Queue Times

[Northtim]

Gate A entry for non-coach was a clusterfuck in 2019.

Arrived just before 8am wanting to head to gate D & were told by stewards we could not join that queue as it was rammed and Gate A would be better.

Gate A queue was huge and hardly moving as those on coach side got priority - we eventually got in about 1pm, and later found out others had been walking straight in at Gate D from 10.30!

[Mezhyp1]

I've thought about arriving by means other than the coaches this year, but the prospect of queueing seriously puts me off 

[Hotchilidog]

What an incredibly helpful thread. This will be my first tuesday experience. We are staying in Croscombe so I guess this gives us the option of either west or east car parks in the morning. 

We are still figuring out where the group wants to camp but it sounds like arriving 7ish will get us in around 10-11 which sounds good to me.

[DareToDibble]

I can't remember the exact time but I think I got to Gate A for around 5:30, maybe 6am after getting the shuttle bus over from Bath & West. There were probably only about 30 people in front of me. I think I was  set up around 9ish which was a relief as I can't imagine trying to put my tend up in the heat later in the day.

[Padgey]

1 hour ago, Northtim said:

Gate A entry for non-coach was a clusterfuck in 2019.

Arrived just before 8am wanting to head to gate D & were told by stewards we could not join that queue as it was rammed and Gate A would be better.

Gate A queue was huge and hardly moving as those on coach side got priority - we eventually got in about 1pm, and later found out others had been walking straight in at Gate D from 10.30!

I had a couple of mates queuing at Gate A and Security were telling people to go to Gate D at around 11-12ish as there was no-one there.  They left there stuff with me then walked up to Gate D got their wristbands and came back down and walked straight through in Gate A.

While they were queuing in Gate A I'd gone, in pitch our tents in Michaels Mead and walked back, they'd hardly moved.

[waynewdk]

Technically the earlier you arrive the longer you queue,  as the gates don’t really open till 9am is it? , I’ve arrived at 5am - 6am in the past on the Weds and was just outside the snaking barriers, and then people bunched up, and was inside the barriers, once the gates opened was in within about 40-60 mins, pretty quick flowing traffic

[UEF]

The worst thing about doing the overnighter is being prodded every 30 minutes by some hi-vis type to advance forward two meters or be given a stern 3AM lecture about not bringing drugs in "and my team will find them if you're lying"

[MaxPower]

11 minutes ago, Padgey said:

I had a couple of mates queuing at Gate A and Security were telling people to go to Gate D at around 11-12ish as there was no-one there.  They left there stuff with me then walked up to Gate D got their wristbands and came back down and walked straight through in Gate A.

While they were queuing in Gate A I'd gone, in pitch our tents in Michaels Mead and walked back, they'd hardly moved.

Unrelated, but is Michael's Mead named after Eavis?

[Jack.194]

2 hours ago, eFestivals said:

you do know that queuing over Tuesday night makes it the longest queue there is, don't you?  

Yea haha, slowly coming to realise my previous perspective on queueing may have been slightly wrong!

[Padgey]

19 minutes ago, MaxPower said:

Unrelated, but is Michael's Mead named after Eavis?

I've always assumed that but don't actually know.  I've just had a quick look at Tort's guide and it doesn't say on their.

You've now got me wondering if the book touches on the the naming of the fields.

[billum]

3 hours ago, Hotchilidog said:

We are staying in Croscombe so I guess this gives us the option of either west or east car parks in the morning. 

Oh that's interesting, I've thought of staying there (I have family in Croscombe) - do you then drive yourself, or is there a bus, or do you have to take a taxi each day to / from the festival?

[Gilgamesh69]

Is there a separate entrance for people with coach tickets? Are the queues there better usually?

[BambooShanks]

4 minutes ago, Gilgamesh69 said:

Is there a separate entrance for people with coach tickets? Are the queues there better usually?

Yes, kinda.  Gate A  mainly handles all of the coach drop offs. People from the car parks can also go through Gate A (and sometimes get diverted there like myself and others above) but the coach queue is separate for the majority.

The coach queue moves quite quickly as it's given priority to the car queue, hence why i spent 5 hours in it last year. 

 

 

 

[Jack.194]

2 minutes ago, Kinkyinuit said:

Yes, kinda.  Gate A  mainly handles all of the coach drop offs. People from the car parks can also go through Gate A (and sometimes get diverted there like myself and others above) but the coach queue is separate for the majority.

The coach queue moves quite quickly as it's given priority to the car queue, hence why i spent 5 hours in it last year. 

 

 

 

What about for coach tickets purchased not as a bundle? 
I’m considering booking a coach from Birmingham to ‘Glastonbury Festival’, does anybody know where I’d get dropped off?

[BambooShanks]

1 minute ago, Jack.194 said:

What about for coach tickets purchased not as a bundle? 
I’m considering booking a coach from Birmingham to ‘Glastonbury Festival’, does anybody know where I’d get dropped off?

same place my dude

[Johnnyseven]

17 hours ago, kalifire said:

Gate A for public transport goers was brilliantly organised last year, split into three lanes (shuttle, coaches and See coaches). My strategy was to arrive via the drop off shuffle before any of the coaches started to get there, which meant I got there at about 4:45am. I was sixth in the shuttle queue. Sixth! Couldn’t believe it. There were a few in the coaches lane at that time but nobody in the See coaches lane for about another hour. 

 

Just wondering why they need to segregate people here by how they arrive when they all arrive by public transport?

[Ayrshire Chris]

7 minutes ago, Kinkyinuit said:

Yes, kinda.  Gate A  mainly handles all of the coach drop offs. People from the car parks can also go through Gate A (and sometimes get diverted there like myself and others above) but the coach queue is separate for the majority.

The coach queue moves quite quickly as it's given priority to the car queue, hence why i spent 5 hours in it last year. 

 

 

 

Realised that in2017 but only when stuck in the zig zag queue for hours. Chose gate A as it was closest to where I wanted to camp and where we were directed to park. Wasn’t really a problem, the weather was good. Everyone in the same boat so the patter was good, even the guy playing and singing Wonderwall. All part of the Glastonbury experience and don’t tell Mrs c but I missed the queuing last year as we did worthy view!  

[Simpo]

14 minutes ago, Johnnyseven said:

Just wondering why they need to segregate people here by how they arrive when they all arrive by public transport?

That's in place for Monday, to get people to their correct exit transport

[Hotchilidog]

1 hour ago, billum said:

Oh that's interesting, I've thought of staying there (I have family in Croscombe) - do you then drive yourself, or is there a bus, or do you have to take a taxi each day to / from the festival?

We'll be driving ourselves. Looks like the main road to Shepton for the east car parks, or smaller roads to access the west car parks, either way hopefully a short trip. We'll be camping at the festival, we are staying the Tuesday just get a head start on getting a decent camping spot. 

[StevieGed]

Sticklinch for me this year, does anyone have any info on closest gate/shuttle/car park for the camp site? Apologies if common knowledge!

[dotdash79]

36 minutes ago, StevieGed said:

Sticklinch for me this year, does anyone have any info on closest gate/shuttle/car park for the camp site? Apologies if common knowledge!

I think it will have its own parking, and it’s own gate. It will either have its own shuttle from near gate a or be a drop off point for the worthy view bus. 
 

don’t think it’s been announced yet 

[Crazyfool01]

40 minutes ago, StevieGed said:

Sticklinch for me this year, does anyone have any info on closest gate/shuttle/car park for the camp site? Apologies if common knowledge!

someone mentioned the other day about no transfer bus from gate A .... ive forgotten what thread it was in though 

[kalifire]

5 hours ago, Simpo said:

That's in place for Monday, to get people to their correct exit transport

It is, but it didn’t used to effect entrance, only exit. I don’t know why they’ve decided to split it up in this way on entry - perhaps to make for a more organised queue. Once you’re through that bit and move towards the gate itself, the lines merge.

[jow95]

10 hours ago, UEF said:

The worst thing about doing the overnighter is being prodded every 30 minutes by some hi-vis type to advance forward two meters or be given a stern 3AM lecture about not bringing drugs in "and my team will find them if you're lying"

Lots of folk talk about being made to shuffle down through the night but both times I’ve done it we’ve just been sat down for most of the night in once place. I’m still undecided whether it is all really worth it, have flashbacks to my girlfriends soggy face murmuring ‘this is horrible’ in the rain in 2016. There’s obviously pros but I still wonder if it’s worth it

 

EDIT: the over night queue not the girlfriend

Edited January 13, 2020 by jow95

[Barneym]

27 minutes ago, kalifire said:

It is, but it didn’t used to effect entrance, only exit. I don’t know why they’ve decided to split it up in this way on entry - perhaps to make for a more organised queue. Once you’re through that bit and move towards the gate itself, the lines merge.

I have no idea either, I’ve always got the coach and been in within an hour when arriving at 11ish on the Wednesday. This year we were on an earlier coach so at the gate by 8am but it took us a good few hours to get in and I wasn’t set up any earlier then normal when I’d had more sleep.I think it was because near the entrance there was a very long ticket check before the normal ticket check putting the ticket under uv light etc . It was painful