Queueing Experiences 2017

[Quark]

27 minutes ago, Mardy said:

Hehehe, the fella with the sprinkler was ace. Just what we needed after the journey. Absolutely perfect 

 

22 minutes ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

Still my hero of the festival!

He came a close second to the old boy wandering through the Mik Artistik crowd with a handheld water pump doing the same thing

[stuartbert two hats]

3 hours ago, Mardy said:

Hehehe, the fella with the sprinkler was ace. Just what we needed after the journey. Absolutely perfect 

 

3 hours ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

Still my hero of the festival!

Did anyone else have their day saved by the fire engine spraying water? I was seriously overheating on the Wednesday, even rubbing ice cubes on my head wasn't working, then I ran through the icy cold water from the fire engine and I was saved! Brought my temperature down for long enough until the sun started to go down a bit and I no longer felt like I was about to pass out from the heat.

[Madyaker]

I arrived at gate A wednesday morning at around 9 or 9:30. I honestly don't remember the queue so it musn't have been that bad. I think I had my tent up in rivermead and first can cracked at around 11am. Wednesday was the hottest day last year so I was glad to be through the gates before midday heat set in.

[Fred Zepplin]

We got in the queue about 11 and got in about 1. Would have been fine if it wasn’t so hot and my wife 4 months pregnant, she struggled but once we were in just pitched up at the first place we came to. Bringing the 18 month with us this year so planning on getting there late afternoon Wednesday, let the queues die down and hopefully walk straight in, camping in family camping so don’t think we need to be there particularly early 

[Quark]

3 hours ago, stuartbert two hats said:

 

Did anyone else have their day saved by the fire engine spraying water? I was seriously overheating on the Wednesday, even rubbing ice cubes on my head wasn't working, then I ran through the icy cold water from the fire engine and I was saved! Brought my temperature down for long enough until the sun started to go down a bit and I no longer felt like I was about to pass out from the heat.

I picked up a cracking tip from a lad while I was wandering around on Wed. In that heat just take off your t shirt, run that under the cold tap and stick it back on.  Worked a treat

 

[vintagelaureate]

2 minutes ago, Quark said:

I picked up a cracking tip from a lad while I was wandering around on Wed. In that heat just take off your t shirt, run that under the cold tap and stick it back on.  Worked a treat

 

I wonder if that was my friend... wasn't Scouse by any chance was he? 

 

[balti-pie]

It’s blissful wetting your hat and putting it on, a wet neckerchief is an absolutely magnificent thing too. I did a marathon this summer in 28 degree heat and learnt loads about coping with heat when you can’t get out of it: I’ll put that into action next year at Glastonbury, of course ??

[Crazyfool01]

I took my porta shower filled with ice .... although by the end of the queue for gate A I was probably just spraying people with warm water

 

[hfuhruhurr]

Parked up at about 07:30ish on Weds in blue 12 I think, queued through Campervans East and got to PGC at about noon. Post camp beer in hand at 1pm. So way better than 2016 which was 12 hours in the car queuing to get into Campervans East. Most camp grounds had loads of space - we picked our spot pretty much. Which, having been in a campervan since 2010, was way better.

 

[dingbat2]

On ‎9‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 1:00 PM, Zoo Music Girl said:

See my post with quoted posts above. I find the queue around that time from the coaches is a lot easier than earlier in the day. We've done that the last couple of years and camped in Bushy as I'm not arsed about camping in the busy areas. Used to get there before gates opened and while we secured what was then a better spot to my mind, it didn't add loads to my festival experience overall. 

I was properly shitting myself about the security queues being horrific (taking hours and fully searching all bags etc) but agree it was just PR. Barely saw anyone checked in the end.

Thanks, thats interesting, from what you say there isn't much difference in arriving on Wed afternoon to Thursday afternoon. Always headed towards Bushy from Gate A Thursday afternoon for the last few years but always managed to find a space in Rivermead/Pylon (admittedly by scanning the perimeter fence to both fields) so never felt the need to venture as far as Bushy. Once we are in we find the first spot which can fit the tent in!

[Zoo Music Girl]

15 minutes ago, dingbat2 said:

Thanks, thats interesting, from what you say there isn't much difference in arriving on Wed afternoon to Thursday afternoon. Always headed towards Bushy from Gate A Thursday afternoon for the last few years but always managed to find a space in Rivermead/Pylon (admittedly by scanning the perimeter fence to both fields) so never felt the need to venture as far as Bushy. Once we are in we find the first spot which can fit the tent in!

I'm so crap at directions so forgive me if I'm being stupid but doesn't Bushy come after Pylon? Or is it sort of to the side? As you come in through PGA I thought it went Darble, Pylon then Bushy. But that might be what you are saying! I'm never quite clear where Rivermead is...

[dingbat2]

Yes, thats right, head downhill from Gate A through Darble, then into Pylon. Keep going and you get to Rivermead, which is right a the bottom (by the river/stream!) Cross the stream, and you are going back uphill through bushy up to Gate D. Always managed to find a place in Pylon or Rivermead the last few years, but 2017 I am sure we found one of the last few spaces left right next to the fence to the west of Rivermead. Nice quiet spot though, really nice

[Zoo Music Girl]

35 minutes ago, dingbat2 said:

Yes, thats right, head downhill from Gate A through Darble, then into Pylon. Keep going and you get to Rivermead, which is right a the bottom (by the river/stream!) Cross the stream, and you are going back uphill through bushy up to Gate D. Always managed to find a place in Pylon or Rivermead the last few years, but 2017 I am sure we found one of the last few spaces left right next to the fence to the west of Rivermead. Nice quiet spot though, really nice

Cool, good to know! Very much my end of the site nowadays, after doing Park Home (when there was a lot more of it) for my first six! Then Darble and Bushy. So would you say Rivermead and Pylon are a longer walk back from everything or do you just go a slightly different way (Bushy from memory is close to a no-access road).

[Zoo Music Girl]

Would highly recommend Bushy by the way, it's nice and quiet and lots of space! So over being crammed in like sardines.

[philipsteak]

On 9/12/2018 at 5:52 PM, Pinhead said:

The queue in 'experience' is possibly the one thing that might make me stop wanting to go in the future, or choose to work every one at any rate.

It's one of the reasons I volunteer. That and knowing I've got a place without the stress of trying to get a ticket in the first place. Although the Wednesday afternoon shift on Gate D was brutal last year

[dingbat2]

12 hours ago, Zoo Music Girl said:

Cool, good to know! Very much my end of the site nowadays, after doing Park Home (when there was a lot more of it) for my first six! Then Darble and Bushy. So would you say Rivermead and Pylon are a longer walk back from everything or do you just go a slightly different way (Bushy from memory is close to a no-access road).

As with everywhere it depends where you are coming from. It will be longer from the SE corner but shorter from John Peel. Anything in between and its probably about the same. Not really a great deal in it, Bushy, Rivermead and Pylon are fairly close to each other, Bushy is one side of the stream, Pylon and Rivermead are on the other. Have often planned to end up in Bushy but always managed to find a spot in Rivermead so settled for that rather than risk venturing further . You get there by following the track at the bottom of Silver Hayes, then turn right for Pylon/Rivermead, or carry on for Bushy. You can also get to JP easier by going up the hill and through Darble

[Zoo Music Girl]

5 minutes ago, dingbat2 said:

As with everywhere it depends where you are coming from. It will be longer from the SE corner but shorter from John Peel. Anything in between and its probably about the same. Not really a great deal in it, Bushy, Rivermead and Pylon are fairly close to each other, Bushy is one side of the stream, Pylon and Rivermead are on the other. Have often planned to end up in Bushy but always managed to find a spot in Rivermead so settled for that rather than risk venturing further . You get there by following the track at the bottom of Silver Hayes, then turn right for Pylon/Rivermead, or carry on for Bushy. You can also get to JP easier by going up the hill and through Darble

Cool, thanks - just my shoddy sense of direction and wondering if Pylon/Rivermead might be better options! Seems about the same. It's quite a long walk to that area of the site from a lot of places, but I generally don't mind it if it's not muddy. Good way to clear the head before sleep. I honestly slept so horrendously every year around Park that I massively value the more sedate camping towards Gate A these days.

Mind you, we camped in Darble in 2014 as my mate had a bad back so we couldn't risk carrying stuff far. It was bloody muddy that year and ended up being a real mission to come home at times - not sure that was any better for her back, all told. 

[jyoung]

Coached from London at about 3.30am on Wednesday despite being scheduled to depart later. Got there for something like 7.30am. Had the tent and everything set up by 8.30am, IIRC. Piece of cake after everyone (myself included) shitting themselves about entry prior to the festival. Far easier than the coach vs rain = delays of 2016.

[Quark]

On 9/16/2018 at 8:12 PM, vintagelaureate said:

I wonder if that was my friend... wasn't Scouse by any chance was he? 

 

No idea, I can't remember details like that!

[midlifecrisis]

We arrived overnight Tuesday/Wednesday into Orange Carpark. Usually kip in the van till dawn but a combination of how warm it was at 2am and the scare mongering queue predictions due to increased bag checks meant we decided to join the queue straight away. We would normally go in through PGA but for some reason they wouldn't let us join so we were sent towards PGD. We were about 100yards along the road from the car for about 15 mins then they must have opened up the zigzags cause we ended up right at the top of the hill. Security consisted of a cheeky feel of our bags and that was it. They opened the gate at about 7.30am and we were in and camped in Rivermead by about 8.30am. Was totally worth being up all night to get in before it got too hot, last year the Wednesday nearly destroyed me! Was also lovely seeing the sun rise over the site on the summer solstice!

[Harry49]

Arrived 2am on Wednesday morning and were directed to purple parking. Got to gate B queue at around 2.30ish. We were in a fenced off section that got closed around 40 minutes later with latecomers having to form queue by a hedgerow.

Movement started around 7ish but very stop start for first 45 minutes and then moved continuously until we got to gate B. I think we were through around 9.15 and looked to set up in Big Ground. That was already pretty full but managed to squeeze our 4 tents together  2/3rds of the way up field close to muddy lane.

Remeber thinking other gates must have been quicker or our queue was particularly long as thought we would have more choice of spot.

First time trough B, would not choose it again if having option!

[Andeeroo]

Got into the car parks about 5am last year, started queuing at around 6am at Gate A and we were all pitched up by about 9. After the frenzied pre-fest build up last year, I just remember it being so much easier than we all thought it would be.

I remember the dilemma of joining either the Gate A or D queue as both were visible when we walked through the car parks. We definitely made the right choice as we seemed to shuffle along and the Gate D queue seemed to be static for ages.

[airwaves]

Have been queing overnight on the Tuesday at Gate D ever since that became 'a thing'. Also means I get dibs on car park nearest to Gate D (one year security was lax at the entrance to crew parking that goes up almost to Gate D itself and so I sneaked in a parking slot at the top of the slope  ?).

So, queued overnight in 2017. Fairly pleasant evening/night around 10 places from the front of the q.

Trolley was checked before the queue started to move into ticket check area so there was no hold up on that score.

So, was camped by 9.30 ish I think and didnt have to q in the relentless heat.