd probably opt for coach. It takes longer to get back but you don't have the hassle of getting to Castle Cary. You can also catch a coach direct to Heathrow if that's where you're flying from.  That way you're cutting out any uncertainty of what time you'll need to leave the festival site on the shuttle and you don't have to factor in the time it'll take to get back to the airport. There's a free shuttle that runs from the festival to the station, but the sole time I've taken the train it was a bit of a scrum getting on the shuttle. That might not be an issue at the time you're likely to want to return though.

You can check your options for trains here and for coaches here. It'll be an early start either way unfortunately.

[grumpyhack]

Wear an I DIDN'T VOTE FOR TRUMP T-shirt - whether you voted for him or not.  Not a popular man with the majority of Glasto-goers

[phillyfaddle]

You'd need to book pretty quickly for the coach (National Express will have the times). My advice would be to hire a car, if you absolutely MUST be back in London early Monday morning, or look at the Lift Share section of this forum to hook up with others in a similar position. But make sure you're driving out of the car park by 6AM on the Monday LATEST, as it gets very busy. Using the train you'll end up having to leave early Sunday evening. Castle Cary is a rural train station in a small village, so trains are fairly limited.

Contact See Tickets customer service for advice on completing the Registration Form:  https://www.seetickets.com/customerservice

Good luck x

 

[Jamie D]

Fair play to you for travelling from the States. TBH the last thing I'd want to do the Monday after Glastonbury is a transatlantic flight!

If your flight leaves at 12 noon on Monday then you'd probably be safest leaving Sunday night after the headliner.

Direct transport from London might be a bit tricky so maybe consider travelling to a transport hub relatively near (maybe Bristol or Bath) and then organising a taxi or lift share from there. 

Bear in mind the festival site is very rural and local transport links are not up to the job of shipping 250k people about in a predictable or timely manner. So whatever you do make sure you give yourself plenty of time.

[@leenewman6590]

Did you get a ticket in the resale ? 

 

[merago]

If you do go - please please please, make sure you store your valuables and your ID such as passport etc in the lock-ups - there was a really harrowing tale on here of a couple of out of country visitors being among of the unlucky few who had their tent robbed a few years back, losing their passport, valuables and all of their cash and it lead to them having an absolutely horrendous nightmare of a time.

[herzzreh]

We've been coming from NYC for 7 years now.

First, do rent a car. Logistically, it makes things 100% easier. Honestly, this is the only way to assure that you'll be back in London when you need to be back. If you're by yourself, it's more expensive but considering that you have to stop by a store for supplies and such, it's worth it. Driving on the "wrong" side is a non-issue. First time it took me an hour and a few close calls on the left side to get used to it, now it's 20 min of driving and I'm good to go. Second, post code = zip code. As others have said, if you have to catch a flight at noon on Monday at noon, definitely leave some time overnight on Sunday.

[drksc8]

change your flight til Tuesday,... first time for me coming from dc , leave monday noon and getting a room at heathrow , im gonna need a shower before i get on a plane, (if you stink I dont want  to sit next to you for 8 hours, 

 

[MilkyJoe]

As above. Hire a car. For what it will cost in coaches and trains it shouldn't be much difference. If you can't change your flight times you will need to be leaving the site early hours Monday morning at the latest. 

Secondly, I would look to hook up with the camp solo crew. Just inside gate A you will have no problems finding a place to camp. And it will be an easy ish exit Monday morning. The only thing I will say about using the lockups at gate A is get your stuff out early when it's time to pack up. The queue in the early hours of Monday morning last year were pretty bad.

Good luck getting a ticket.