Getting there...

[thew2002]

Big time stalker of this forum but this is my first post. Second time going (first time being 2017) , however our method of transport to the festival has just let us down so I'm stressed.

We want to get a good spot on Kidney Mead, last time we were there for 7am Wednesday to ensure this happened.

We are basically running on the following options, does anyone have any previous experience or advice which of these seem most reasonable/affordable:

We are travelling from London (4 guys).

Option 1: a taxi at 3am Wednesday to the festival site, and most likely the train home. Does this actually exist? Will taxi's charge an extortionate fee? Any decent companies would be appreciated!

Option 2: train from Paddington the night before, sleep in Taunton train station for 4 hours... arrive to castel cary station at 6.30am, hope for the best from there

Option 3: train from Paddington the night before, stay in a hotel nearby to the site (I imagine these are extortionate), and taxi early morning

[Upside down frowner]

 Not sure about timings but this option from a London posted recently 

 

[Sweet_pea]

Option 4: If the weather is good/dry, travel up Tuesday night, get a taxi to the drop off point and get in the queue. Start the party early :-)

(This would be pretty miserable if we had weather like 2016)

[thew2002]

4 minutes ago, Upside down frowner said:

 Not sure about timings but this option from a London posted recently 

 

Thanks for the link, I like the concept of this but sadly doesn't work for our timings...

[kalifire]

I stay in Frome with the ‘rents and get a taxi to the drop off point very early on Wednesday morning. Getting accommodation in Frome would cost you less than a taxi from London (!). Taxis to the drop off will cost about £60-70. Split between four, that’s alright. 

[thew2002]

1 minute ago, Sweet_pea said:

Option 4: If the weather is good/dry, travel up Tuesday night, get a taxi to the drop off point and get in the queue. Start the party early ?

(This would be pretty miserable if we had weather like 2016)

This is what I want to do, however I think others in the group may view it as a bit obsessive... (as if that could ever be a bad thing!)

[eastynh]

Hire a van or a car.

[Sweet_pea]

2 minutes ago, thew2002 said:

This is what I want to do, however I think others in the group may view it as a bit obsessive... (as if that could ever be a bad thing!)

HA! Well, it was a lot of fun, apart from the chap who was intent on screaming Jeremy Corbyn's name for half the night.

[Upside down frowner]

3 minutes ago, eastynh said:

Hire a van or a car.

Just spoke to a chap who went to his first festival in a hire car, had no idea where he’d parked it or what car it was when he returned to the car parks ?

[thew2002]

6 minutes ago, eastynh said:

Hire a van or a car.

None of us are particularly fond of the driving back idea (especially myself, have a fairly low seizure threshold that I wouldn't want to mess with...)

[THX_1138]

21 minutes ago, thew2002 said:

Big time stalker of this forum but this is my first post. Second time going (first time being 2017) , however our method of transport to the festival has just let us down so I'm stressed.

We want to get a good spot on Kidney Mead, last time we were there for 7am Wednesday to ensure this happened.

We are basically running on the following options, does anyone have any previous experience or advice which of these seem most reasonable/affordable:

We are travelling from London (4 guys).

Option 1: a taxi at 3am Wednesday to the festival site, and most likely the train home. Does this actually exist? Will taxi's charge an extortionate fee? Any decent companies would be appreciated!

Option 2: train from Paddington the night before, sleep in Taunton train station for 4 hours... arrive to castel cary station at 6.30am, hope for the best from there

Option 3: train from Paddington the night before, stay in a hotel nearby to the site (I imagine these are extortionate), and taxi early morning

I am travelling from London with 1 other friend, and meeting others from elsewhere, in Bristol.

Our plan is Coach to Bristol (and return), Hotels booked in Bristol than have cost us each £55 in total for Tuesday/Monday nights. We will get earliest possible train from Bristol to Castle Cary.

[Ducky89]

Another option I've just had a look at is travel down via coach (Berrys) from London to Shepton Mallet:
 

Route description	London TO Taunton Via Codford Village Warminster Frome Shepton Mallet Glastonbury and Street
Start point	Tue 25 June 18:45: London - Hammersmith Bus Station Bay D
End point	Tue 25 June 21:35: Shepton Mallet - Commercial Road opp Police Station

£20 a single and decent times.

You could then get a cab to site and get in the queue if you wanted.

Alternatively you could get off in Frome, and book into the George @ £85 / night, or slightly fancier Archangel @ £95 / night

Route description	London TO Taunton Via Codford Village Warminster Frome Shepton Mallet Glastonbury and Street
Start point	Tue 25 June 18:45: London - Hammersmith Bus Station Bay D
End point	Tue 25 June 21:15: Frome - Sainsburys Supermarket Bus Stop

[kingbadger]

Me and the missus have booked an AirBnB in Bristol on the Tuesday and Monday nights, with train travel from Colchester and buses from Bristol to the festival and back for the same price as it would cost us to get the train to London and the coach from there. Plus we can arrive on site Wednesday noon without having been up since 5am. 

Pretty sure there's still plenty of Air BnBs going in Bristol on the dates you'd need. It's the same price and means you'll be much more well rested when arriving on site! 

[DareToDibble]

6 hours ago, eastynh said:

Hire a van or a car.

 

6 hours ago, thew2002 said:

None of us are particularly fond of the driving back idea (especially myself, have a fairly low seizure threshold that I wouldn't want to mess with...)

If this is the case you could try and go down the route my friends and I have gone down. We’ve hired a minibus from a car hire company and my dad is driving us there, dropping us off and then getting us on the Monday too. £90 each way + petrol. Split between you it’s not actually that much.

Only issue will be finding someone willing to do it for you. My dads face dropped when I told him we leave Cardiff at 3am on the Wednesday  

[eastynh]

6 minutes ago, DareToDibble said:

 

If this is the case you could try and go down the route my friends and I have gone down. We’ve hired a minibus from a car hire company and my dad is driving us there, dropping us off and then getting us on the Monday too. £90 each way + petrol. Split between you it’s not actually that much.

Only issue will be finding someone willing to do it for you. My dads face dropped when I told him we leave Cardiff at 3am on the Wednesday  

My old fella is taking me and my mate to Lincoln for the coach. Said we will chuck him £100. Saves us money on a taxi.

[DareToDibble]

7 minutes ago, eastynh said:

My old fella is taking me and my mate to Lincoln for the coach. Said we will chuck him £100. Saves us money on a taxi.

That’s exactly it, much cheaper and probably easier with a family member, too.

Will you be there for the eFests meet mate?

 

EDIT: Post 1,000... woohoo!

Edited May 30, 2019 by DareToDibble

[Drfoxxx]

6 hours ago, thew2002 said:

Big time stalker of this forum but this is my first post. Second time going (first time being 2017) , however our method of transport to the festival has just let us down so I'm stressed.

We want to get a good spot on Kidney Mead, last time we were there for 7am Wednesday to ensure this happened.

We are basically running on the following options, does anyone have any previous experience or advice which of these seem most reasonable/affordable:

We are travelling from London (4 guys).

Option 1: a taxi at 3am Wednesday to the festival site, and most likely the train home. Does this actually exist? Will taxi's charge an extortionate fee? Any decent companies would be appreciated!

Option 2: train from Paddington the night before, sleep in Taunton train station for 4 hours... arrive to castel cary station at 6.30am, hope for the best from there

Option 3: train from Paddington the night before, stay in a hotel nearby to the site (I imagine these are extortionate), and taxi early morning

I normally go from paddington night before. Can get the 18.30 or 20.30 and get to the festival via a taxi from castle cary. I have friends who drive down from up north but usually end up getting in queue and getting a few hours. It's not too bad as long as it doesnt rain ha

[Flysheet]

7 hours ago, thew2002 said:

Big time stalker of this forum but this is my first post. Second time going (first time being 2017) , however our method of transport to the festival has just let us down so I'm stressed.

We want to get a good spot on Kidney Mead, last time we were there for 7am Wednesday to ensure this happened.

We are basically running on the following options, does anyone have any previous experience or advice which of these seem most reasonable/affordable:

We are travelling from London (4 guys).

 

Option 3: train from Paddington the night before, stay in a hotel nearby to the site (I imagine these are extortionate), and taxi early morning

This might not be too bad. Your problem is logistical. Accommodation books up even before the October ticket sale. We managed to get 2 BnB rooms on a farm after the resale but we’d stayed there before & they don’t use the bucket sites. When I searched a month ago there was very little south of the site within 10 miles and I guess, on past experience, north and west will be the same. 

[Madyaker]

Get a bus to bristol on tuesday and then get a taxi to the fest at the crack of dawn? You can book them in advance and its only a bit more expensive than getting the bus if there's 6 or more of you.

 

We arrive at a much more civilised hour and camp in rivermead right beside silver hayes. It's close enough I don't feel the need to be in pennards or wherever.

[Mr.Tease]

2 minutes ago, Madyaker said:

Get a bus to bristol on tuesday and then get a taxi to the fest at the crack of dawn? You can book them in advance and its only a bit more expensive than getting the bus if there's 6 or more of you.

 

We arrive at a much more civilised hour and camp in rivermead right beside silver hayes. It's close enough I don't feel the need to be in pennards or wherever.

Do taxis charge a fixed fee? If not, what happens in the event of a 2016 style 8hr traffic jam?

[Crazyfool01]

19 minutes ago, Mr.Tease said:

Do taxis charge a fixed fee? If not, what happens in the event of a 2016 style 8hr traffic jam?

you get out and attempt to leg it ... go 5 paces and return to the taxi ? 

[Mr.Tease]

28 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

you get out and attempt to leg it ... go 5 paces and return to the taxi ? 

I like your style- so basically just keep getting out of the taxi and then re-hailing it every time it starts moving forward! Ingenious!

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, Mr.Tease said:

I like your style- so basically just keep getting out of the taxi and then re-hailing it every time it starts moving forward! Ingenious!

might work ... but the last time I took a taxi there was a hefty initial not going anywhere fee  

[Mr.Tease]

8 hours ago, thew2002 said:

Big time stalker of this forum but this is my first post. Second time going (first time being 2017) , however our method of transport to the festival has just let us down so I'm stressed.

We want to get a good spot on Kidney Mead, last time we were there for 7am Wednesday to ensure this happened.

We are basically running on the following options, does anyone have any previous experience or advice which of these seem most reasonable/affordable:

We are travelling from London (4 guys).

Option 1: a taxi at 3am Wednesday to the festival site, and most likely the train home. Does this actually exist? Will taxi's charge an extortionate fee? Any decent companies would be appreciated!

Option 2: train from Paddington the night before, sleep in Taunton train station for 4 hours... arrive to castel cary station at 6.30am, hope for the best from there

Option 3: train from Paddington the night before, stay in a hotel nearby to the site (I imagine these are extortionate), and taxi early morning

I don’t want to jinx it, but the last few years I’ve arrived by coach around 7.45am, and by the time I got to kidney mead there was still plenty of space left, even in the years when I’ve arrived a few hours late (though one year it was a bit tight!), so hopefully arriving at 6.30am should be fine. Remember gates officially don’t open til 8am (though I’m sure some years they open early if needed).

having said that, this year due to coach weirdly selling out quicker than usual, I won’t be arriving til 8.15am so am getting anxious!

[Losing my hair]

10 hours ago, thew2002 said:

Big time stalker of this forum but this is my first post. Second time going (first time being 2017) , however our method of transport to the festival has just let us down so I'm stressed.

We want to get a good spot on Kidney Mead, last time we were there for 7am Wednesday to ensure this happened.

We are basically running on the following options, does anyone have any previous experience or advice which of these seem most reasonable/affordable:

We are travelling from London (4 guys).

Option 1: a taxi at 3am Wednesday to the festival site, and most likely the train home. Does this actually exist? Will taxi's charge an extortionate fee? Any decent companies would be appreciated!

Option 2: train from Paddington the night before, sleep in Taunton train station for 4 hours... arrive to castel cary station at 6.30am, hope for the best from there

Option 3: train from Paddington the night before, stay in a hotel nearby to the site (I imagine these are extortionate), and taxi early morning

National Express can have you there at 8.30 from Victoria Coach Station