Where did you camp and was it friendly and fun?

[frostypaw]

Every year there's a race to reach certain fields as they're billed as being "fun, friendly and up for it"

I'm not sold on there being any difference in where you camp anymore - there's no Holts, pennards no longer has it's mega camps and there's enough people that it's all shuffled up

So let's see - I'm wondering if there's be anywhere that stands out as more/less friendly than the next.

[Spindles]

South Park came up trumps for us this year. It was a field which had attracted many who had heard of it's quieter reputation was the impression I got from chatting to people. By Friday it was as tightly packed as anywhere, but I would thoroughly recommend it for those who don't mind a little extra walk home in exchange for not being plagued by the sound of nos cannisters and groups who would be better suited to Reading

I think that South Park earned it's reputation as a good place to camp if you are new to the festival and want to be a little back from the thick of it.

[guypjfreak]

im ALWAYS in row mead love it

[pie_and_a_pint]

Big Ground. Friendly by day, reasonably quiet by night.

[rubenz]

South Park came up trumps for us this year. It was a field which had attracted many who had heard of it's quieter reputation was the impression I got from chatting to people. By Friday it was as tightly packed as anywhere, but I would thoroughly recommend it for those who don't mind a little extra walk home in exchange for not being plagued by the sound of nos cannisters and groups who would be better suited to Reading

I think that South Park earned it's reputation as a good place to camp if you are new to the festival and want to be a little back from the thick of it.

Edited October 25, 2013 by rubenz

[Spindles]

Yeah, was the same myself. In previous years and other locations I have been more prone to popping back for a rest stop or whatever, but this year I was out from morning til it was time to kip. I think the location had a lot to do with that.

This year I am determined to get work there so I can bag my favourite spot in undleground before the masses invade

[rubenz]

It was good apart from the weird purple glow on the horizon this year which freaked me out! One of the first there on Wednesday but it soon filled up throughout the afternoon.Didn't hear much in the way of tent burgling aroung there either.

I shall be camped next to a koi carp/goldfish on a pole should anyone wish to say hello..

[slats]

South Park,

As for friendly ... I'm only there when I get up first thing and I'm too zombiefied to notice and when I come home in the early hours and I'm too zombiefield to notice.

Never really spend that much time at camp as when we get up its a quick wet wipe wash and brush teeth, wash face with bottled water then straight out.... quick smoothie in the Park then back on the ale until I start to fall over.

Its Glastonbury though so barring the odd group of twats your going to be in a friendly area wherever you camp

[snoopyhill]

We were in family camping not Cockmill Meadows the other one, lots of friendly folk there.

[musky]

I've always felt that this whole "this field is party central, this field is laid back" thing is massively overstated.

The biggest thing that will determine your experience of your camping area is your immediate neighbours, and they may not have read the script about the atmosphere of that field. So if you end up next to a bunch of people who arrive back a 5am every morning and crack out the nitrous canisters your experience will be very different to a group of nice but quiet 50 somethings (unless they're arriving back at 5am and starting on the canisters!) .

I've had wildly differing experiences in the same field, so I'm not sure that camping in a particular area will ensure you find the atmosphere you're looking for.

Edited October 26, 2013 by musky

[slamdunkdafunk]

2011 I stayed in Park Home, but in 2013 my old man came with and wanted a quieter site for night time. Pylon we chose and it was perfect, loads of soace, friendly neighbours and quietnwhen time for bed

[Mollyanne&Mike]

Last year we were on the centre junction of Kidney Mead. Thought it would be really noisy as we were on the main thoroughfare to and from Big Field. Actually it was great, friendly neighbours, not too much 'commuter traffic' noise and the concrete bollards on the junction prevented anyone tripping over our tent and guy ropes. I'd be happy there again next year, reasonably central to walk in all directions.

[UEF]

Big Ground is great apart from the robbing that seems to happen every year.

When are we as a festival going to do something about that I wonder?

[Spindles]

I think that the lock ups, police and security efforts and the continuing increased awareness of the issue is helping to reduce the hauls of those involved and, over time, will reduce the incidence and eventually the pattern.

We help to create the problem by leaving valuable things unprotected in tents when there are solutions in place to give the thieves nothing to steal.

The rule is simple, leave your tent like a student's bedroom. If there's anything worth finding in the piles of dirty socks, pants and discarded junk then it's a brave man that wants to look.

[scaryclaireyfairy]

i was camped in an odd spot and wouldn't judge the whole area by it. we were next to a security tower and steward camp. they were very insular. not unfriendly but not exactly welcoming. still, our proximity meant we were a tiny bit less likely to get robbed so i didn't mind.

the 3 or 4 middle aged blokes in a ginormous tent (one of those with a big central area and 3 or 4 bedrooms off it) really got on my nips tho. they erected a windbreak to claim a bit of outside space as well as having a gigantic tent. stewards asked them to make more space, they refused. i said hi to them on a couple of occasions and got blank stares. they had a good 10ft x 5ft 'garden' to sunbathe in while we were playing tent tetris helping latecomers try to pitch 2 man tents right next to them. we used their garden as a pathway in the hope it'd make them shrink it a bit, but nope. i don't know how many times that windbreak got 'accidentally' kicked down but it kept going back up. if the weather had been bad and we'd been at camp more, there was going to be a scene. selfish gits.

[swede]

I camped about 5 minutes walk from gate d. Def my fave spot to camp in all the times I've been, friendly neighbours, nice and quiet on a night, and an easy enough walk to most places.

Will def be camping there most years.

[frostypaw]

Everywhere has a little trouble, sometimes you camp near enough to hear, occasionally it might be you... But it's inevitably higher in the more packed fields

Can't help a percentage of arseholes in any crowd

[whisty]

I've camped in the same field 6 years on the spin and experienced everything mentioned in this thread to varying degrees over the different years.

[storm]

I've always felt that this whole "this field is party central, this field is laid back" thing is massively overstated.

The biggest thing that will determine your experience of your camping area is your immediate neighbours, and they may not have read the script about the atmosphere of that field. So if you end up next to a bunch of people who arrive back a 5am every morning and crack out the nitrous canisters your experience will be very different to a group of nice but quiet 50 somethings (unless they're arriving back at 5am and starting on the canisters!) .

I've had wildly differing experiences in the same field, so I'm not sure that camping in a particular area will ensure you find the atmosphere you're looking for.

Edited October 26, 2013 by storm

[pie_and_a_pint]

Big Ground is great apart from the robbing that seems to happen every year.

When are we as a festival going to do something about that I wonder?

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

i was camped in an odd spot and wouldn't judge the whole area by it. we were next to a security tower and steward camp. they were very insular. not unfriendly but not exactly welcoming. still, our proximity meant we were a tiny bit less likely to get robbed so i didn't mind.

[scaryclaireyfairy]

i wasn't gonna say but yep. wasn't you in the enormotent was it?

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

i wasn't gonna say but yep. wasn't you in the enormotent was it?

[frostypaw]

Suppose so, id just heard pennards was a bit crazier then most haha

[scaryclaireyfairy]

I fill the middle aged category but that's about as far as similarities go. I don't bring a ginormous tent and don't insist on having a garden. Sounds like I wasn't too far away from you though. I was about 150 feet up from the watch tower. I don't mind the idea of watch towers but my girlfriend, whose first Glastonbury it was this year, thought it a bit oppressive. That said, it was ineffective for a group of young girls that were camped near us. They had money stolen from them on the first night. It was their first year and they obviously hadn't heard of the lock ups. In fact they were a bit of a pain. They actually asked us to be quiet at midnight because they wanted to get some sleep. My girlfriend informed them that they were at Glastonbury now not at boarding school. She also told them to fuck off. Now some might find that offensive. I think they deserved it. When they left on the Monday they walked away with what they were wearing and left absolutely everything else - the tents, the airbeds, the sleeping bags, the new walking boots, etc etc. Absolutely everything.