First Time Driving

[lukemack]

On 27/04/2017 at 0:58 PM, Junglist1981 said:

Also resist the temptation to drive home on Sunday night, get a few hours sleep at least. I speak from experience having fallen asleep at the wheel before, was very very scary. Almost ended up in a ditch. You're much better off getting up at 5am to beat the traffic than trying to do it the night before after a long day of festivaling.

Or get the most out of the Sunday night and leave anytime after 1pm Monday haha

[Dyceloon]

After youve parked up.Find the car tow hook (usualy beside the spare wheel)and stick it in the passanger footwell.

If god forbid you need towed out of the car park on the Monday you dont wont to find its under all the stuff youve just shoehorned into the car. 

Also take the spare car keys with you. Give one set to your mate and ensure you both know where he or she has stashed them. had horrid experience of both of the above in the past.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SG87]

Drove home to Glasgow last year. Still haunts me. Never again. Ever. Ever. 

[sedra]

On 27/04/2017 at 2:35 PM, Dan190984 said:

How do I miss the B routes and hit C? 

We got C the first year and got so lucky with queue time. Went in the same entrance the last 4 years and got B and it's been such a longer queue and the "hill of death".

You need to follow the blue route which takes you to the east car parks and C gate via the campervan fields and hill of death. If you follow the purple parking route you end up above Windinglake Farm and come in on B gate at the top of muddy lane. 

[balti-pie]

2 hours ago, gooner1990 said:

Drive from Oxford each year too.

This year for the first time i'm driving Tuesday afternoon and staying at Yeovil Podimore Travelodge at the junction of the A303/A37 to get a few extra hours in bed and then heading to site, usually end up going through Ped gate B or C.

Good route is drive down the A34 to Andover then get on the A303 via Stonehenge and then up the A37. 

 

 

Snap! Me too on the travelodge. Coming up from the south coast though, through Salisbury and down the a303 after the Stonehenge rubberneckers. 

I've done the tiniest bit of research and found a pub maybe quarter of a mile down the road behind the travelodge. It looks alright - certainly better than a little chef or a Burger King, that's for sure 

[verrymerry]

Glad to hear they're putting on another coach, less stress and greener!

[Simpo]

1 hour ago, Dyceloon said:

Also take the spare car keys with you. Give one set to your mate and ensure you both know where he or she has stashed them. had horrid experience of both of the above in the past.

 

My mate lost his car keys while we were bouncing round to The Hives at Leeds Festival one time, a sickening feeling.

But then discovering them at Lost & Found the third or fourth time we stopped there to ask, a day later, was a brilliant moment! Bouncing round and such.

[geoffboycott]

Just to say the A303 (around Stonehenge) will be extra busy this year for travelling, as Summer Solstice falls on the Wednesday morning this year - perfectly aligned to the start of the festival as intended.

Probably 2 options to tackle this; take the opportunity to see the sunrise on solstice and set yourself up for the festival or avoid the area completely.

[Flysheet]

On 27/04/2017 at 2:45 PM, Dan190984 said:

Just checked on google maps and looks like we are going in the right way for C but prob getting there too early (if there can be such a thing) and ending up in the early car parks nearer B. 

If that happens this year is it possible to walk the extra to C or will the stewards stop that?

Walked in from Cannards Grave last year. Came in through the B vehicle entrance through to E12 or so, then cut across the Campervan fields and down the Hill of Death to gate C. Then walked up from C to E6 where the missus was with the car.

So, yes, you can wander about to your hearts content in the car parks if you've got the energy for it!

[Padgey]

1 hour ago, geoffboycott said:

Just to say the A303 (around Stonehenge) will be extra busy this year for travelling, as Summer Solstice falls on the Wednesday morning this year - perfectly aligned to the start of the festival as intended.

Probably 2 options to tackle this; take the opportunity to see the sunrise on solstice and set yourself up for the festival or avoid the area completely.

Countess roundabout was backed up last year at around 8:30 due to an accident.  I've always come off at Solstice Park, about half a mile before the roundabout, and taken a back route through Durrington and Larkhill then over Salisbury Plain which bring you back out onto the A36 just before Warminster.

[lucyginger]

Put your car keys (and house keys) in the lock ups when you arrive. Just don't forget to get them out by midday monday, or you'll have to trek over to the lock up at the back of the pyramid field, where they take everything not collected by midday when the others shut! 

[scaryclaireyfairy]

Having lived through a lost car keys disaster, yep, put your keys in the lock up immediately.  Then put the spare car keys in as a different item at a different lock up.  Don't get me wrong, anything we've ever put in the lock up has been perfectly safe and it's a ridiculous belt and braces approach.  We were just so scarred by the lost keys malarkey that we feel compelled to make sure it can never happen again!

[geoffboycott]

1 hour ago, Padgey said:

Countess roundabout was backed up last year at around 8:30 due to an accident.  I've always come off at Solstice Park, about half a mile before the roundabout, and taken a back route through Durrington and Larkhill then over Salisbury Plain which bring you back out onto the A36 just before Warminster.

Yeah, its a nightmare, I do a similar route throughout the Summer now, just don't bother with the A303, particularly on Fri and Sun PMs.

[Hugh Jass]

Drive in from London every year and "touch wood" have never had any issues at all with traffic, even last year. I have a really strange sat nav that takes me off the A303 early and through a selection of tiny villages, winding country lanes and random hamlets before somehow popping out right at the festival.

I don't understand how and I choose not to ask.

[gooner1990]

On 5/1/2017 at 9:43 PM, balti-pie said:

Snap! Me too on the travelodge. Coming up from the south coast though, through Salisbury and down the a303 after the Stonehenge rubberneckers. 

I've done the tiniest bit of research and found a pub maybe quarter of a mile down the road behind the travelodge. It looks alright - certainly better than a little chef or a Burger King, that's for sure 

nice one - its fully booked up now, i presume mostly with people who have had the same idea as us!

 

whats the pub called?

[balti-pie]

15 minutes ago, gooner1990 said:

nice one - its fully booked up now, i presume mostly with people who have had the same idea as us!

 

whats the pub called?

Annoyingly, the Podymore Inn. In Podimore. Someone wants shooting for that  

[gooner1990]

5 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

Annoyingly, the Podymore Inn. In Podimore. Someone wants shooting for that  

http://www.thepodymoreinn.co.uk/

 

looks decent!

[balti-pie]

Drive down late afternoon, a bit of dinner, a few pints (annoying the gooner at the bar, hopefully), then tucked up in bed for 10pm followed by up at 5, last shower (the most important bit methinks) and straight up the road for the gates to open at 8am. I aim to be pitched with beer in hand by no later than 9:30am! 

[gooner1990]

35 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

Drive down late afternoon, a bit of dinner, a few pints (annoying the gooner at the bar, hopefully), then tucked up in bed for 10pm followed by up at 5, last shower (the most important bit methinks) and straight up the road for the gates to open at 8am. I aim to be pitched with beer in hand by no later than 9:30am! 

there's actually a group of us Arsenal fans going together!

another place is the cross keys inn up the A37, i stayed there when i went to walk round worthy farm last april.

https://www.crosskeysinn.info/

 

Edited May 2, 2017 by gooner1990

[balti-pie]

You'll be overjoyed at seeing this Spurs donut there then  

cross keys looks good, but jeez it's given me a massive hankering for a cheese board now and it's half 11 

[gooner1990]

40 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

You'll be overjoyed at seeing this Spurs donut there then  

cross keys looks good, but jeez it's given me a massive hankering for a cheese board now and it's half 11 

I went on sunday!

 

Yeh, cross keys is good - decent pie selection but would mean driving....

 

Might go to the podymore inn on the way home

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

15 hours ago, Hugh Jass said:

Drive in from London every year and "touch wood" have never had any issues at all with traffic, even last year. I have a really strange sat nav that takes me off the A303 early and through a selection of tiny villages, winding country lanes and random hamlets before somehow popping out right at the festival.

I don't understand how and I choose not to ask.

[geoffboycott]

18 hours ago, Hugh Jass said:

Drive in from London every year and "touch wood" have never had any issues at all with traffic, even last year. I have a really strange sat nav that takes me off the A303 early and through a selection of tiny villages, winding country lanes and random hamlets before somehow popping out right at the festival.

I don't understand how and I choose not to ask.

Without giving it away completely (to avoid local ire), would this be turning off the A303 and coming out just below the the Showground (Bath & West)?  If so, good route that, the one I use.