2nd class festival goers

[Josie's Cat]

A festival with no campervans? That's like woods with no bear shit.

<comes over all woozy, fans self with VW fan club brochure>

[Guest Flip]

£75 is only three times the cost of a car park pass. Campervans are about twice as big as a car. When you look at it that way, it's quite reasonable. Also, it's an extra as there's no-one going to stop you setting up camp inside the fence in a tent if you decide to, as far as I know.

One thing worth considering is the festival could do perfectly well without the campervan fields being there at all. They're there as another option for people that want/need them, but it's not like they wouldn't sell out without them. I doubt that £75 is subsidising much else other than land hire and facilities for that field. If people are talking about making complaints on a H&S basis at the license hearing then it's worth being aware that by far and away the most simple solution to the problem will be to not allow campervans at all.

That all said, all camp sites should have running water and toilets.

[markeee]

off topic - but howcome there seems to be a lot of people postiung on these forums when apparently at glasto?

did you all take netbooks and mobile internet dongles or something lol..or has everyone got press passes or what have you..

[markeee]

If you camp, you bring a car and then go find somewhere else to spread out your tent/gazebo etc so not really true. Plus the £75 per van covers a shed-load more than the land and the [minimal in my experience] facilities!!

The festival would never get rid of the campervan field, that would be rediculous, but they seem to be totally incapable of providing one that is actually fir-for-purpose!!

C'mon Glastonbury festivals, bring the van fields inside the superfence, give them proper facilities...I for one would return in a flash if you did that!!

[ianianian]

Not sure which campervan field we were in but

- there were lots of sinks but very few "big taps" ... they should know that caravan peeps want a row of taps with a hose with which to fill their rolling barrels or other large containers with

- the toilet waste containers, instead of putting five all at one end of the field, would it have killed them to put two at one end and three at the other, thus giving everyone slightly nearer cassette emptying facilities, they're portable tanks after all and it's not like the Festival ever seemed to empty them, they all just got progressively fuller.

- no grey water facilities that I could find so we just had to let that overflow on to the ground, yeah it's not got anything too bad in it (if you're careful with soap etc), but still, at least tell the stewards what it is (since a lot of caravan/camper users do expect somewhere to take it and will be asking about it. None of the stewards I asked in our field even knew the concept of grey water.

- parking up was just all over the shop, vans way too close together in places and then massive empty areas in others

- parking late campervans in stupid places right by the access roads, space that the caravans need to swing round over (probably because they left too many gaps earlier)

[geebus]

Campervans are converted vans, and unless the wheel base has been lengthened they fit into a normal car parking space.

[richroet]

might be wrong as not a camper van person but I thought I saw a message - possibly on twiter - that one of the camper van fields was closed due to muddy conditions so this may well have had a knock on effect at other fields

[James Bolivar]

The facilities in West CV field were very poor. I also got very annoyed by just how far we had to walk to get to the main areas, especially given that the majority of campers were older than the average festival goer.

As long as people still keep going on about "Glasto Spirit" and deluding themselves into believing that this is anything more than an entertainment we won't get decent facilities or decent value for money.

[eFestivals]

The facilities in West CV field were very poor. I also got very annoyed by just how far we had to walk to get to the main areas, especially given that the majority of campers were older than the average festival goer.

As long as people still keep going on about "Glasto Spirit" and deluding themselves into believing that this is anything more than an entertainment we won't get decent facilities or decent value for money.

How were the facilities 'poor'? Were you expecting the best you'd get on a normal camping campsite?

As for the walking, that was all known up-front. It's the downside for campervan users at just about every festival, in that they're sited further away from the entertainment than those in tents - for good logistical reasons, not just to annoy people with campervans.

[Georgeh]

We were in E20 & had ample space between campers on both sides & the fire lane was kept clear. we used the loos in E19 less than a two minute walk from us & they were surprisingly clean (always used the ones furthest away from the track) throughout the festival & the tanker was there to empty them each morning along with the 4 containers provided for portable toilet waste. There were also 3 water taps along side the track in for fresh water.

I don't see any problem with the £75 fee especially as it enabled me to sleep in a nice clean bed, keep my clean cloths dry, have a shower each day & keep my beer cold in the fridge.

Also remember that a lot of these fields belong to other farmers & they will want something out of your £75 along with the costs of the infrastructure of supplying loos, water, stewards & traffic management.

This site is currently full of people moaning, its a festival for god sake just get on with it & enjoy, or don't bother next time & give someone else a chance of getting a ticket to have a good time.

[Pootle]

The facilities in West CV field were very poor. I also got very annoyed by just how far we had to walk to get to the main areas

[ukslim]

It was my first time in a van. To be honest I think I was happier in a tent, but that's not the festival's fault. There was a problem with the pressure of the water supply at one point, otherwise it seemed fine. We had lots of space, the portaloos were well maintained.

However, I think that if I have any choice in future, I'd prefer to be in a tent again. Some people like to cook their own breakfast, and sit around on deckchairs by a van. I want to be in the festival among the crowds, eating food I wouldn't be able to cook, as soon as possible after I've woken up. When I get tired, I want my bed close by. Once I'm in a festival, I'd rather not mess about with re-entry queues.

[James Bolivar]

How were the facilities 'poor'? Were you expecting the best you'd get on a normal camping campsite?

As for the walking, that was all known up-front. It's the downside for campervan users at just about every festival, in that they're sited further away from the entertainment than those in tents - for good logistical reasons, not just to annoy people with campervans.

[James Bolivar]

The West Fields are MUCH closer than the East fields. We kept raving about how quickly we could get in!

[weatherman]

In E21, the original layout was fine with a standard awning size left between the vans, but then loads of people added tents for friends and families to stay in, which then clogs up the area and fills the legal fire space between each van. The marshals don't seem bother about this, despite the regs not allowing tents for sleeping. Then the marshals tried to squeeze in more vans in between, so tightly that the doors could not be opened. If you have ever seen a fire in a van you will know how quickly it burns, without adequate separation the whole campervan field would get burnt out. Glasto need to take preventative action now, before there is a major incident.

Facilities were again woefully inadequate. Long treks to the water then over an hour wait in the queue. As said in an earlier post, the facilities need to be spread around the site and ideally each field having it's own water and loo disposal rather than one tap for three fields! I found a 'secret' water tap which had been provided for the pizza van, was great for two days till they got the right hump & chased me off

Glasto is really a victim of it's own success, too many of us want to go there and they cannot provide adequate space or facilities for us. They need to reduce the numbers attending or increase facilities to an acceptable level. Maybe they should increase the campervan ticket price & use the money to run in extra water supplies & provide more elson points. There is probably another thread about the overcrowding in the camping areas, which looked horrendous.

We got off lightly this year, the rain stopping on Saturday so not too many stuck vans, but just imagine the chaos had the rain continued. I love Glasto but fear that sooner or later there will be a major incident with consequences that I do not want to think about let alone put down in words. Action needs to be taken now, to avoid it ever happening.

[ICESTONE]

Went in 2010 and i have no option for 2013 as the wife won't go in a tent again, after she felt so unsafe. Personally didn't have a problem but the fact that a few kids were lighting a fire with a lighter and aerosol spray freaked her out. so i'm going to have to live with the issues from the CV fields.

[Ohinever]

The main problem is that people look on Glastonbury Festival as a kindly old farmer doing everybody a favour and lending out his land for a bit of a do and not the £100 million business that it really is.

Edited June 28, 2011 by mooro

[precious_lillywhite]

How were the facilities 'poor'? Were you expecting the best you'd get on a normal camping campsite?

[eFestivals]

Two taps for hundreds of vans - is that not poor?

if you went to fill up in the two hours that most others filled up then you had to queue. For the other 22 hours there was no queue. Is the number of taps poor, or your timing?

And those placed at the edge of the site so guaranteeing the longest walk.

taps have to be placed somewhere. Someone always has the longest walk.

The road ways were a quagmire from Thursday on too, so little hope of leaving, even if you did come to your senses. I've no idea what other campsites are like as I've never been to one.

it's a campsite for people attending a festival, who will be there until near the end or past the end of the festival. All the same if you'd wanted to leave you'd have been helped on your way with a tow from a tractor for free if it was needed - I saw that happen in the campervan field I was in.

And "good logistical reasons" is just an excuse for incompetence.

so you disagree with best-practice safety measures that means as few people as possible have to walk past moving vehicles. I don't think the problem there is the festival's incompetence.

The main problem is that people look on Glastonbury Festival as a kindly old farmer doing everybody a favour and lending out his land for a bit of a do and not the £100 million business that it really is. Disney would put in roads and hard standing and that's what's needed.

Disney is not held on a working farm.

The problem here is not the festival, but your unrealistic expectations.

[geebus]

However how a money making corporation can get away with letting peeps fall over each other in hundred deep crowds, without any form of crowd management stewarding/protection of walk ways etc. I will never know.

[Ohinever]

Because there still doesn't really seem to be any 'need' for it. A few people got muddy and maybe a few twisted ankles.

Far too much 'management' as it is at Glastonbury for my liking - I'm sure there's other places people that want to be wrapped in cotton wool can go.

Edited June 28, 2011 by mooro

[eFestivals]

And come to think of it, if every football match ended up with sprained ankles and broken bones something would be done about it. How come festivals seem almost immune to these standards?

because festivals are not 90 minutes events, but days-long events where all things which might happen in normal life - such as sprained ankles or broken ankle (especially if walking across fields and not smooth tarmac) - can happen in festival life too.

It's very probably the case that the numbers of medical need at Glastonbury are lower than in any equivalent sized town, and that's despite glastonbury being the equivalent of Saturday night every night for a town ten times the size of Glastonbury.

[Ohinever]

because festivals are not 90 minutes events, but days-long events where all things which might happen in normal life - such as sprained ankles or broken ankle (especially if walking across fields and not smooth tarmac) - can happen in festival life too.

It's very probably the case that the numbers of medical need at Glastonbury are lower than in any equivalent sized town, and that's despite glastonbury being the equivalent of Saturday night every night for a town ten times the size of Glastonbury.

[eFestivals]

It would be very interesting indeed to get these statistics Neil. Anywhere we can ask?

there's stats from previous years on the Mendip council website somewhere. This year's will be available within a few months at the same place.

[geebus]

It's very probably the case that the numbers of medical need at Glastonbury are lower than in any equivalent sized town, and that's despite glastonbury being the equivalent of Saturday night every night for a town ten times the size of Glastonbury.