First Time Campervaner - any tips

[Nick S]

On 14/06/2016 at 9:38 AM, The Nal said:

Pot luck in that case. Just really try to avoid E15, 16 or 17. They're so far away that I was considering buying a tent and staying on site after the 2nd day.

I'm trying to work out which field i was in last year. It was East CV, and you walked up the hill of death, through two fields, crossed a road, then walked to the back of that field the other side of the road. I'd say i was about 100m behind the fence once crossing the road. Was that E17?

Your post has worried me as we're arriving Weds this year, but where we were last year really wasn't a problem. It was a bit of a walk to gate C yes, but more than manageable, and i can;t for the life of me remember if there were more fields full of vans even further back...

[The Nal]

36 minutes ago, Nick S said:

My advice. Tuesday is too early. Feels like you're hanging round forever waiting for the festival to start. We were all burned out by Saturday morning last year because of it! Going up Weds this year as a result. We know we'll be at the back of the east CV fields, but it's negligible. What's an extra 5 minutes on a whole days walking....

An extra 20 (so 40 mins each round trip) if you're in E16 or 17. Its a fucking nightmare. 

I left the West Holts in 14 during Tuneyards at about 7.30 for a round trip to the camper (with a brief rest in the van) in E17 and got back down shortly before Arcade Fire came on the Pyramid at 10pm. 

[Brave Sir Robin]

3 minutes ago, The Nal said:

An extra 20 (so 40 mins each round trip) if you're in E16 or 17. Its a fucking nightmare. 

I left the West Holts in 14 during Tuneyards at about 7.30 for a round trip to the camper (with a brief rest in the van) in E17 and got back down shortly before Arcade Fire came on the Pyramid at 10pm. 

No way is it a 2.5 hour round trip from West Holts/Pyramid to E17!  We were the back of that field one year, and it was 20 minutes to the gate.  I reckon your "brief rest" was rather more than brief...

[The Nal]

5 minutes ago, Brave Sir Robin said:

No way is it a 2.5 hour round trip from West Holts/Pyramid to E17!  We were the back of that field one year, and it was 20 minutes to the gate.  I reckon your "brief rest" was rather more than brief...

20 to gate C from the Pyramid/West Holts (with queues) - 40 mins return

25 from gate C to the van (with the mud) - 50 mins return

20 mins in the van stocking up

20 mins getting searched by security on the way back in! They don't take kindly to blokes walking in on Friday evening with 2 big bags full of shit it seems. 

Also add another 20 mins to get out of the festival if it rains. Took 30 mins one trip just to get a pass out.

Either way its a pain in the tits. 

[Brave Sir Robin]

14 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Either way its a pain in the tits. 

True dat. But a pain that you can only reduce by a max of 10-15 minutes by turning up super early.

[carlosj]

43 minutes ago, Nick S said:

I'm trying to work out which field i was in last year. It was East CV, and you walked up the hill of death, through two fields, crossed a road, then walked to the back of that field the other side of the road. I'd say i was about 100m behind the fence once crossing the road. Was that E17?

Your post has worried me as we're arriving Weds this year, but where we were last year really wasn't a problem. It was a bit of a walk to gate C yes, but more than manageable, and i can;t for the life of me remember if there were more fields full of vans even further back...

If you were in that first field, then there are about 2-3 fields beyond there, and we were in the furthest one, at 4pm on the Wednesday (here, I think http://www.glastomap.com/plot/51.15177/-2.56254/Us%202015 ) Since we left in the morning and didn't go back till 1am, it didn't seem so bad, but I'd love to get a nearer slot this year.

[The Nal]

29 minutes ago, carlosj said:

If you were in that first field, then there are about 2-3 fields beyond there, and we were in the furthest one, at 4pm on the Wednesday (here, I think http://www.glastomap.com/plot/51.15177/-2.56254/Us%202015 ) Since we left in the morning and didn't go back till 1am, it didn't seem so bad, but I'd love to get a nearer slot this year.

Yeah we were somewhere north of there in 2014 (around here) I think but it was fucking miles away from water and the shitter emptier thingy. Needed a shower after each water run because I was sweating so much. Which sort of defeated the purpose. And I like a power kip of an evening which wasn't possible. Even though we got there on Tuesday at 7pm.

Really don't need that extra hour or so of van admin every day. 

We luckily made it to here last year. Only because I ignored the stewards and drove straight down there, having done research the year before. Maybe have a look at that. Another van came down that way on Wednesday and there was room for them. If they ask, tell them you've a sore leg. Or AIDS or something. 

Also, as per the pic, can't recommend a pop up gazebo highly enough. Great in all weather. The rental place (if you're renting) should have one. Literally takes 30 seconds to put up.

Edited June 15, 2016 by The Nal

[upshitcreek]

Just been looking at GF website and I'm wandering if there's a set space for the double pitches (oversize vehicles)  as these are only available in east. Would be interesting to know if anyone's had one of these before. 

 

Probably set set out near the back/exit/entrance so as not to have a load of stupidly large vehicles driving through site

Edited June 15, 2016 by upshitcreek
Just a thought

[The Nal]

9 minutes ago, upshitcreek said:

Just been looking at GF website and I'm wandering if there's a set space for the double pitches (oversize vehicles)  as these are only available in east. Would be interesting to know if anyone's had one of these before. 

 

Probably set set out near the back/exit/entrance so as not to have a load of stupidly large vehicles driving through site

Seem to be scattered everywhere most years. Check out this bus from last year. Prime spot!

[Nick S]

46 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Yeah we were somewhere north of there in 2014 (around here) I think but it was fucking miles away from water and the shitter emptier thingy. Needed a shower after each water run because I was sweating so much. Which sort of defeated the purpose. And I like a power kip of an evening which wasn't possible. Even though we got there on Tuesday at 7pm.

Really don't need that extra hour or so of van admin every day. 

We luckily made it to here last year. Only because I ignored the stewards and drove straight down there, having done research the year before. Maybe have a look at that. Another van came down that way on Wednesday and there was room for them. If they ask, tell them you've a sore leg. Or AIDS or something. 

Also, as per the pic, can't recommend a pop up gazebo highly enough. Great in all weather. The rental place (if you're renting) should have one. Literally takes 30 seconds to put up.

Oh ok, i was here last year ->  http://goo.gl/4Bq9iq .  

We arrived at 1pm on the Tuesday too. So shows how early you need to get there. I wasn;t actually too bothered with that spot. It was about a 15 min walk to the gate. So not too dissimilar distance wise to your 2014 position.

Will definitely try your tip! I'd sort of planned to sneak down anyway. Last year a load of vans ended up in some open space at the front of our field on Thursday where they'd clearly done the same!

Edited June 15, 2016 by Nick S

[upshitcreek]

1 hour ago, The Nal said:

Seem to be scattered everywhere most years. Check out this bus from last year. Prime spot!

Ye just looking at the zoom and it seems to be scattered. Probably more of an access to the field thing then. It interesting to see how much room they give you on a 'pitch' I had a vision of the car parks bumper to bumper sort of thing. 

I suppose the consensus is to wing it once through the stewards and play ignorance to try and find a more preferable spot. Might post on here on the Wednesday to see if any Efesters can see a decent pitch that's slipped the net near to them.