Wednesday queues

[fatyeti24]

With regards to the Wednesday, driving from near Bristol. Some people want to leave early e.g 6am but I reckon late afternoon and ques may have died down. Happy to camp somewhere quite like Dairy or South Park so do people think an afternoon drive could avoid too many of the big ques at the entrances?

[rubenz]

if it is like 2011 with loads going down tuesday or early wednesday, then yes, i reckon your idea is better than your mates' if you're not too arsed about where to camp and being set up by lunchtime. and Bristol isn't far off, you could always play it by ear i suppose.

[fatyeti24]

Cheers , would prefer going on Thursday really but everyone else wants to go Wednesday. Suppose nowadays with twitter etc you can get some good traffic and queue updates from the site.

[Mr.Tease]

what, a couple of hundred or so? it will make all the difference im sure...

[Glastoboy]

There just isn't a simple or correct answer to any of this and as someone else pointed out, if you start discussing it here, the world and his wife will panic and take the advice and lead to a new problem this year.

There are only four gates to choose from and 130,000 people to fit through them. Those who arrive on Tuesday night and start queueing right away get in first - but have a bad nights sleep, if any at all and could be r**ned on.

Those that arrive on Tuesday, sleep in the car and join the queue at 7-8am will get in fairly quickly and still have plumb picking for the campsites.

People arriving between 9am-1pm will avoid all this and still be able to camp pretty much where they like.

After this, you can always find space to pop up small tents, even in the popular areas but realistically you are starting to look at the camping on the fringes (Pylon, Darble, Hitchin, Wicket etc). The advantage here is that you can end up with a LOT of space, and are close to John Peel or Dance village if that is your thing.

Also, different gates seem to have new and different problems every year and the weather can play havoc too. The hill at gate C in the mud is no fun at all.

[prue]

Impossible to predict unfortunately- last year was the first time they had the Tuesday carparking and huge, huge Wednesday queues as a result. Now do the people who experienced the hours and hours of queuing decide:

A) I can't take that again! Lets go a few hours after the gates open to avoid the queues

Or

B ) I can't take that again! Lets start queuing a few hours earlier so we get nearer the front

Not sure yet how people will respond. Also remember lots of people may read this thread and panic, and start queuing even earlier than you to get a head start! Same when people start asking what gate has the shortest queues- all it means is that every reader will flock to the gate listed. We need radio silence on queuing tactics and arrival times!

[frostypaw]

To start?!? I fully intend on finishing in that state

[jumbomcnutt]

Impossible to predict unfortunately- last year was the first time they had the Tuesday carparking and huge, huge Wednesday queues as a result. Now do the people who experienced the hours and hours of queuing decide:

A) I can't take that again! Lets go a few hours after the gates open to avoid the queues

Or

B ) I can't take that again! Lets start queuing a few hours earlier so we get nearer the front

Not sure yet how people will respond. Also remember lots of people may read this thread and panic, and start queuing even earlier than you to get a head start! Same when people start asking what gate has the shortest queues- all it means is that every reader will flock to the gate listed. We need radio silence on queuing tactics and arrival times!

[Popsider75]

Always drove down through the night Wednesday. Arrive on site about 5am. No traffic anywhere and no queues to get in . Its worked fo rme 14 times so sticking with it.

[hulk mike]

I want to be in oxlyers, so would it be best to come in via the a39/a361, or head up the A37? basically i really dont want to be over in the east carparks as that would be a massive pain in the arse

I suppose i could be patient and wait till i get home at the weekend and look at the line i drew on my map for last time, but wheres the fun in that

[Amii]

2010 I queued for six hours, got sunstroke, and passed out while waiting to get in.

2011 I was in within ten minutes. Beat the rain, got the perfect pitch.

It's all about gates, luck, and crowds. No control over any of them.

[paulomas]

yeah we are coming from london, and we really wanna be in the west car parks because we're camping where we always camp near the park. in 2011 they forced us into the east car park and we had the longest walk across the site.

does anyone know a way to avoid the east car parks and get around the site to the west car parks without being ushered towards the site/east car parks by stewards?

[Glastoboy]

yeah we are coming from london, and we really wanna be in the west car parks because we're camping where we always camp near the park. in 2011 they forced us into the east car park and we had the longest walk across the site.

does anyone know a way to avoid the east car parks and get around the site to the west car parks without being ushered towards the site/east car parks by stewards?

Edited June 11, 2013 by Glastoboy

[jonsiuk]

What will the queues be like around 5pm ish?

[ltfckimbo]

I want to be in oxlyers, so would it be best to come in via the a39/a361, or head up the A37? basically i really dont want to be over in the east carparks as that would be a massive pain in the arse

I suppose i could be patient and wait till i get home at the weekend and look at the line i drew on my map for last time, but wheres the fun in that

[andymk]

What will the queues be like around 5pm ish?

[Keef]

does anyone know a way to avoid the east car parks and get around the site to the west car parks without being ushered towards the site/east car parks by stewards?

[gooner1990]

I seem to leave earlier and earlier as each year passes......this year we are leaving Oxford at 4am with the aim of being in the car parks by 6.30am or so then get straight in the queue.

And to think in 2004 we arrived at 6pm and 2005 at 3pm on the Wednesday and virtually had the whole of Kidney Mead to choose from!

Edited June 12, 2013 by gooner1990

[dan05delaney]

I've found out today that my lift won't be coming across to pick me up from Manchester until the Wednesday morning... so won't be at the site until after lunch, all I hope for is a quck drive and no massive queues

[bexj]

Haha, and in late 90's you could roll up on Thursday evening and still camp in Park Home (which felt like right on the edges, waaaay from the action)...

How times have changed!

I'm tempted to leave Yorkshire about 5am so get down for lunchtime, and if we can't camp where we want, then so be it.

[drewsstrat]

east has the hill. west no hill if i remember right but the ground itself is bumpy[/quote

The hill is downward going in and upward going home. We are in cv east and have to do it every day, not an issue

[greenArmy12]

Get in the car parks when they open Tuesday, get in the queue soon after and set up camp, last time we just stayed up all night ,a couple went back to the car for a kip whilst the others stayed in the queue I personally just had a quick power nap in my chair in the queue. There is a real buzz about the car parks so it was anything but dull

[dirtysteve]

I'm leaving Kent at about 8pm Tuesday as I'm driving for the first time (only passed test last month!) and don't want to drive through the night, which is what we usually do. Hopefully be parked up by 1am, get a few hours relaxing and then start to investigate the queue!

[euler]

The gate d problem was because there were two separate queues that snaked around and then one doubled back and merged with the other at the bottom of the hill. It was chaos getting up the hill with both queues merging. Then at the top it was a quagmire. They should never have moved the entrance point. It was silly.

[LondonTom]

I really cba with the queues of the morning or sitting in the car park all night.

But alas my lift has decided we need to camp in Park Home and get down early . I would have been quite strolling in after mid day to Pylon or somewhere like that!

I'm going be well pissed off if it rains during this pointless queing and standing about.

Edited June 13, 2013 by LondonTom