First Timer Mistakes 2014

[Brave Sir Robin]

I can not stand big groups at Glasto. Someone wants food. Someone wants the toilet. Someone wants to see a shit band. Fuck that. 3-5 is optimal in my book.

Couldn't agree more. Tried to do stuff as a big group one year, mare. All the time you waste trying to meet up again too.

[stuartbert two hats]

I think I must be really selfish, I will do what I want to do - I don't have the need to be in a group all the time. I go with my other half though, we have similar tastes - he likes more food than I do and offered has a list of places he wants to visit for food throughout the festival.

Nah, you're just sensible. If I go in a massive group, I tend to spend more time on my own than going in a smaller group. Fuck 'em.

[Queeg]

weve been going to glasto since mid 90's. theres usually between 8 upto 15 of us.... we all just wander off, sometimes in pairs, or half a dozen. we all know if and when we are wandering near a stage to check out right hand side... I know that sounds a bit vauge but after so many years we all know the general areas of most stages that we are likely to be at. sometimes we stay there a while and have a few beers until we disperse again in totally different groups that when we arrived it works for us

[frostypaw]

I can not stand big groups at Glasto. Someone wants food. Someone wants the toilet. Someone wants to see a shit band. Fuck that. 3-5 is optimal in my book.

Bigger groups are better - you just need to plan in being more independent. Ours has varied wildly, but the experience doesn't need to be impacted negatively as we just go our separate ways after a brief check of who's seeing what

After that it's planning tricks - like in each field we will usually sit/stand in the same spots day in/out, year in/out so we know if you're going to Y stage swing by Z spot as that's where anyone would be waiting should they happen to be. If you're getting a pint of brothers go stand at X and see if anyone shouts at you kinda thing... it works out well

Trying to all stick together as a big group is hopeless, just takes one person shopping...

Edited May 18, 2015 by frostypaw

[mungo57]

granted this honour should go to slash's hat because he pointed you in the right direction first but if you're going to use glasses direct (which i highly recommend just got my first pair after being a slave to specsavers for years) then use this offer https://glassesdirect.mention-me.com/m/ol/ogg-8f8706f61ayou get £30 off the frames and i get £15 of Amazon vouchers

edit: I should probably add something constructive to the thread too, however this is my first time so I just wanted to add thanks for al these posts Im telling myself Im going to listen to all this advise but given previous festival experience Ill be a cursing myself come Thursday when Ive got a hangover so bad I can feel it in my teeth

I will be having my eyes tested at some stage just to see if I need an update and if I order sir I will use your link, thanks

[Divein]

More of a tip than a mistake, but a mistake I've seen plenty do much to everyone around them's amusement.

In the very unlikely event that we get some of that wet stuff falling form the sky, don't bother to trying to walk down the middle of the path in the park. It just turns into an ice rink because because it's very uneven with plenty of down slopes.

The best advise would be to walk up and down the concrete path at the back behind the hedge if you need to get to the stage, hill, Stonebridge etc.

[phillyfaddle]

NEVER leave your wellies in the car. My friend was going to do just that in 2005, with the line "I can always come back and get them if I need to". I convinced her otherwise, so she ended up bringing them after much huffing and puffing. Cue the MOTHER of all thunderstorms in the early hours of Friday morning (it was beautiful sunshine on the Thursday when we arrived). Large parts of the site were under water. Splashy fun in wellies and waterproofs - providing your tent wasn't down by John Peel, poor dabs! - but having to walk back to the car in trainers to pick up said wellies would have been, erm.....unpleasant!!! As I said to her, always listen to Phillyfaddle, she knows her shit.

[big__phil]

Totally agree all the comments about going in groups. Second year managed to convince lots of friends to come along - which was lovely - but the waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for people to get ready to even leave camp was horrendous. Then endless toilet breaks, deciding if to go into a tent etc was unbareable.

Took the other half and ran away after a while!

[johnmcga]

I can not stand big groups at Glasto. Someone wants food. Someone wants the toilet. Someone wants to see a shit band. Fuck that. 3-5 is optimal in my book.

Absolutely spot on. This year I'm actually camping in a group of four, but we all know various others going to the festival.

In my experience, that's a great mix. I'm sure we'll spend a good bit of time together, but we'll also all be off on our own at points too. Makes for a less stressful experience all round, and there's no pressure on anyone to keep the group together.

[yellowsnow]

Me and the other half have similar taste in music and have agreed to compromise with other bands. And he's the only other person I can put up with 24/7 so I know that I'll have a much better time than last time!

[johnmcga]

In the very unlikely event that we get some of that wet stuff falling form the sky, don't bother to trying to walk down the middle of the path in the park. It just turns into an ice rink because because it's very uneven with plenty of down slopes.

Yep. Trying to escape The Park during Radiohead's 'secret' set in ... oh, I can't remember the year, but it was the year Pulp played the following day ... well, anyway, at times it was just near-impossible, but at one point it felt positively dangerous.

[johnmcga]

Yeah, I love that time of day. As an old man who's always up at sparrowfart, I love watchiing bearly eyed people going home, other people setting up for the day etc etc. it's lovely.

Likewise, there's this wonderful sense of peacefulness over the site, aside from the few people staggering home after a really, really big night.

[The Nal]

Yeah, I love that time of day. As an old man who's always up at sparrowfart, I love watchiing bearly eyed people going home, other people setting up for the day etc etc. it's lovely.

Yeah have only done it once or twice as I'm absolutely not a morning person but must try this year. At least one day. Grab a coffee, talk to some random (sober) people, drink milk, eat some fruit, have a shit. That sort of thing.

I can not stand big groups at Glasto. Someone wants food. Someone wants the toilet. Someone wants to see a shit band. Fuck that. 3-5 is optimal in my book.

Agree 100%. You end up spending most of the day waiting around. 5 is even too many.

[giantkatestacks]

Same here - this is the first year that we as a pair don't know anyone else going & I'm so looking forward to it - I lasted about 2 hours in 2013 meeting up with a big group of people we knew before going our separate ways again - it was like a chain reaction of someone needing the loo every 5 paces - why didn't it occur to them to go when we stopped three minutes earlier?!

'One goes we all go' is the motto for family holidays and Glastonbury.

[Ponyegg]

I got my glasses from Tesco and they refused to give me my prescription but I still have my last 1 from specsavers before Tesco and my eyes haven't gotten any worse so I will have a gander. Cheers mate.

If you have paid for the eye-test then they are obliged to give you a copy of your prescription, they're not obliged to give you the PD (pupillary distance) measurements though (disclosure: I used to make spectacles for a living in a previous life).

[**claire**]

NEVER leave your wellies in the car. My friend was going to do just that in 2005, with the line "I can always come back and get them if I need to". I convinced her otherwise, so she ended up bringing them after much huffing and puffing. Cue the MOTHER of all thunderstorms in the early hours of Friday morning (it was beautiful sunshine on the Thursday when we arrived). Large parts of the site were under water. Splashy fun in wellies and waterproofs - providing your tent wasn't down by John Peel, poor dabs! - but having to walk back to the car in trainers to pick up said wellies would have been, erm.....unpleasant!!! As I said to her, always listen to Phillyfaddle, she knows her shit.

This reminds me of a big mistake I made in 2011. My wellies had tore my feet to shreds over the weekend - blood & skin everywhere, so as the rest of the site had dried out completely by Sunday lunchtime I decided to bin my wellies on Monday morning, & wear my flip flops back to the car. Which was fine, until I got just outside of gate B & encountered the mother of all swamps entirely blocking the route back to the car park. Took me 30 minutes to wet wipe the mud from between my toes before I was able to get in the car to drive home.

[FloorFiller]

i'm definitely going to pace myself more this year concerning alcohol. at some point in the last three years i started to black out on night out and forget everything, and so i've forgotten huge chunks of last year (Arcade Fire and Metallica are a huge blur) due to being absolutely wasted at the time. definitely won't be hitting the hard spirits until later in the evening this time around, and even then i'll be drinking far less

[jamiemaher]

Not to go all Baz Luhrman, but 'Wear Sunscreen'. First year I went I forgot about applying suntan lotion properly and while I didn't go 'full lobster', I did manage to burn my calfs and by the time the ground had churned up and wellies became a complete necessity it became total agony to wear them as they constantly rubbed up against the burns.

That's the main stupid mistake I've made. Though to pass on advice from others in my usual group from mistakes that they've made; don't think because it's sunny you don't need to bring wellies, don't think because it's raining you don't need to bring sunglasses, and don't think because your thirsty you need to drink a tenth pint of pear cider.

[stuartbert two hats]

Not to go all Baz Luhrman, but 'Wear Sunscreen'. First year I went I forgot about applying suntan lotion properly and while I didn't go 'full lobster', I did manage to burn my calfs and by the time the ground had churned up and wellies became a complete necessity it became total agony to wear them as they constantly rubbed up against the burns.

That's the main stupid mistake I've made. Though to pass on advice from others in my usual group from mistakes that they've made; don't think because it's sunny you don't need to bring wellies, don't think because it's raining you don't need to bring sunglasses, and don't think because your thirsty you need to drink a tenth pint of pear cider.

Absolutely. Especially if it's windy and you don't think you need it (like 2004).

This stuff is the dog's bollocks. Rather than being all icky on a hot day, being sprayed with this stuff is actually refreshing. Means you're more likely to keep applying it. And remember men of a certain age, spray that bald spot!

[stuartbert two hats]

If you have paid for the eye-test then they are obliged to give you a copy of your prescription, they're not obliged to give you the PD (pupillary distance) measurements though (disclosure: I used to make spectacles for a living in a previous life).

Surely if the worst comes to the worst you can get the PD via freedom of information and £10?

[FloorFiller]

Absolutely. Especially if it's windy and you don't think you need it (like 2004).

This stuff is the dog's bollocks. Rather than being all icky on a hot day, being sprayed with this stuff is actually refreshing. Means you're more likely to keep applying it. And remember men of a certain age, spray that bald spot!

i used this stuff last year and would never use another suncream. apply in the morning and don't need to worry about being burnt for the rest of the day

[stuartbert two hats]

I wonder if anyone can find a more massive image of sunblock!

[jamiemaher]

Absolutely. Especially if it's windy and you don't think you need it (like 2004).

This stuff is the dog's bollocks. Rather than being all icky on a hot day, being sprayed with this stuff is actually refreshing. Means you're more likely to keep applying it. And remember men of a certain age, spray that bald spot!

Funnily enough 2004 was the very year that I was referring to. Amazing how such a small amount of sunburn can thoroughly effect your weekend for the worse.

[Bisque]

Try not to over pack clothes, you'll end up wearing the same stuff unless you really are a fashionista.

The only thing I over pack with these days is socks. I double them up when I wear my wellies & I always know that if I get them wet I have replacements.

[big__phil]

Posted Today, 12:16 PM

I wonder if anyone can find a more massive image of sunblock!

Edited May 19, 2015 by big__phil