Glastonbury Help

katiepoppycat

big bag of dried apricots on the way down will 'slow things' down nicely. i camp pretty much every weekend and agree that wet wipes and a torch are the way forward. pop up tents are great going up, but the entertainment value of 2atching 3 grown men rolling around on one trying to drop it again made it worth every penny in my book.

oh and keep a knife or a pair of scissors handy in the tent. Should the worst happen you may need a quick release.

Redman30

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

So, we have:

Hand gel
Wet Wipes
Duck Tape
Condoms
Long Socks
Wellies
Army surplus ponchos

[wonders why this sounds so, so wrong........]

Add a knife which they'll probably need, and it gets worse

At least there's no need for a balaclava eh :P

floss2

nickyhutch wrote: »

...They're planning on going on the train even though I've offered to take them (I think it's an adventure for them), but I'm picking them up on the Sunday teatime/evening because they both have a GCSE exam on the Monday morning (me: "do NOT buy a ticket until you've double checked the exam timetable" them: "we have, we have, honest" )....

When DS2 went for his first time at 16, he & GF went with his mate's family, on the Tuesday. Mum had to pick him up at the station on the Wednesday night as he had a GCSE exam on the Thursday morning, then he went straight back down on the train.....

Each time he has been since then (2004) he has gone by train & bus. For the last few years he has gone as a volunteer for Oxfam, who refund his ticket cost, pay his travel & I think feed him too

I would be prepared to hose his stuff down before putting into the washer, Converse DO survive going in the wash, and make sure he takes lots of binbags to wear as a dry layer under socks & boots/wellies.

Oh, and get him a travel wallet for around his waist, and buy a cheap PAYG so he doesn't take an expensive phone which could get lost & squished into all the mud.....as happened to a 10-day old iPhone last year!

belfastgirl23

valos_mummy wrote: »

But towards the end...well. I started investing in Travel John toilet bags (google them), they took up a fair bit of space packing wise but at least I didn't have to venture out to a rank toilet at 3am. They have a crystal type formula which turns to gel when used, then you can seal them up and bin them. And toilet rolls a plenty!!!

Who knew?? Great find I'm just thinking about all the times we camped and I ended up holding it for hours because I couldn't face trying to find my way across the campsite at night...

sooz

katiepoppycat wrote: »

big bag of dried apricots on the way down will 'slow things' down nicely..

NO!!! A big bag of apricots will give most people terrible diarrhea. Don't do this! (I had to wash a car & car seat out after letting my son loose...literally...on a bag of dried apricots). And even after that episode he kept... going.... for a couple of days

Strapped

If he needs help at the festival, tell him he can always head to the Sanctuary Marquee in the "healing fields" (or whatever they're calling it this year) - it's run by churches in the South West but they provide practical help ie free water/tea, and a place to kip if you lose your mates, your tent or are just plain out of it.

nickyhutch

Redman30 wrote: »

Add a knife which they'll probably need, and it gets worse

At least there's no need for a balaclava eh :P

He did actually try some on this weekend

Bufger

Strapped wrote: »

If he needs help at the festival, tell him he can always head to the Sanctuary Marquee in the "healing fields" (or whatever they're calling it this year) - it's run by churches in the South West but they provide practical help ie free water/tea, and a place to kip if you lose your mates, your tent or are just plain out of it.

Nice tip! thats why i love glasto, despite there being some utter wallys there you can also find the very best in humanity.

Pepzofio

When are they planning on going? I would suggest getting there as early as possible on the Wednesday if possible, as all the best camping spots go really quickly.

I always like to camp up on/near Pennard Hill if possible - it's just next to the Greenfields and Stone Circle - generally less hectic as it's not a thoroughfare to anywhere, and if it does rain you're less likely to end up camping in a mud lake.

I don't see how they're going to buy food from a local supermarket - they'd have to buy it all before they went in as it really is not going to be practical to keep popping off site - aside from the distance (it really isn't walkable unless they don't intend to spend any time at the actual festival) they could end up spending an hour or more just queuing to leave/reenter the site.

If they really want to take all their food with them they should buy it all before they leave home - it will be cheaper, they'll have more choice, and they can pack it all in with their stuff instead of having to carry several carrier bags into the festival on top of all their other gear.

Personally, I would take tea/coffee stuff and a few pot/packet noodles or similar (in case I run out of money) and a kettle, but aim to buy most of my food there. I always take a load of food and end up bringing most of it home again as there's so much yummy food there that I want to try I'm not going to waste a mealtime on a pot noodle!

As far as money is concerned, they should work out the maximum they think they will need, then double it (not very MSE, I know!:o) & take it in cash in a decent security belt. There are ATMs on site, but the queues are always horrendous and they often run out of money. (Several stalls offered cashback last time I went, but obviously you have to buy something first! Also, not sure your son will have a Debit Card if he's only 16.)

ThinkingOfLinking

I spent £500 at Glastonbury last year....not including the travel and hotel (my tickets were free thankfully). They do have safe Natwest ATMs which are guarded 24/7 by security officers, which I used last year (and these don't charge you a penny for taking money out).