Going again ?

[geebus]

Ah, just temporary.

I know it's this way with Blue Badges - when I had a broken leg that didn't even START healing for over 7 months, I was stuck parking in 'normal' spaces on crutches, while I often saw a lot more able people with blue badges. Irksome.

[guypjfreak]

I said this was to be my last Glastonbury,my age and aching body is telling me to quite now. This year was a total disaster, i was really very poorly on Thursday afternoon and could not cope at all and had to go home. Really very pissed of i spent £200 on a ticket only to end up watching it on TV. I am now thinking of trying for a ticket in 2013, and seeing how things pan out,i will never do the camping again though,maybe a camper van if i can hire one cheap enough,or more likely B&B near Glastonbury or travel daily from home (25miles one way ). i would not have to go then till Friday midday....Downsides i can think of is two ciders a day,due to driving....but no uncomfortable nights in a tent again and i can take my own food in daily.....I will never eat at Glastonbury again as i am 99% certain a vegie breakfast in Park area was my downfall,not knocking the food at all,but i won't ever risk it again...

Edited July 2, 2011 by guypjfreak

[micawber]

It's hardly an alternative to Glastonbury! What about the healing fields, the alternative stuff, the circus and cabaret, the naughty corner etc? It's a damn sight more rough and ready too, bottles of piss throwing anyone? I did Leeds for 5 years and it just doesn't compare to Glasto.

[grumpyhack]

Our gang return from each Glasto discussing what changes to make the following year to improve on our creature comforts.

For many years we had a big tent in Home Ground. A couple of years ago I borrowed a friend's VW Campervan for one fest and decided it was really not much more than a small tent on wheels. However, camped near us were some people in a trailer tent, something that I'd never really considered before. We were so impressed that last year two of us invested £1,000 in a trailer tent of our own.

It's so far stood us in good stead for six fests including two Glastos and is still going strong and I can't recommend them highly enough. Loads of space and easy storage over the winter (in my case in mother in law's garage).

This year we also hired a motorhome for £350 between the five of us in our group just to see if a MH brought any extra benefits. Our thoughts at the end were that although it was great to have a toilet, shower and hot water etc it wouldn't be worth the cash outlay to buy one - even a very old cheapie between us. What we did appreciate most was having our own toilet, so our considered view is to stick with the TT but invest in a small toilet tent to go alongside.

We were in CV East (E23 at the top of the Hill of Death) which was a superb location. The extra £75 for a campervan ticket is great value for money, especially if it's split between a group. You save on the cost of car parking tickets, get an extra day as the CV fields are open from Tuesday lunchtime. Even though you can't go into the site proper till Wednesday you have Tuesday afternoon to set up and settle in.

[jengeo]

I'm only in my mid-30s but I have problems with my knees and I struggled in the mud - I was in a lot of pain by Sunday. I'll be back in 2013 (and every year thereafter) but I'm going to have to make some adaptations. I'll either have to consider a campervan or invest in a tent I can stand up in, an airbed, some walking poles etc. Plenty of time to sort it out!

[rinkydink]

We went in a campervan for the first time this year, having been going since '92. Don't think we'll be doing it again.

It was fantastic not having to carry stuff, and we did have a really great camp set up. Being around the camp was lovely, probably too lovely. Partly due to the weather, we ended up spending too much time there and didn't really feel like part of the festival.

It might be a little different if you get pitched at the front of E23, but we arrived Wednesday morning and were back in E17. This meant a 40 minute walk to Gate C. Getting to the far areas of the site felt practically impossible - I made it to the Park once and the Green Fields once. I've camped on the edges of the festival before, but to trek 40 minutes before even getting to the perimeter was too much for me. Getting back on a night/early morning uphill kind of wiped all the joy from the day.

I don't know that I can camp again though, the overcrowding and filth in the camping areas gets worse every year. I used to come away from Glastonbury feeling that 95% of the people there were on my wavelength, and I could brush off the remaining 5%. Now the festival seems overwhelmed - by the numbers, by the litter, by the proportion of the people there who are selfish and inconsiderate. And yeah, I'm sure that I've changed over the last 19 years as much as the festival has. It makes me really sad to leave it behind, but I think I'm just going to have to stick to small festivals where the balance still feels right to me.

[monosabio]

I'm 56 and can handle the physical side of Glastonbury. Over the last few years I have hardly been near any of the main stages and tend to hang around the Avalon,Acoustic,and this year the Spirit of '71. Music wise I could probably go to Cropredy or Beautiful Days etc. for that kind of music but I would miss the other aspects of Glastonbury. I go in a group,usually 8 or so, ranging from mid-20s to mid 50s and even the younger ones are starting to say that Glastonbury has lost something in the last few years. We're planning to do several festivals next year and I suspect that if we find one that truly appeals we may not return to Worthy Farm in 2013. I found the crowds an issue this year, particularly on Wednesday and Thursday and this hasn't bothered me before even in the truly wet years. It's still the best festival by far but I haven't enjoyed it as much in recent years, which is a shame.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Although I've done a fair few Glasto's until this year I hadn't been since 2007. My appetite has now been whetted again. The only thing stopping me going in 2013 will be not getting a ticket (assuming I am still alive and capable of going etc). Why not. It's pretty much what I'd like heaven to be like (I've been brought up a Roman Catholic so am not even allowed to entertain the idea that heaven doesn't exist!).