Muddy / non-muddy years

[Sasperella]

31 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

I don't remember 2014 being particularly bad for weather (Friday thunderstorm aside). Then again I don't remember much about 2014 in general, by Glastonbury standards it was a pretty unmemorable year.

2014 was my first Glastonbury and it did rain a lot on the Friday and it was muddy, BUT given my experience with other festivals (particularly in 2007 - yuk) I felt like it was the sort of amount I would expect at any British festival. Not requiring wellies is always a bit confusing - what the hell am I supposed to put on my feet now?? Is it a trick? What if I come across a loose bog of mud???

 

1 hour ago, Bags73 said:

2005 was the most "entertaining" bad weather with the 8 hour thunderstorm.  It got as bad as it gets down at the bottom of Pennards (see my avatar) and down near the John Peel Tent.

 

I've been wondering about this regarding good places to camp....we always camp in Rivermead/Pylon and it's never been a problem. Not excessively muddy in 2016 even. However, my newbie has seen the photos from 2005 and is terrified that will happen if it absolutely shits it down. Now, I've never actually been to Glastonbury when the weather during the festival has been biblical (touch wood) so I feel like i'm lying to them a little when I tell them it doesn't ever flood there. Sooo....were these the only places that got mega screwed in 205? Was the JP tent somewhere else then?

I suppose the key is that while it's not necessary to be at the top of a hill, you sure as hell don't want to be at the bottom of one....

[dingbat2]

7 hours ago, FuzzyDunlop said:

2014 had the friday afternoon storm. That is one of my favourite glastonbury moments.

All music was off, except a bar playing "cant fight the moonlight - Leanne Rimes"

Great dance & Sing a long followed.

I was up at the Park watching Jimmy Goodwin when the storm struck and it got cancelled. I am convinced he was then about to launch into a load of Doves classics. Gutted

[Phoenix Girl]

6 minutes ago, Sasperella said:

I suppose the key is that while it's not necessary to be at the top of a hill, you sure as hell don't want to be at the bottom of one....

Sage words Sasperella. A phrase to live by ?

[Fishman]

1 hour ago, Bags73 said:

2007 was the wettest I've been to but my wife reckons 98 was worse.  Muddiest was 2016, down the near the dance village was unbelievable,  I think there are still people stuck near the loos now.  

It seemed to be always raining in 07, but often just a grim drizzle. In 98 we got more water and the site was like a lake, but it was not always raining. I have some 98 piccies somewhere - I'll try and find them.

[stuartbert two hats]

15 minutes ago, Fishman said:

It seemed to be always raining in 07, but often just a grim drizzle. In 98 we got more water and the site was like a lake, but it was not always raining. I have some 98 piccies somewhere - I'll try and find them.

Sunday aside, 07 was the year of frequent, hard showers.  And the rain on Sunday was a fair bit heavier than a drizzle, especially in the evening.  

[hfuhruhurr]

On the muddy years, has anyone here embraced the mud and just wallowed in it?

I've not yet, thinking I'd end up freezing cold, but it's tempting!! Kind of hoping it's like a wetsuit and warms up...

[Mr.Tease]

45 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Sunday aside, 07 was the year of frequent, hard showers.  And the rain on Sunday was a fair bit heavier than a drizzle, especially in the evening.  

Yep, it definitely hammered it down the Sunday night, I remember sitting at the meeting spot by the workers tower thing after the headliners and it was just a welly deep swamp! 

[Tranquility of Solitude]

 

[Johnnyseven]

25 minutes ago, hfuhruhurr said:

On the muddy years, has anyone here embraced the mud and just wallowed in it?

I've not yet, thinking I'd end up freezing cold, but it's tempting!! Kind of hoping it's like a wetsuit and warms up...

In 1998 I just wore shorts the whole time and let the mud cake to my legs. I washed it off with the hosepipe when I got home!

[dingbat2]

2007 ended up as soup, a lot easier to walk in than the clag of other muddy years, just depressingly wet for most of the weekend

[Sasperella]

31 minutes ago, hfuhruhurr said:

On the muddy years, has anyone here embraced the mud and just wallowed in it?

I've not yet, thinking I'd end up freezing cold, but it's tempting!! Kind of hoping it's like a wetsuit and warms up...

I have a friend who claims to have got something akin to trench foot at one festival, and since about 2007 at the more sight of any rain, just takes his shoes off and wanders about in shorts. He also claims that the mud is usually lovely and warm....while I'm not entirely convinced about that, it certainly beats being stuck in a pair of wet socks/boots!

[Phoenix Girl]

5 minutes ago, dingbat2 said:

2007 ended up as soup, a lot easier to walk in than the clag of other muddy years, just depressingly wet for most of the weekend

This picture just makes me shudder, because it just looks so grim. Thankfully I missed this with my first year being 2008. I suppose I’d just have to get very drunk to get through this.

[dingbat2]

4 minutes ago, Phoenix Girl said:

This picture just makes me shudder, because it just looks so grim. Thankfully I missed this with my first year being 2008. I suppose I’d just have to get very drunk to get through this.

The mud was much easier to walk through in 2007 than 2016 because it was like soup. The problem with it is there is usually nowhere to sit and there are no real patches of grass to walk. The claggy years are often worse because its a nightmare to get anywhere but there is usually some respite in certain areas where you can find grass and somewhere to sit. The constant rain was the real headache in 2007, the mud I could cope with

[FuzzyDunlop]

1 hour ago, dingbat2 said:

I was up at the Park watching Jimmy Goodwin when the storm struck and it got cancelled. I am convinced he was then about to launch into a load of Doves classics. Gutted 

We had left the Shangri La watching Craig Charles and were on the way to watch Mr Scruff at Arcadia.... didn't happen.

[Kashkin]

2 hours ago, Johnnyseven said:

I wasn't so can't comment on what it was like that year. I was there in 1998 and 2016 though.

Fair enough, I wasn't there in 98 but by all accounts it was pretty bad. Another thing though, people who say 'the conditions don't matter' presumably don't have any health or mobility problems which make it harder. For example, my friend has hip problems and is in fact still suffering negative effects from the 2016 festival. 

[paulshane]

I've been to all the festivals since 95 (sunny) and I think 98 was possibly the 'worst' as it rained a lot suring the festivat as far as I can remember.

 

dug out some old pics though, that seem to refelct what I vaguely remember the condtions being like:

 

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[Kashkin]

1 hour ago, Sasperella said:

I've been wondering about this regarding good places to camp....we always camp in Rivermead/Pylon and it's never been a problem. Not excessively muddy in 2016 even. However, my newbie has seen the photos from 2005 and is terrified that will happen if it absolutely shits it down. Now, I've never actually been to Glastonbury when the weather during the festival has been biblical (touch wood) so I feel like i'm lying to them a little when I tell them it doesn't ever flood there. Sooo....were these the only places that got mega screwed in 205? Was the JP tent somewhere else then?

It won't happen like that again - the site has been majorly improved since then in terms of drainage infrastructure, as a response to the 2005 situation. Also the conditions that produced the 2005 floods were very specific (extremely heavy rain in a short time period following weeks and weeks of hot dry weather). But even if these specific conditions happened again, it wouldn't be the same outcome because of the drainage improvements. 

I believe the only camping area that saw major problems was the bottom of Pennards, and that area is now crew camping anyway.

[fuzzy_logic]

The Thursday of 98 was actually glorious sunshine, everything was bone dry and lovely. The rain started on the Friday and didn't seem to stop until Saturday evening when Robbie Williams** appeared on the pyramid stage. After that I don't think I saw a cloud in the sky for the rest of the weekend. 

**I don't think Robbie actually had anything to do with the sunshine

Edited October 31, 2018 by fuzzy_logic

[Penrhos]

Perhaps we should promote this thread heavily to all the newbies - surefire way of reducing demand for resale & 2020 tickets (especially if 2019 is a muddy one). 

Crosses fingers and prays to the Glasto gods that 2019/2020 won't be like 2016.

[Sasperella]

27 minutes ago, Kashkin said:

It won't happen like that again - the site has been majorly improved since then in terms of drainage infrastructure, as a response to the 2005 situation. Also the conditions that produced the 2005 floods were very specific (extremely heavy rain in a short time period following weeks and weeks of hot dry weather). But even if these specific conditions happened again, it wouldn't be the same outcome because of the drainage improvements. 

I believe the only camping area that saw major problems was the bottom of Pennards, and that area is now crew camping anyway.

Good, now I can assure my friend safe in the knowledge that my information is e-festivals approved 

[Woffy]

2 hours ago, Sasperella said:

I suppose the key is that while it's not necessary to be at the top of a hill, you sure as hell don't want to be at the bottom of one....

 

2 hours ago, Phoenix Girl said:

Sage words Sasperella. A phrase to live by ?

I've been saying this ever since my holiday on the Amalfi Coast in 79AD.

[Johnnyseven]

39 minutes ago, fuzzy_logic said:

The Thursday of 98 was actually glorious sunshine, everything was bone dry and lovely. The rain started on the Friday and didn't seem to stop until Saturday evening when Robbie Williams** appeared on the pyramid stage. After that I don't think I saw a cloud in the sky for the rest of the weekend. 

**I don't think Robbie actually had anything to do with the sunshine

I arrived on thursday, it was already raining when I stepped off the coach. I remember because I didn't have a ticket and had to find the gate I had agreed to meet my mates at and wait for them once I got there. My first time so I had no idea where I was going. I waited for what seemed like hours in the pissing rain before they turned up. It also rained lots on the friday but I remember it clearing up on the saturday, but the damage had already been done by this point. I remember constantly having to pull my feet out of the mud while watching bands because I was worried they'd get stuck.

[Johnnyseven]

1 hour ago, Kashkin said:

Fair enough, I wasn't there in 98 but by all accounts it was pretty bad. Another thing though, people who say 'the conditions don't matter' presumably don't have any health or mobility problems which make it harder. For example, my friend has hip problems and is in fact still suffering negative effects from the 2016 festival. 

I didn't say conditions don't matter, I inferred that people know what can happen when the weather is bad and that the conditions are something that you should be prepared to deal with.

[tevaburger]

2014 is getting off pretty easily on here it seems. It wasn't a good one. That Friday deluge continued with rain breaks into Saturday, drip/drip I remember as I waited for Robert Plant to come on and idiots with umbrellas in the pit. 2014 was tough going getting around. 

2004 sort of crept up into being uncomfortable. A bit of a surprise to me as my first two Glasto's were 2002 and 2003 where i never thought of a wellie. Saturday morning of 2004 onwards just seemed to get worse and worse even it wasn't a deluge. Just light annoying rain creeping up on you all day. I think it got heavier on Sunday afternoon as well. 

 

 

[Calvin Klein]

15 minutes ago, tevaburger said:

2014 is getting off pretty easily on here it seems. It wasn't a good one. That Friday deluge continued with rain breaks into Saturday, drip/drip I remember as I waited for Robert Plant to come on and idiots with umbrellas in the pit. 2014 was tough going getting around. 

 

 

 

Yep.

Thursday was rainy, Friday had the storm, Saturday rain in the afternoon during Plant. By Sunday it was pretty muddy. The Park was not easy to navigate.