Leaving the Festival

[Ian_Mackay]

This year, as most years, we left G at about 4.30am on Monday, having packed most of the stuff already.. Our general assumption is that if you hang around longer and leave on Monday morning/ midday, there are hideous queues to get out of the car parks. This was definitely the case in 2005 when we left late and sat in a car in a field playing car frizbee for 8 hours.

How was it this year for those of you who slept in?!

[daley]

We left Monday at roughly 12ish and it took us 30-40 minutes to get on the motorway! It was amazing!

[mandypants]

I was staying at a B&B in Glasto town, I had about an hour or so to wait before the bus arrived, but I was soon there and getting a well earned shower and rest.

[MrZigster]

Left at about 11am. It then took me about four and a half hours to travel 40 miles or so on the A37 towards/through Bristol.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[cdm22]

Left at about 10.30am, no queues at all, went straight out. Got stuck on the A303 for a bit later on but nothing at all near Glastonbury.

[cdm22]

Actually, that is a slight lie...we were pushed towards the Bristol direction by police traffic people so were in a queue until out of eyesight then did a quick u-turn and went back the other way. By the sounds of it i'm rather glad i did!

[Toilet Duck]

Left just after 10...by 11 we were seated and having brekkie in the community cafe in cheddar...(great breakfast by the way, highly recommended!)...

[Greenish]

started to leave at 11.30, but got directed to a queue and told it was gridlocked ahead, so parked up and slept until 3, when we just drove out.

[geebus]

Something like 3pm from E19 (campervan). About an hour and a half to get out I think in total (had thought it quicker, but wasn't considering getting out of the first field.

Then another decent few hours to get to Bristol - presumably getting some rush-hour traffic mixed with Glastonbury traffic. First year I've been this way (as I've moved up North from Reading), will take some back roads to the m4 next time!

[GlasstoLuver]

Think we left around 1:00pm on Monday and there was a bit of traffic to get out but it took less than 30 mins.

Think is down to luck, worse year for me was in 2000, took over 6 hrs to leave, from 9:00am to 3:00pm we didnt move more than 20 feet.

[rischbrit]

We left camper van fields around 1 am on Sunday night/ Monday morning. Queued for about 20 mins to get onto 'main' roads so not too bad.

Was a bit pissed off though as on joinIng A37 there was an AA sign saying M4/Bristol to left and London to right. We wanted Bristol but some jumped up traffic mumpty was telling all people to turn right which is the opposite way of which we and lots of other people wanted do we had about 30 mins guided tour of back lanes of Somerset in the dark!!!!! Well done (not) to whoever you were misguiding traffic!!!

[Lilmiz]

We left West 51 at 8:15am joined the back of the queue near the bridge, sat stationary for around 30 mins until super steward opens up a different exit and we just breezed off site, no real jams, all i can imagine is there must have been a breakdown or something over the bridge so we all got re-directed, he was getting cars to reverse over the bridge to take that exit also.

[lahm]

Left at 5pm on Monday afternoon... no ques atall, went totting around the abandoned campsites and ending up leaving with more booze and food then we came in with.

[ste]

left the west campervan fields around 2pm on monday - sat in very slow crawling traffic for about 2 hours ... only managed to do about 10 miles in that time, awful.

stopped off for a pub lunch til it died down a bit, wasnt too bad after that and was straight off

My body didn't know what to do with a proper meal in front of me - it was tremendous though!

[BrendanCalls]

Left about 9 and was straight out the car parks but queued all the way to Bristol then hit M6 and got the traffic got the Take That concert. Gutted! Haha

[Steve P]

We left West 51 at 8:15am joined the back of the queue near the bridge, sat stationary for around 30 mins until super steward opens up a different exit and we just breezed off site, no real jams, all i can imagine is there must have been a breakdown or something over the bridge so we all got re-directed, he was getting cars to reverse over the bridge to take that exit also.

[Mark E. Spliff]

I was in West something or other - one of the staff car parks just where the railway line leaves the western perimeter of the superfence. I dumped my stuff in my car, fully intending to head back into the festival, but it started raining so I hopped into my car to sit it out. I fell asleep, and when I woke up, between one and two hours later, the cars queueing to get out of the field hadn't moved an inch. There was some gridlock which I think was caused by the traders being held on site until 6pm (in an effort to avoid gridlocking the local roads with burger vans etc.)

After the rain lightened up, I headed back into the festival, spent the afternoon wandering around with a group of friends who were in no hurry to leave and finally cleared off at 7pm, by which time I was able to drive straight out.

[Lilmiz]

You've got my better half to thank for that. She wandered off and found an exit, and got everyone to turn around so we could get out. She won a lot of brownie points!

[*Stevie B*]

Left at 11.45 from Gate D. Took about 2 hours to get away from Glastonbury. Instead of going the Bristol way, Sat-Nav took me the Wiltshire way towards the M3. After about half hour free stretch through the little towns, got stuck in very slow moving traffic all the way past Stone-Henge.

Edited July 1, 2011 by *Stevie B*

[Monkismo]

We left West 51 at 8:15am joined the back of the queue near the bridge, sat stationary for around 30 mins until super steward opens up a different exit and we just breezed off site, no real jams, all i can imagine is there must have been a breakdown or something over the bridge so we all got re-directed, he was getting cars to reverse over the bridge to take that exit also.

[efcfanwirral]

We left the campsite around 1, got out car park (east 10) around 2....but ran out of petrol on road out! Luckily found out in time to pull into the side before we got to the narrow track! Had to go back and join the AA to get some petrol!!

Then it was plain sailing - we went south down A37 fOr a bit at around 3, then got onto motorway an hr later. Home to Manchester by 7.30. Good run in the end!

[gooner1990]

Was heading back to Oxford via A37 > A303 > A34 that would take 2 hrs with no traffic.

Got to car in E10 just before 12 noon Monday, loaded car up and pulled away at 12 on the nose.

Got out of the site and onto A37 fine, but then hit lots of traffic near Stonehenge that cost us an extra 2 hours.

Because we'd been sat in the car for 3 1/2 hrs and I hadn't used the toilet since we were in Dairy Ground campsite at 11am we had to pull over at service station on A34, once everyone (and what seemed like half the festival) had used the toilets and grabbed a drink that was another 30 mins.

Eventually got to Oxford 4.45pm, which was lucky as it was just before the rush hour nightmare started!!

[johnmcga]

Joined the queue for the Castle Cary shuttle bus at about 10am. Spent two hours shuffling forwards before we got on a bus, but once we'd managed that it was plain sailing. About 20 minutes to the station, straight on a train, and home a couple of hours and a nice snooze later.

[geebus]

Having gone back to Reading quite a few times in the past, if you're heading M4 way or further north, I'd go straight up to M4 J17 and along from there, always seems quicker - seems the same is true if you're going north west too, from my experiences this time.

[ThomThomDrum]

in the car by 9am on Mon and off site in 20 min. Bit of traffic through Glasto town but nothin major and then on to the M6 where we bumped into Orbital!! No issues with traffic.....twas all good