BEST AND WORST CAMPING SPOTS

[rumpola]

If however you go through Shepton Mallett, or take the A37, then it's almost certain you'll end up in the East.

Not necessarily true.

I live in east Bristol and always come through Shepton Mallet. For the last 10 years or so, I have just turned onto the A361 and headed to the west car parks and never had any problems.

[incident]

Not necessarily true.

I live in east Bristol and always come through Shepton Mallet. For the last 10 years or so, I have just turned onto the A361 and headed to the west car parks and never had any problems.

Are you going through Pilton Village? If so I'm surprised that you've not had stewards/marshalls try to direct you away.

[rumpola]

Are you going through Pilton Village? If so I'm surprised that you've not had stewards/marshalls try to direct you away.

Yep, straight across the top of the site.

You do sometimes get the stewards trying to direct you further south down the A37 towards the east carparks, but I've found if you just shake your head and point towards Pilton they let you through. I don't put the parking pass in the windscreen until I pull onto the site though, so not sure if that makes a difference.

After waiting to get out of the east carparks for 4-5 hours in the past due to the single track country lanes, I tried the west one year and it took about 20mins as you are straight onto the main road.

[Kellyamua]

If you get the coach what gate do you get dropped nearest to? Hoping to head toward Park home/pennards way - past two years we haven't got the coach, or really noted what gate we went through! But all I know was that the walk was horrendous!

[Spindles]

Gate A, if you take a right when you come in it will take you on easy paths to Dairy ground,then it's a short walk to Park and Pennards (Ok, might not seem short when you are loaded down, but it's not so bad really).

[morph100]

Best place is pennard hill at the top for party time fun close to action and you won't get flooded.

Worst is Pennard hill, so loud you can't sleep and full of people wanting to party all night.

[Kellyamua]

Gate A, if you take a right when you come in it will take you on easy paths to Dairy ground,then it's a short walk to Park and Pennards (Ok, might not seem short when you are loaded down, but it's not so bad really).

Cheers, i'll remember this!

[MrZigster]

Loving the way this has gone from a camping thread to a travel direction traffic thread.

[Spindles]

Yeah mate, so past the queens head, past the golden cross, right at the lights, past the dog and duck....

[Fivefingerjohn]

Anyone any advantages disadvantages of woodsies as a campsite itself? (Not considering location)

[Anderson19]

Hitchen Hill is the worst spot - everyone avoid at all costs..!

[RobertProsineckisLighter]

That's about the time we arive every year and get into Oxlyers with 3 tents no problem. There's usually still room near the green fence for Thursday arrivals.

This we have always managed to find space a little further back it can look deceptively full. I've see. People arrive Friday morning and find space for a fair sized tent.

[Little Andy]

Hitchen Hill is the worst spot - everyone avoid at all costs..!

Why? I was thinking of going there.

[Zoo Music Girl]

Great thread! Always enjoy these.

I've camped at Park Home every year except last year when we went to Darble. I don't think I'd go to Park now there is less space there but it was an awesome location. Couldn't get there at the time we are arriving now though.

Darble was okay. We camped there as we came by coach and my friend has a bad back so didn't want to risk a long trek. It's chilled around there, minimal dickheads and good for a decent nights sleep. Downside is that it's a massive trek to everything except John Peel and Silver Hayes, neither of which I frequent a great deal. Breakfast Club was a great bonus though and the sawdust toilets were pretty good.

After reading this and studying the map I think we'll aim for Bushy or Pylon. We're coming by coach and won't get there until early afternoon. Would like to be a bit closer to the action but nowhere top noisy. Has anyone camped in both? Which would you prefer?

Only two of us this year, and we have three different groups of friends going, so I want to be in a spot that's easy to meet with all of them.

Edit: I don't mean meet to camp with them as I know that will be impossible. Just somewhere where we're likely to be a field or two along.

Edited May 23, 2015 by Zoo Music Girl

[yellowsnow]

We are coming through gate A and I was originally thinking of camping in the north west part of the site. But looking at Glastomap and pretty much the only way out of that part of the site is through Silver Hayes and its a nightmare going through there of a night with all the traffic and muddy foot paths. So now I'm back to the drawing board. Theres only two of us, so one tent, so I'm sure we can squeeze in anywhere when we arrive Wednesday PM but feeling a bit lost now!

[YetAnotherOldHippy]

Camped in Woodsies since 2002 and it gets busier earlier every year.

In 2004 (I think) we were the first people in the field at dawn on Thursday, last year we only just squeezed into our normal spot at midday on Wednesday.

It is a long walk from everything except John Peel (now the outdoor cinema is gone), so don't camp there - at least until an hour after my train, shuttlebus, queue and short walk to allow me to get the tent up. Thanks

[Michaels denim shorts]

I'm not gonna be on site till evening time weds due to 3.45pm coach. So giving my tent to a friend who's gonna put it up for me. She's apparently heading for a spot that isn't really a named field. She says il like it there. Il trust her judgement. I don't really care where I camp anyway as long as it's relatively easy to get on the railway & not 200 tents deep in tent city

Edited May 24, 2015 by Michaels denim shorts

[paulmuchmore]

Sounds like most people here arrive from the West - I'm coming from Southampton, it's our first time - is it really worth trying to get to that side of the site?

Will prob be leaving at around 5am Weds, so should be there at around 6:30am. Not sure what campsite I'm aiming for though - tempted by Oxlyers due to its central location, or maybe one of the ones in the top right corner near the Pyramid if parking on the east of the site. Our group will be two three-man tents and one of those small pop-up ones.

Any advice?

[robot86]

I've arrived around 9 am (left from London 5 am-ish) in the East car parks 5 years in a row and always been in by 10:30 ish with space left in all the camping fields. This is because the queues have already started moving so by the time you get to the end of it, it isn't too long a wait to get through. Definitely the best car park if you're aiming for the camping spots facing the Pyramid. Oxylers is a bit further but still not too much of a slog in comparison to the likes of darble, dairy, south park, which I'd recommend aiming for the West car parks for. I'll be sticking with East car park and heading for Big Ground this year

Sounds like most people here arrive from the West - I'm coming from Southampton, it's our first time - is it really worth trying to get to that side of the site?

Will prob be leaving at around 5am Weds, so should be there at around 6:30am. Not sure what campsite I'm aiming for though - tempted by Oxlyers due to its central location, or maybe one of the ones in the top right corner near the Pyramid if parking on the east of the site. Our group will be two three-man tents and one of those small pop-up ones.

Any advice?

[minimouse]

After reading this and studying the map I think we'll aim for Bushy or Pylon. We're coming by coach and won't get there until early afternoon. Would like to be a bit closer to the action but nowhere top noisy. Has anyone camped in both? Which would you prefer?

I camped in Pylon last year and Bushy the year before. Both were good, both similar in terms of distance from the action (ie quite a long way from all the stages apart from John Peel and Silver Hayes, which are the two I spend least time at, annoyingly!). I don't mind too much the long walk back after a night out though, helps tire you out for bed. If you come into Gate A it's much better than trudging all the way across the site with all your stuff on a Monday morning - have done that a few times when camped in Dairy and it's a killer.

I don't really spend any time at my tent, apart from sleep, so just want somewhere relatively quiet and not too crowded - Pylon probably slightly better as marginally closer to stuff. My idea of hell would be camping in the middle of somewhere like Pennards, where it's noisy all the time and the tents are packed in like sardines! Especially next to a footpath or the toilets. *shudder*

The only thing I really don't like about them (apart from having to walk through Silver Hayes when it's muddy) is the lack of decent food options for breakfast - I like the food in the Avalon and Greenfields areas and it's SO far to walk in the morning. All the food stalls around the north end of the site seems to be fast food type stuff.

[a giraffe called Jim]

Sounds like most people here arrive from the West - I'm coming from Southampton, it's our first time - is it really worth trying to get to that side of the site?

Will prob be leaving at around 5am Weds, so should be there at around 6:30am. Not sure what campsite I'm aiming for though - tempted by Oxlyers due to its central location, or maybe one of the ones in the top right corner near the Pyramid if parking on the east of the site. Our group will be two three-man tents and one of those small pop-up ones.

Any advice?

Hi.

You should have no worries regarding camping spots getting to site at that time. We head up from Pompey at about 6 in the East car parks, have done same since car parks opened early. Save yourselves hassle and head East too.

We head for Kidney Mead, it's the shortest walk and to be honest you'll walk miles regardless of where you camp.

Have a good one

[sedra]

Hi.

You should have no worries regarding camping spots getting to site at that time. We head up from Pompey at about 6 in the East car parks, have done same since car parks opened early. Save yourselves hassle and head East too.

We head for Kidney Mead, it's the shortest walk and to be honest you'll walk miles regardless of where you camp.

Have a good one

Arriving that time do you get directed to the gate b or gate c East car parks? We usually arrive at about 8am and get directed to East 7 or 8 for gate c through the camper van fields. We always camp in Kidney Mead. Was a bit worried that if we arrive a bit earlier at 7am we might get parked up by B gate. We are meeting friends by gate c so don't want the trek over and I think the queues are longer at B?

[paulmuchmore]

I've arrived around 9 am (left from London 5 am-ish) in the East car parks 5 years in a row and always been in by 10:30 ish with space left in all the camping fields. This is because the queues have already started moving so by the time you get to the end of it, it isn't too long a wait to get through. Definitely the best car park if you're aiming for the camping spots facing the Pyramid. Oxylers is a bit further but still not too much of a slog in comparison to the likes of darble, dairy, south park, which I'd recommend aiming for the West car parks for. I'll be sticking with East car park and heading for Big Ground this year

Hi.

You should have no worries regarding camping spots getting to site at that time. We head up from Pompey at about 6 in the East car parks, have done same since car parks opened early. Save yourselves hassle and head East too.

We head for Kidney Mead, it's the shortest walk and to be honest you'll walk miles regardless of where you camp.

Have a good one

Cheers for the advice Feeling more relaxed about it now. All these stories about people turning up the night before, finding the route to get to the opposite side etc. made me a bit scared of turning up in the morning and struggling to get in and get a good spot! Hope you both have a great fest too

[waynewdk]

christ this thread as made me nervous. I was hoping to get in to woodsies with no hassle - we've got a huge 8 man tent this year, plus a couple of 4 mans so need a lot of space - I thought we'd be able to stroll in there about 2pm. Judging by some of the replies on here it sounds like it will fill up faster than I thought. Please god dont make me camp in darble!!

On a Weds.I think you maybe okay just

[FuzzyDunlop]

christ this thread as made me nervous. I was hoping to get in to woodsies with no hassle - we've got a huge 8 man tent this year, plus a couple of 4 mans so need a lot of space - I thought we'd be able to stroll in there about 2pm. Judging by some of the replies on here it sounds like it will fill up faster than I thought. Please god dont make me camp in darble!!

You will be fine at that time (going on last year).

We got camped by 11am. Our mate arrived by coach at 4/5 ish and was fine. (He had a huge tent with him).

I think Woodsies is probably where we will camp, but I wouldn't mind trying somewhere new.

Webbs Ash is a possibilty. Anyone done there?

Edited May 26, 2015 by FuzzyDunlop