Could the entrance queues be better organised?

[UEF]

You used to be able to come in onsite and wheel your stuff along the track by the farmhouse... then a couple of years ago they changed it so you had to go down the slippy hill then back up another hill to get to the same place.

That's Glasto logic!

[fatyeti24]

You used to be able to come in onsite and wheel your stuff along the track by the farmhouse... then a couple of years ago they changed it so you had to go down the slippy hill then back up another hill to get to the same place.

That's Glasto logic!

[TheGreenDropsRule]

Nobody made you arrive at 430. If you spent 5 hours in a queue before you got close to the gate (I have no idea what "hill of death" you mean - there is no hill at gate D), then really you have noone to blame but yurself. You knew that the gates didnt open until 8am, but you chose to get there 3.5 hours early.

[abdoujaparov]

I did say that it might be helpful to have a sign directing people to the nearest gate. If the nearest gate means being in a queue for 5 hours (like we did in 2010) then no problem.

[TheGreenDropsRule]

I'm not entirely sure which of those fields is W51, but it's very definitely the case that the majority of the parking fields in that particular area are nearer D than A. Not only that, there's a ready made track for most of the way, which there isn't to A.I said 'barely a hill' I think.

[TheGreenDropsRule]

You have a map - can you not check that?

I'm not sure what else you want. If people are daft enough to rock up at 4am and spend hours stood in the car park, then I suspect that they are largely beyond salvation

[abdoujaparov]

We had never been directed to the car parks north of the site and completely lost our bearings. And besides all I'm talking about is a damn wooden sign!!!! Do you also think they should remove all the signs in the festival directing people to the various stages? After all, we all have maps....

[eFestivals]

It is about a third of the distance to gate A

as the crow flies.

Not to the traffic/crowd management plans.

.

But the festival want people to arrive in the middle of the night because it removes the issue of traffic on the road first thing Wednesday morning. So surely they should be keen to incentivise people to do tha (at least where practical)?

I'm not sure that the festival "want" people to arrive in the middle of the night. It's something they've done as a way to lessen daytime traffic congestion.

If arriving at midnight gives no advantage to arriving at 8am (and maybe you're right, maybe it shouldnt), then people will stop doing it.

it already gives no advantage to those who enter by (just some?) other gates, because they're not permitted to leave their car-parking fields to get near the gate.

And then you're back to the issue of massive queues on the road in the morning.

what's happened around the fest advertising itself as starting on wednesday proves that's not going to happen.

[fightoffyour]

I cannot understand what the attraction is of sitting in a car, or standing in a field, for 4 or 5 hours. It simply strikes me as a pointless and mildly idiotic way of spending your time. Not least because it doesnt mean that you get anywhere any sooner than the the person who arrives in a car park at 8am.

Edited March 26, 2013 by fightoffyour

[TheGreenDropsRule]

as the crow flies.

Not to the traffic/crowd management plans.

.

I'm not sure that the festival "want" people to arrive in the middle of the night. It's something they've done as a way to lessen daytime traffic congestion.it already gives no advantage to those who enter by (just some?) other gates, because they're not permitted to leave their car-parking fields to get near the gate.what's happened around the fest advertising itself as starting on wednesday proves that's not going to happen.

[Paul ™]

as the crow flies.

Not to the traffic/crowd management plans.

[TheGreenDropsRule]

err, I'm just suggesting that if you know you're in car park W51, it's fairly easy to have a look at the map and work out which entrance to go to. I'm not sure that it's a big deal...

[abdoujaparov]

For some reason, you seem massively against the erecting of one wooden sign, and that has turned it into a big deal.

[abdoujaparov]

You don't have to drive through the night, so you can (try to) sleep Tuesday night if you like. Or you can stay up all night and have a great night. Neither of those choices are idiotic.

Edited March 26, 2013 by abdoujaparov

[Paul ™]

We camped at Ashcombe Farm, which is about 200 yards from Orange Gate (for Gate D)

Some of us had cars, so moved them the short distance to the car park, others walked to Gate D and others got a minibus from Ashcombe which dropped them off near Gate A.

The people who went in the minibus got in hours before us.

[Badlands]

We got to the site about half 11 after getting a Bristol coach package that picked us up at 9.30. No queue at all into Gate A from what I remember.

[TheGreenDropsRule]

We camped at Ashcombe Farm, which is about 200 yards from Orange Gate (for Gate D)

Some of us had cars, so moved them the short distance to the car park, others walked to Gate D and others got a minibus from Ashcombe which dropped them off near Gate A.

The people who went in the minibus got in hours before us.

[charl0tte90]

I'd assumed what with all of the coach drops off being at Gate A it would have pretty long queues?

[eFestivals]

At last, a sensible response!!! My solidarity smiley obviously worked!

they've all been sensible. Just because they've not been not what you've wanted to hear doesn't make them not sensible.

Simple fact is that you're moaning about your queuing time, when you've chosen to add 3.5 hours to that queuing time. A bit of standing back and thinking about that would save you massively more time in queues than anything the festival will ever manage to do for you towards that.

[fightoffyour]

I can think of several things I'd rather do than sleep in a car, or stand in a queue for hours in a field, but if either of those meet your definition of a "great night" then I'm very happy for you.

(For what it's worth, I camped at Wookey Hole on Tuesday night and had a great time in the pub with some friends, both of which seem infinitely preferable to hanging round in a car park....)

Edited March 26, 2013 by fightoffyour

[abdoujaparov]

You can happily sit around in a field drinking and chatting, catching up with friends - much like people may do on say the Wednesday night of a festival.

Edited March 26, 2013 by abdoujaparov

[neilloggie]

I can believe it wasn't fun in the mud. The flat is no fun in the mud when you're carrying all your camping gear.

But it's not "long". It's probably not even 50yds.

Edited March 26, 2013 by neilloggie

[tommyds]

This may be a stupid question but, do all the gates open at the same time?

We usually wait at Gate D because that's where the bus from the Bath & Wells showground drops us, but looking at the map, Gate B would be a lot closer to where we always camp.

Does anyone have any experience of queuing at Gate B?

[fightoffyour]

Great...but I'd rather not do it in a car park when there are other, more comfortable and enjoyable, options

Exactly, so why not book a campsite near by and spend the night in relative comfort. Or Travelodge, if you want a real bed. Why hang around in a car park when you dont need to. That's what I find odd....

Edited March 26, 2013 by fightoffyour

[whisty]

Just come Thurs morning, nothing happens on a Wed anyway.