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How rough/muddy is the trek to the campsites


Bigfishlittlefish
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3 hours ago, Bigfishlittlefish said:

My hope is that as they trolley collapses Down pretty much flat it won't be an issue. I admit I'm starting to have nightmares though.

The tent should be allowed because, as you say, it's for six of you.  The issue will be if you are forced to leave behind the porch and trolley.  If so, you either (1) leave everything and buy new tents at Glasto (likely a number of small 2 man tents) or (2) be prepared for this and leave the porch behind and breakup the tent into a number of bags which can be carried by hand.  So have a few ikea bags (or similar) ready so that the different canvasses and poles can be spilt between you.  

As people keep saying, the likelihood if this is far greater with See tickets.  You haven't confirmed if you are going Seetockets or National express.

3 hours ago, Bigfishlittlefish said:

One of our group offer to drive down in that case with the excess stuff but that would throw things off majorly so I hope it doesn't happen

This is the obvious and easiest solution, except if you are on the See tickets coach.  There is another thread about the risk of not taking the coach when you have a combined ticket.  If a car is a genuine option, it makes so much sense.  Your car friend can take all the heavy stuff, plus booze and trolleys.  Once you are in, you meet him at the car and unload.  Voila.. trolleys and oversize tent and porch, no issues.  If your friends beats you there, s/he can even do the initial load with the tent on a trolley to get a space.  NB. Do allow another friend to do the road trip with him/her - it can be a long old trip and you'd have 2 ppl to put the tent up.

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Hi, My tip is… As veterans since 2002, for years and for years never learnt and used every mobility contraption known to man in order to shift all our equipment from the carpark to which ever field we stopped at, sack barrows/skates complete waste of time Then I had an Epiphany, Invest in a wheelie bin (about £50, or ring the council said it got nicked - make sure you hide yours🤫)  There super sturdy, i’ve used the same one now for 15 years now at still going strong, wheels still going strong you get loads in it if packed correctly. Doesn’t matter if it’s raining everything remains dry, easy to manoeuvre and robust to hell regardless if ground is wet or dry. Then whilst at camp use it as a bin to keep site clean and leave no trace.

not sure if you can take it on a NE coach but can’t see why not takes up the same room as stashing all your belongings in the hold.

I hope to see an army of wheelie bins next month making there pilgrimage from the car park to the campsite, and I promise u if you follow this lead all you hear on your travels is “Bloody hell that a great idea, why didn’t we think of that, you to can be equally as smug as I’ve been for all these years” apart from this year we’re in CV 🤪

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15 hours ago, Lycra said:

What time are you arriving?  The problem with big tents (+ awning) is they need a big footprint and are much less adaptable to the space left by tents pitched before your arrival. Walking across the site looking for a space big enough to accommodate your tent should be avoided at all cost.

Coach gets us in for 5am and we are gonna run as fast as we can when the gates open!

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15 hours ago, midlifecrisis said:

Terrain up from the carparks is surprisingly uneven, even in dry years. Think walking over a farmers field rather than your local park. Once you get onsite there are mainly metal trackways leading to the main camping areas, but getting to the gate is the trickiest part, the zigzags are a grave yard for unsubstantial trolleys. If your looking for a trolley that can cope and that folds down for traveling in by coach then a fishing trolley is probably the way to go.

 

image.thumb.png.d8a815209f58249cee06ae3db8adf285.png

Thanks so much for your input!I think as we are arriving by coach we will skip the carpark bit? That would be good if so. Glad to hear about the metal trackways! I did look at that particular trolley but I unfortunately the reviews are terrible on Amazon.

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14 hours ago, Glast0baby said:

The tent should be allowed because, as you say, it's for six of you.  The issue will be if you are forced to leave behind the porch and trolley.  If so, you either (1) leave everything and buy new tents at Glasto (likely a number of small 2 man tents) or (2) be prepared for this and leave the porch behind and breakup the tent into a number of bags which can be carried by hand.  So have a few ikea bags (or similar) ready so that the different canvasses and poles can be spilt between you.  

As people keep saying, the likelihood if this is far greater with See tickets.  You haven't confirmed if you are going Seetockets or National express.

This is the obvious and easiest solution, except if you are on the See tickets coach.  There is another thread about the risk of not taking the coach when you have a combined ticket.  If a car is a genuine option, it makes so much sense.  Your car friend can take all the heavy stuff, plus booze and trolleys.  Once you are in, you meet him at the car and unload.  Voila.. trolleys and oversize tent and porch, no issues.  If your friends beats you there, s/he can even do the initial load with the tent on a trolley to get a space.  NB. Do allow another friend to do the road trip with him/her - it can be a long old trip and you'd have 2 ppl to put the tent up.

We are indeed going with national express which I am glad about now 🙂 we are going to try and take a small rucksack each that we can take on the coach with us and either a super compact camping chair which we can also take on the coach with us or juts buy one there. Hopefully the lack of big rucksacks and chairs to go in the hold it should even out.

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13 hours ago, scott1977 said:

Hi, My tip is… As veterans since 2002, for years and for years never learnt and used every mobility contraption known to man in order to shift all our equipment from the carpark to which ever field we stopped at, sack barrows/skates complete waste of time Then I had an Epiphany, Invest in a wheelie bin (about £50, or ring the council said it got nicked - make sure you hide yours🤫)  There super sturdy, i’ve used the same one now for 15 years now at still going strong, wheels still going strong you get loads in it if packed correctly. Doesn’t matter if it’s raining everything remains dry, easy to manoeuvre and robust to hell regardless if ground is wet or dry. Then whilst at camp use it as a bin to keep site clean and leave no trace.

not sure if you can take it on a NE coach but can’t see why not takes up the same room as stashing all your belongings in the hold.

I hope to see an army of wheelie bins next month making there pilgrimage from the car park to the campsite, and I promise u if you follow this lead all you hear on your travels is “Bloody hell that a great idea, why didn’t we think of that, you to can be equally as smug as I’ve been for all these years” apart from this year we’re in CV 🤪

Haha that's hilarious. If we were traveling by car I would seriously consider but I don't want to risk trying to put wheelie bins on a coach as I think the driver might have something to say haha. Thanks so much for your input!

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15 hours ago, Losing my hair said:

@Bigfishlittlefish are you coming by SEE or National Express coach? In my experience NE were quite relaxed about trolleys but on both occasions that I've used them the coaches weren't full. SEE, by all accounts, are stricter because their coaches are full.

You'll arrive at Gate A, whereabouts are you hoping to camp?

National express coach which I'm very glad about now. We are hoping to camp at pennard and we are hoping we have a chance given the coach gets us in for 5am and I heard somewhere that they let coach people through the gate first?

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Its a good walk from Gate A over to Pennards!  At 5am you'll arrive at the same time as everyone that's been queuing overnight from the carparks and whilst they do manage the queue merging with the bus passengers its still peak time.  You might want to think about a plan B for camping if it turns out that the massive tent is too much...especially if the weather's bad!

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14 minutes ago, Bigfishlittlefish said:

National express coach which I'm very glad about now. We are hoping to camp at pennard and we are hoping we have a chance given the coach gets us in for 5am and I heard somewhere that they let coach people through the gate first?

The coach queue is separate from the car park queue so you should be in fairly quickly once the gates open - depends on how many other coaches are arriving at that time, my coach arrived at 2:00pm so I can't help on that point.

There should be space in Pennards at that time but that's one hell of a trek with that amount of kit even with a barrow. And don't forget you'll have to cart it all back again on Monday morning when you're fucked. 

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16 hours ago, midlifecrisis said:

Terrain up from the carparks is surprisingly uneven, even in dry years. Think walking over a farmers field rather than your local park. Once you get onsite there are mainly metal trackways leading to the main camping areas, but getting to the gate is the trickiest part, the zigzags are a grave yard for unsubstantial trolleys. If your looking for a trolley that can cope and that folds down for traveling in by coach then a fishing trolley is probably the way to go.

 

image.thumb.png.d8a815209f58249cee06ae3db8adf285.png

I have used exactly that trolley in 2014/2015/2016 and it worked perfectly over the terrain

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1 hour ago, Bigfishlittlefish said:

Thanks so much for your input!I think as we are arriving by coach we will skip the carpark bit? That would be good if so. Glad to hear about the metal trackways! I did look at that particular trolley but I unfortunately the reviews are terrible on Amazon.

You are dropped right outside Gate A. Pretty much on a great surface. The only bit from memory that can be funky is behind the John Peel tent but you can avoid that depending on where you're trying to camp. 

Be warned the coach drivers don't load trolleys until all the other bags are on. And some may be grumpy. 

Some drivers just have a free for all where everyone loads their own guff. I've never seen anything left behind but if you have more than one big bag, a day sack they have T&Cs saying they don't have to carry it.

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1 hour ago, Bigfishlittlefish said:

National express coach which I'm very glad about now. We are hoping to camp at pennard and we are hoping we have a chance given the coach gets us in for 5am and I heard somewhere that they let coach people through the gate first?

I'd go this way (please note this is from hazy memory). image.thumb.png.a4442261f305d0955d7efff018b3e584.png

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1 hour ago, Bigfishlittlefish said:

Thanks so much for your input!I think as we are arriving by coach we will skip the carpark bit? That would be good if so. Glad to hear about the metal trackways! I did look at that particular trolley but I unfortunately the reviews are terrible on Amazon.

I've used this exact trolley for the last 6 festivals and it's still going strong! 🙂 You'll still have to walk across a bit of a Farmers Field, from what I remember, even travelling by coach. I came by shuttle from Castle Cary in 2011 before we started to come overnight and you have to negotiate grassy, lumpy zigzags in the coach carpark as well.  

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1 hour ago, Losing my hair said:

The coach queue is separate from the car park queue so you should be in fairly quickly once the gates open - depends on how many other coaches are arriving at that time, my coach arrived at 2:00pm so I can't help on that point.

There should be space in Pennards at that time but that's one hell of a trek with that amount of kit even with a barrow. And don't forget you'll have to cart it all back again on Monday morning when you're fucked. 

I think someone said 15-20 minute walk does that sound about right to you? I think we can manage that with proper equipment, but we will probably regret it come Monday morning

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1 hour ago, bexj said:

Its a good walk from Gate A over to Pennards!  At 5am you'll arrive at the same time as everyone that's been queuing overnight from the carparks and whilst they do manage the queue merging with the bus passengers its still peak time.  You might want to think about a plan B for camping if it turns out that the massive tent is too much...especially if the weather's bad!

We saw somewhere 15-20 mins walk does this sound right? I will think of a plan b though thanks!

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16 minutes ago, Bigfishlittlefish said:

I think someone said 15-20 minute walk does that sound about right to you? I think we can manage that with proper equipment, but we will probably regret it come Monday morning

I would reckon that's a little optimistic when you're carting all your gear, more like 20-25 mins.

It'll all be worth it in the end, have a great time.

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41 minutes ago, Bigfishlittlefish said:

We saw somewhere 15-20 mins walk does this sound right? I will think of a plan b though thanks!

Don't underestimate what a b*stard those massive tents are to move around...  try taking it to a field (or park) and lugging it for 20 mins...

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2 hours ago, Bigfishlittlefish said:

National express coach which I'm very glad about now. We are hoping to camp at pennard and we are hoping we have a chance given the coach gets us in for 5am and I heard somewhere that they let coach people through the gate first?

Gates open at the same time across the site but the coach arrivals queue at gate A is separate from the general arrivals by car. And as space in the coach park is limited coach arrivals are staggered to manage traffic, safety and the number of coach passengers queuing to get in. Arriving about 7 you should be in reasonably quickly once the gate opens....then you just got the drag over to Pennard where, considering your timescale, you should be ok 😀

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On 5/16/2022 at 5:15 PM, Bigfishlittlefish said:

I've heard and seen pictures of uneven muddy treks to the campsite and heard the warnings that small wheels get stuck in the mud so it's best to use big pneumatic tires etc. We are looking at getting two of these bad boys which (I think?) have pneumatic tires but they don't look massively big.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/caperlan-session-barrow/_/R-p-306313?mc=8543093

In your opinion is one of these loaded up to like 80% capacity going to get stuck instantly and be useless?

I don't know why but I imagined the paths up until specific campsite areas would all be paved with some sort of metal grid to make it easier. That's probably just wishful thinking 😂

Obviously it depends on whether it rains or not, in the lead upto and at the time you are using the trolley.

Please note, if the ground is slightly 'soft' and you for some dumb reason wear wellies, consider yourself part of the problem that consequently turns the place in a muddy mess. 

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On 5/18/2022 at 10:16 AM, Bigfishlittlefish said:

I think someone said 15-20 minute walk does that sound about right to you? I think we can manage that with proper equipment, but we will probably regret it come Monday morning

Well this says 20 minutes from John Peel to Arcadia (which I think is before JP moved) and assumes good conditions i.e. not carting all your stuff.  And then it's extra from JP to the Gate.  I would say at least double your estimate if not more (I may be pessimistic but think it might be closer to an hour with all your stuff).  I trudged from Gate A to Kidney Mead in 2016 (admittedly awful conditions) with just a rucksack as I already had a tent set up.  It was bloody awful.  

Bo0ttLgCMAA4qf9.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

General purpose trolley tip for anyone: if you're bringing a trolley, or if you fancy rescuing an abandoned one, bring a pack of split pins/cotters pins: https://www.spaldingfasteners.co.uk/split-pins/

image.thumb.png.c8b09217193917464986f22751a73433.png

Often the only thing wrong with the (better made) abandoned trolleys is that the split pin keeping the wheel(s) on the axle have bent or fallen out. If you've got spares then you can either fix your own trolley, or save an abandoned one and use it to carry your stuff for a bit.

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5 hours ago, offmytrolley said:

General purpose trolley tip for anyone: if you're bringing a trolley, or if you fancy rescuing an abandoned one, bring a pack of split pins/cotters pins: https://www.spaldingfasteners.co.uk/split-pins/

image.thumb.png.c8b09217193917464986f22751a73433.png

Often the only thing wrong with the (better made) abandoned trolleys is that the split pin keeping the wheel(s) on the axle have bent or fallen out. If you've got spares then you can either fix your own trolley, or save an abandoned one and use it to carry your stuff for a bit.

Ordered some. Hopefully be able to pick up a free trolley! 

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