Glastonbury, initiated in 1970 (with an audience of a mere 1,500 people), is a UK juggernaut these days, attracting around 200,000 people, boasting 900 acres, over 100 stages, including the iconic Pyramid Stage and featuring the best music from all over the world, from newbies to veteran stars. Most people camp at Glastonbury for the five-day duration of the festival, but there are also car parks just for campervans for those who don’t like sleeping under flimsy canvas or knee-deep in mud! Here are 8 tips for taking a campervan to Glastonbury.
Book Your Camper a Ticket!
Do not think that you can simply drive in and choose a good spot from which to stay and enjoy the music without moving from your comfortable seat. There are dedicated camper van parking spots and your campervan will need their own ticket to garner a place. These range from £125 to £225 (the higher price for larger vans, over 8m in length) and you will not gain access to the grounds without it. You can pitch a small tent behind your van if you need the extra sleeping space for your party or if friends want to team up with you, but that is all. Space, as might be guessed, is at a premium when 200,000 people are descending onto a relatively small space all at the same time!
Everyone Must Pay
Everyone in your van (over the age of 13) must have their own Glastonbury ticket. Be sure that you have counted heads properly as it would be devastating to have to leave because you miscounted and are a ticket short for the bodies present!
Think Safety
While you might be full of love and happiness and wanting to do nothing more than groove to your favourite artists, others attend festivals with ulterior motives in mind: to help themselves to anything that they can. There are security details, but in such a large crowd, it is easy for a sneak-thief to get about without being spotted. Lock your camper, don’t leave valuables in sight, and tuck your wallet away behind zips and pockets.
Take Out Insurance
Quite apart from pickpockets and nefariously minded people, you should insure yourself against accidental damage. Some might indulge a little too much while listening to the music and cause your camper damage through sheer high spirits – leaving you out of pocket unless you have thought ahead to cover yourself from such incidents. Read through this Ford Nugget campervan review here, it shows just how much all the various items can add up: good insurance is only sensible!
Access Issues
There is disability access, but this must be booked well in advance as it tends to be snapped up in a flash. Most of the car parks are anywhere from a 20-minute to a 30-minute walk away from the main action, and then you will be on your feet dancing for hours, so be prepared with comfy shoes and a foot-spa in your camper for afterwards!
There’s Loos – But No Power!
The campervan site will provide you with loos, running water and waste water containers, but there is no laid on electricity, so you will have to rely on your camper’s batteries or solar panels for the duration of your stay. Best advice is to make sure everything is charged fully at home, and used as sparingly as possible thereafter.
No Glass, No Fireworks, No Generators
There is a list of prohibited items that are not allowed anywhere on the Glastonbury site for safety reasons. This includes generators, which produce choking exhaust; glass, which is dangerous for bare-foot music lovers; and fireworks which, while lovely to watch, can be a hazard to you and those around you. This is not to say that the security will march into your campervan and confiscate your jar of marmalade and steak knives: as long as things like that are kept safely inside your camper, you will be fine, within reason.
Remember Where You’re Parked!
Finally, make sure you know where you are parked and how to get ‘home’ from the various stages. There is nothing worse than being exhausted; longing for sleep and having to wander around trying to spot a familiar landmark by which to orient yourself! Don’t pick distant points as aide memoires: if you are coming back to the camper after midnight, it will be dark and you won’t be able to see them!
Just a quickie as I found this very useful. Something I use (and encourage our teens to use) is What 3 Words. It is an app that has mapped the world into 3m squares so you can precisely find out where you are and tell others. Or you can save a location, like a campervan in a field and find your way back. Interestingly, the front and rear of the campervan are likely to have different “addresses”, but that wouldn’t be an issue.
Do you know how we book a camper pitch?