How quickly will Pennard Hill fill up?

[Spindles]

You need to be queuing before gates open. There is no other option, to be honest, to get a spot on pennards with anything larger than a 3 man.

[cejx]

I'm trying to get an idea of when I need to arrive at the gate, taking queues into account, to ensure getting a spot on Pennard Hill. Thanks

[MamaJojo]

queue started filling up at gate d from 4.30 am. Anyone who started queuing there after 7am probably had a minimum two hour wait to get in, some more likely than not wouldn't have got a spot at pennards. on the other side of the hedge from pennards-park home, you'd have more of a chance

Edited May 30, 2011 by MamaJojo

[dinky123]

The gates open at 8am on Wednesday morning iirc? How long will the queues be if I arrive at the gate at 8am? Thanks again for any replys

[LusciousLucy]

In the years previous to Tuesdany night car park opening Pennards took all day to get to a full level but with the introduction of 10,000+ people (probably actually 5 times this but I arrived at midday to no queues last year) all starting to queue at the gates from stupid in the morning now, all of us can only go now on what was experienced last year. The goal posts have moved irrevocably BUT...

because the footy isnt on this year and everyone may not be in so much of a BE THERE EARLY mindset, who can honestly say what can be expected on arrival.

As for bringing a bell tent, so what? Its your tent, you bloody well camp in it who cares if its large or small disco balls or not. The site is built to cope with 175,000 camping in it! I am one of those annoying people that camps alone in a 4 man and noone has died from the consequences!

One big annoying issue as well with Pennards now is the fecking staff camping area that has been slotted into the base of the field and has basically taken away over 1000 potential camping spots...ok so it IS the spot of the infamous flooding but its still caused a super squashy issue now with one of the most popular camping fields on site.

As you know, Pennards is on a hill, its up to you how hilly you can cope with underfoot when you set up.

So the basic answer is...noone is at all certain what can and will happen but if it is like last year, the best suggestion would be to try and get to the car parks for no later than 6-7am and join the soul destroying epic queue that has already been there since dawn. But this epic queue will be hopefully down to something that is moving by 8-9am alls willing and no matter what, you will be nicely camped in a spot that suits you by midday.

Back when the carpark gates opened at 6am and doors at 8am, I have experienced joining queuee that werent even quarter of a kilometre long...shame it isnt like that anymore.

[Spindles]

Very well put.

As for the crew camping area at the bottom of pennards there are 2 points, first I have read that it is being reduced this year, second is that it may have flooded in the past but that issue has been resolved by the drainage improvements, there was no problem in '09 at that point when it rained thursday night and again til fri late friday morning. Other areas of the festival (holts jazzworld end in particular) had issues with drainage and standing water at points on the friday but the bottom of pennards, even by the sinks, remained fine.

[ark]

Weather will also have a big influence on peoples arrival time and queue size.

It seems to me that camping in Park Home has all the advantages of Pennards, and might be a better solution for those arriving a little later? It is only separated from Pennards by a track isnt it?

[cejx]

Very well put.

As for the crew camping area at the bottom of pennards there are 2 points, first I have read that it is being reduced this year, second is that it may have flooded in the past but that issue has been resolved by the drainage improvements, there was no problem in '09 at that point when it rained thursday night and again til fri late friday morning. Other areas of the festival (holts jazzworld end in particular) had issues with drainage and standing water at points on the friday but the bottom of pennards, even by the sinks, remained fine.

[Spindles]

I don't know how much, just something I read in a thread here from someone who seemed to be in the know. I reckon the area was only about 1/8th to 1/6th full last year, which could, as you say, make room for ALOT of punters.

[LusciousLucy]

I would agree with that. It was a shocking waste of space for the low numbers of staff actually camped in there. They only needed about a fifth of the area.

[cejx]

I would agree with that. It was a shocking waste of space for the low numbers of staff actually camped in there. They only needed about a fifth of the area.

[snipe]

It seems to me that camping in Park Home has all the advantages of Pennards, and might be a better solution for those arriving a little later? It is only separated from Pennards by a track isnt it?

[Liam13th]

How long is a piece of string?

[Fingle]

We qued at about 4.30 last year was about 30 people in front, by 6am there was a qued behind us that was about a mile long!

[farmer_andy]

As a glasto first timer and someone not likely to be getting there before gates due to the long drive, where could a group of around 10 with 4/5 tents find space a few hours after they open? would it be somewhere on the west/south west side?

[Spindles]

There should still be space around, it is really only the pennards and a few other sought after locations that fill up so fast, in '09 when pennards was rammed by 3pm Park was still only 1/2 full and dairy even less so, so you can get pretty close to these prime locations without any stress. Pennards isn't all that, to be honest, but I'd still aim for there every time if I have nothing better to aim for (the crew area camping blag), if I can't get space there it won't bring me down, I'm sure that park and dairy are great places to camp and only a five minute walk from pennards.

[farmer_andy]

Cheers! So its generally pennards and the ones up by the pyramid area that fill up e.g. kidney mead? what about oxylers to be near other stage and dance areas?

[Spindles]

I've pitched (towards the edge I admit) on oxlyers as late as friday afternoon before now. Last year it filled faster than previously (again, I suspect because of the reduction in holts camping) but not only was there space there for longer than say, park, but there were parts that were quite sparsely populated throughout the festival (look at the aerial photo from last year and you'll see where the tents are rammed solid and where things look a little roomy with more clarity).

Last year oxlyers stunk of shit for the latter part of the weekend, I don't know if it was the combination of the pooptanks and weather or if several people in the area had 'shit tents', which is my personal belief, which also leads to another important consideration, it is more than just how full a field is, it's also about the kind of people that are camping there. I wasn't camped there, but I got the feeling that last year oxlyers had a few bad apples dotted around from the experiences I had of people going to/coming from their tents there.

My tip for that is, find your place and say hi to the neighbours before you pitch up, if they come across as gits, move on.

[hotwaterbottle]

I said can anyone ''else'' give me some idea of timings - perhaps you missed that? Gah, not sure why these forums always descend into aggro/sarcastic comments...

[chopper4001]

As a glasto first timer and someone not likely to be getting there before gates due to the long drive, where could a group of around 10 with 4/5 tents find space a few hours after they open?

[AdamSheff]

We got to Pennards about 12 last year on the Wed and it was busy. Not rammed thou. We got 5 tents up no problem, about half way up, level with the toilet but on the other side.

Im trying somewhere else this year though. Been to Pennard last 2 years and bored. It does my head in how its the "IT" place to camp.

[glastonbury2008]

We got to Pennards about 12 last year on the Wed and it was busy. Not rammed thou. We got 5 tents up no problem, about half way up, level with the toilet but on the other side.

Im trying somewhere else this year though. Been to Pennard last 2 years and bored. It does my head in how its the "IT" place to camp.

Edited June 18, 2011 by glastonbury2008

[a robot]

contrary to these reports, me and my friends put up about 5x 2-man tents and 1x 9-man tent at around 2pm last year without any problems

[cejx]

Can you think of anywhere near the green fields/viewing areas thats suitable for a quiet peaceful young couple? Was in the park last year but it just seemed to full of first timers and twats leaving mess everywhere. Hoping for pennards too but i dread to think what time i will arrive if the coach hits traffic.

Peace and Love

Matt