Worthy View 2019 Review

[jambla]

First time staying in worthy view and leaving a review to help people make an informed decision about staying in Worthy View.

Positives
Pre erected tent. Takes the stress away about finding a camping space. No need to arrive early and que Weds early hours. We arrived Weds but on reflection I would have arrived a day later on Thursday.

High quality tents. Made from thick canvas and a good amount of space. We stayed in a 2 man scout tent and had enough room to fit 2 single air beds and suitcase and bags inside the sleeping compartment. The porch had enough room to keep some camping gear and a large cool box. The tent was better then a standard tent at keeping cool, however in the sun of 2019 it was still baking 8am on Saturday morning 

Car park is close, 10 minute walk max. Found it easy to make multiple trips.

Showers were nice and warm and did really help to freshen up. The showers where in private cubical's. 

Toilets. There were some flushable toilets which were much nicer to use when you needed a number 2. No back ups like Portaloo's or stench of longdrops. I must stipulate that there was a mixture of portaloos and flushable toilets at worthy view.

Negatives

Queuing. At peak times around 8am onwards, there was ques for toilets and showers. You could expect to wait around an hour for a shower the peak was around 10.30 ish. Mens ques for showers where smaller then the ladies. I found the queuing for toilets more hassle, as sometimes you cant really wait 20 minutes.

The walking. We stayed right at the back of A which meant we were furthest away from the gate. We had to walk about 600ms to get to the start of the hill. Worthy View is very far away from the Pyramid stage, except a long walk. However It is close to the Park and Shangri La.

The hill. The first couple of days it wasn't too bad, however by Friday it just became an absolute mission to get up. Imagine walking around the site for miles and then having to traverse a steep hill. It was not fun, especially in the heat. Here is a video I made of the hill 

https://youtu.be/QC6zakEDIH4

Summary

I would not stay in Worthy View again. Im a fit 34 year old and found the distant from the Pyramid stage and the hill too much of a negative. It may have been intensified by the heat of 2019. 

[paulshane]

I stayed in the back of Camper East 17, I know all about hills and long walks

[JayBeeis]

I stayed in one of the PodPads in Worthy View with my girlfriend. I didn't haven any issue with the distance but my girlfriend did struggle to make the walk up the first hill and then the Worthy View "stairs". We still rated the experience enough to say that we are definitely going to try for Worthy View accommodation in 2020.

I've stayed at several different festivals - regular camping and pre-erected camping. The queues were very similar to the other experiences I had and I feel like they were managed well. I remember being in Belgium where people just jumped queue for food/toilets.

I had a great time with Worthy View, the car park was also a big positive!

[CaledonianGonzo]

Would definitely use it again if we lose out on tipis for 2020.

[spcdust]

Overall a fair and useful review for people who haven't stayed at Worthy View.  However, having attended Glastonbury since the mid 90's, the last two staying at Worthy View, my overall summary is it's well worth staying there.   I actually have now been spoiled and the prospect of being down in the regular camping fields is not something I fancy now - this is possibly due to the fact that I can only arrive on a Thursday when all the  good camping spots are all taken.  The proximity of the car park to the camp site, the ease of exiting on Glastonbury on Monday, access to flush able clean toilets is great (I'm also a veteran of long drops which I still use during the day).  The cleanliness and space afforded to you (no pitching your tent and the next morning awaking to find someone who has pitched their tent so close  your's you cannot easily get out of your tent). All of these positives outweigh any perceived negatives.  This might work better for me as I prefer that end of the site and don't spend too long at the Pyramid stage although the walk isn't so bad - the site is massive anyway so walking is just something that you have to accept.  The climb up the hill is a bit steep but I'm 49 years old and we had a 59 year old woman with us and we took it in our stride.

[Hugh Jass]

I’ve stayed in WV the last three festivals and love it.

Shower queues were only really bad on Saturday because they were trying to save water. Friday and Sunday I got down there about 8.30-9ish and didn’t queue more than 15 minutes for the blokes’ shower.

The Hill is a mission, especially at the end of the night, but it’s worth it for that view.

Toilets are fine but it’s worth remembering that there are long drops at the Pennard Gate entrance next to Strummerville that are always quiet and clean.

Being able to park right next to the entrance is an absolute godsend, we were in the coach this year but the last two times Mrs Jass was pregnant so I was doing all the heavy lifting.

Will definitely be back for 2020.

[kevbizarre]

Been plenty of times and this was probably my best WV stay yet.

Out location at the back (H) was a longer walk but only once a day at night so didn’t bother me too much. We were close to toilets, sink and water tap so minimal queueing. 

The breakfast place had a massive queue but we tried to just cook our own each morning. Discovered the coop now so plan for next year is to buy breakfast stuff on the way back the night before and save needing a cool box!

Shower queues same as every year although it sounded that going early was worse as they only opened up one side. I went late morning and only waited 30mins max in the men’s. 

[calcium_kid]

Not sure if it was just luck, but driving into and out of WV we had barely any traffic on both trips. Had friends leave from normal camping and it took them 9 hours to drive home, whereas we made it in around 5 hours including a stop at the services. Left Hertfordshire around 5 am on Wednesday, stopped at Fleet for 25 min, and was parked up at WV by 8:30 am.

[Smash1984]

We also had a great time here this year and will be back again next year all being well. As others have said, with the toilets on busier days we waited until we got to Strummerville to use the longdrops there. I was initially concerned about the change from EPO wrist bands to the 'normal' festival ones thinking that it would be a pass out situation however I was pleased to hear it was because they had made WV "part" of the site. Essentially all it meant was no checks when entering the main site which I thought was good. Disappointed with the extra WV band which was plastic though, given they were trying to reduce the amount of plastic they could have used something more friendly. Wonder if they will change that at all next year.

[Hutchmaster]

2 hours ago, paulshane said:

I stayed in the back of Camper East 17, I know all about hills and long walks

Heh, I was East 15 so I feel ya! By far the worst part of the festival was going through Gate D with all my stuff to my convoy's campers. 

Out of interest, what's the cheapest way to do Worthy View if just booking on your ones? Really considering it next year if I get a ticket but not sure if I'll have anyone to join me.

[Smash1984]

2 minutes ago, Johnkhutch said:

Heh, I was East 15 so I feel ya! By far the worst part of the festival was going through Gate D with all my stuff to my convoy's campers. 

Out of interest, what's the cheapest way to do Worthy View if just booking on your ones? Really considering it next year if I get a ticket but not sure if I'll have anyone to join me.

The scout tents are always the cheapest options they offer. This year they were £295 for a two man version plus £45 for the car park ticket. They've generally risen the same each year as with the ticket prices so I imagine next year they will be £300.

[ghostdancer1]

wasn't at Glastonbury this year, but stayed in WV in 2016 and 2017, and while I would kind of agree with your negatives, I 100% would stay in WV again.

Didn't find the queues that bad, and even then, I used the 30mins in the queue for a shower to have a coffee and chat about the night before/plan for the day.

Walking - depends where your tent is, 2016 we were very close to the hill, 2017 a good bit back but it really only a few extra minutes walking, and given the amount you do all day/weekend, it's negligible really.

The hill - no issues with it. Only thing is that it's off-putting to do twice in a day, so once you're out for the day, you probably won't go back to the tent for supplies.

 

another positive for me: No queues in or out of carparks. In 2016, while general carparks were waiting hours on end to get in on Wednesday, we were straight in with no traffic. Same on Monday morning, straight out and onto the main road within minutes of getting in the car, around 10am.

 

an aside, I wouldn't be surprised to see it expand, or GFL to maybe start taking parts of it (Podpads? Yurts?) inside the fence to it's own area. It makes GFL money, and reduces waste through re-use of tents.

Edited July 2, 2019 by ghostdancer1

[briddj]

The route out especially is a god-send. Straight out and away. Sat-nav set to avoid the A303 and go into London via the M4. No traffic (until the M4 when shit and we lost 20 minutes). That was the only delay after setting off and wasn't Glasto related.

I understand the rage about the showers on Saturday, but it wasn't something within the control of WV. I was caught out by it myself, because I woke up needing the loo just before 7 so thought I might as well just get the shower out of the way. Strolled down and it seemed the whole camp had the same idea. Didn't get back to the tent until 8.45am. Never had to queue before 8.30am last time.

I'd say they could do with either an extra food outlet at the back of the site - or increase the serving capacity of it. And add more portaloos at the back too. I remember in 2015 then definitely added more portaloos after a couple of days due to queues, but that hasn't happened again since.

I don't mind the hill at all (though it was a bit tougher on the Sunday...). Really felt for those taking it on with crutches!

[spcdust]

10 minutes ago, briddj said:

The route out especially is a god-send. Straight out and away. Sat-nav set to avoid the A303 and go into London via the M4. No traffic (until the M4 when shit and we lost 20 minutes). That was the only delay after setting off and wasn't Glasto related.

 

Worth noting we drove back to London via the A303 after leaving WV at 9.30am and absolutely no Glasto traffic at all, it was a clear run all the way.  Also the same driving to WV although that was Thursday lunchtime.  Think the SAT Nav takes a rather picturesque cross country route so you  join/leave the A303 at a better point.

Edited July 2, 2019 by spcdust

[briddj]

1 minute ago, spcdust said:

Worth noting we drove back to London via the A303 after leaving WV at 9.30am and absolutely no Glasto traffic at all, it was a clear run all the way.  Also the same driving to WV although that was Thursday lunchtime.  Think the SAT Nav takes a rather picturesque cross country route so you  join A303 further along.

I've had so many horrible Mondays on the A303 I don't think I could ever trust going that way again!

[Smash1984]

1 minute ago, briddj said:

I've had so many horrible Mondays on the A303 I don't think I could ever trust going that way again!

We left WV at 8am and we got caught in about 30mins of traffic on the A303 but otherwise was plain sailing. Always seems to be where it bottle necks back into a single carriageway before stonehenge

[spcdust]

6 minutes ago, briddj said:

I've had so many horrible Mondays on the A303 I don't think I could ever trust going that way again!

I recall some hold ups on the A303 in the past  but the last 2 or 3 Glasto's been clear runs.  Really six of one, half a dozen the other between taking  M4 / A303.  Our Sat Nav gets live traffic and routes accordingly and always routes us to avoid the Stonehenge leg of it (drive the route relatively regularly) where Glastonbury or not there are always tailbacks.

Edited July 2, 2019 by spcdust

[briddj]

2 minutes ago, spcdust said:

I recall some hold ups on the A303 in the past  but the last 2 or 3 Glasto's been clear runs.  Really six of one, half a dozen the other between taking  M4 / A303.  Our Sat Nav gets live traffic and routes accordingly and always routes us to avoid the Stonehenge leg of it (drive the route relatively regularly) where Glastonbury or not there are always tailbacks.

This was the first time I've had a hold up on the M4.

[majormajormajor]

Seriously don't understand the people who find the hill such a challenge. It takes like 3 minutes to get up to the bar/stalls from the gates checking wristbands?!

[Jay89]

Definitely would stay again, even if only for the minimal lugging of stuff we’ve had! No queues getting in at all. Advised to give ourselves 3hr to leave, which was OTT. My mate got proper paranoid about it and set 5am alarm for 9am coach. Needless to say sitting on camping chair on a very chilly morning for 3 hours, waiting for the coach to arrive was very frustrating.

Toilets were bang on until it got extremely busy and they made them unisex. Was good to be able to wash your hands with proper soap when coming out. Didn’t bother with showers at all, the porch in our tent was big enough to stand up and have a wash. 

The only criticism would be food. After being spoiled by choice at the main site it all seemed pretty bland and boring. Don’t get me wrong, the pizza place was probably the best I’ve had at any festival, but wouldn’t mind 2 or 3 more vendors to mix it up a bit. Also the sandwich/baguette place people were on a different planet! Every time we were there they were getting all the orders wrong, not just ours, literally every single person, which wasn’t helping with the queues, as everyone had to repeat their order 5 times and they had to change it on the till etc.

Ive found the hill a bit of a challenge the first two go’s, steps in particular, as I have dodgy knee, but I used to side road bit instead and that wasn’t problem at all.

All in all very positive experience, and compared to main campsites, I very much enjoyed plenty of room to hang out outside of tents.

 

[Dave_c]

Never stayed there but definitely going to do so next year (ticket god's dependent).

[ghostdancer1]

49 minutes ago, Jay89 said:

The only criticism would be food. After being spoiled by choice at the main site it all seemed pretty bland and boring. Don’t get me wrong, the pizza place was probably the best I’ve had at any festival, but wouldn’t mind 2 or 3 more vendors to mix it up a bit.

 

the only thing about that is that they're probably very quiet from 3pm-11pm, when almost everyone is down at the festival (and buying food there). Having more vendors would mean even less sold for any that set-up shop there.

[Mardy]

I’m a bit pissed off about the airbed situation. Paid 30 quid deposit (for 3 airbeds) and then the place was closed when we tried to return them on Monday morning. So we had to leave without getting the money back

[NI6789]

It was my first time at Glastonbury so we decided to stay in Worthy view as we were flying so didn't want to carry tents with us.

2 man scout tent was actually massive. We took a double inflatable bed with us & had 2 extra bags at each side of the bed and still loads of room at the bottom. Took a ground sheet with us & the porch fit 2 camping chairs in it. Tent did get very warm in the morning and was freezing at night. Lots of space outside each tent as well. 

We were in A so quite far back from the hill but still not too much of a walk back. Portaloos 10 rows of tents back and 5 mins to the proper toilets and sinks & coffee shop.  I used the showers on Friday morning - queue was back to the toilets and it took me 1 hour in total by the time i was back at the tent. Showers were small but had doors and were really good and refreshing. 

Also the volunteers helping carry bags to tents with the wheelbarrows were amazing and really helped us out both arriving on Wednesday & leaving on Monday. 

We got the coach so had to get the shuttle bus to the bus station. We were told to leave 3 hours before our coach - we arrived at 9.40 and got to the bus station at 12. 

Overall, I really enjoyed staying in Worthy view and would definitely stay there again. It is so worth it for the view and the convenience of not having to put up a tent

[Jay89]

10 minutes ago, ghostdancer1 said:

the only thing about that is that they're probably very quiet from 3pm-11pm, when almost everyone is down at the festival (and buying food there). Having more vendors would mean even less sold for any that set-up shop there.

Yeah you’re right, I didn’t think about it actually!