2011 Glasto Weather: Wet, Muddy and Hot Hot Hot!!!
Review by: Jan (with 9 yr old and 11 mth old)
Getting to the festival and setting up camp:
Getting into the festival was HELL! We were stuck in a traffic jam for a couple of hours, not fun with a small baby 🙁
Then once on the site we were took from pillar to post by the stewards who didn’t really have a clue where to put us or where we should go. We were part of a band and had a van full of gear with us. If it wasn’t for the stewards faffing us about then we would’ve been OK and set up camp so much easier but we were took all over the festival site, getting stuck in mud and driving round in circles for hours 🙁
This meant it was pitch black when we got to our camp, I had never put a tent up before and my bloke had gone off with the band gear!! Eeeek!
A steward then told him to drive to a point in the field, only to find he had rejoined the traffic jam we were in a few hours before!
Entertainment – Line up and Kids Activities:
The line up in the Kidzfield was fabulous, we spent almost a whole day there, so much to do and see. It was also great that they had so much for the younger children to do. I could sit and watch my eldest play on the pink castle while my youngest played in the sandpit or the playtent.
What would you change / improve (if anything)?
The only thing I would have changed is that the stewards knew a little more about the surroundings and were more eager to help.
Any other comments and your Top Tip:
As I had decided to take my children this time, I really panicked about the weather, would it be too hot?, would it rain?, THE MUD!!! Yes,… it was extremely muddy!
But with all the worrying I did about it, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I wore the baby in a carrier the whole festival. If I could give you one tip it would be to babywear your little ones. It really made the whole thing so much easier, in the mud especially.
My other top tip is to make the most of the wonderful NCT tent, it really was awesome and helped A LOT! The people that ran it were so friendly and helpful too!
Site and Facilities:
We didn’t have any toilets where we were camped. So at night time a plastic container in the porch became our little toilet for my eldest 🙂
The toilets at the Kidzfield were great though. At festivals you always fear the worst with portable loos, and my eldest being the drama queen that she is wouldn’t be seen dead using a dirty one! But I have to say the portable loos in the Kidzfield were so much cleaner than any others I saw. So we made the most of those ones.
The mud was hard work, but you got used to it.
Mobile coverage was great, I had 3G most of the time on my phone which was fabulous for the Glastonbury iPhone App.
Food was fantastic.. we are baby led weaning the youngest and she tried Falafel for the first time!
Did you feel safe?
Yes extremely, as well as my kiddies 🙂
Would you go again?
Hell yeah!
10/10
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Review by: Sarah (1 child, age 4)
Getting to the festival and setting up camp:
For the 1st time we had a caravan at Glasto and what a god-send that was in the rain!! We arrived on Tuesday, no queues and a good spot in campervan fields. People around us were friendly… good job as our Son kept going over to show his toys and chat with them!
Entertainment – Line up and Kids Activities:
The Kidzfield line up was fab and we managed to see all the main acts, got a lovely photo of our Son with Alex off CBeebies too!
What would you change / improve (if anything)?
Less mud and rain does certainly make life easier to get around and see more stuff! Our large wheeled pram was fab though!
Any other comments and your Top Tip:
I took snack-catcher pots for raisins, cheesy biscuits. Made a big bottle of diluted juice every morning. An all in one rain suit borrowed from Nursery proved invaluable!!
A large fabric softener bottle is also very useful for wees!!
Site and Facilities:
We had our own toilet in caravan but the loos onsite were the usual Glasto delights! LOL! We take a portable potty so our Son has minimal contact with the loos…
Did you feel safe?
100% at all times
Would you go again?
Deffo! we’ll be there in 2013!
10/10
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Review by: Clairem (1 toddler, 18 mths)
Getting to the festival and setting up camp:
Drove through the night and arrived at 5am. No problems queuing got straight through.
Entertainment – Line up and Kids Activities:
Kidz activities absolutely wonderful. The Kidzfield and circus areas were truly well planned for all ages even for small kids there was age appropriate stuff for them to do – giant sandpit even with toys in it and a softplay area and chill out and toy tents. The story telling tent and music tents were really good. My son had a story read to him by the man behind Rastamouse! The NCT tent was a godsend they provided food, baths, drinks, cups of tea and advice utterly, utterly brilliant!
What would you change / improve (if anything)?
Not much. Had an incident in the family camping area when my son woke in the night once and cried and another camper who did not have children in his party (not sure why they were in family camping!) got abusive. This really upset other campers, not just myself, who were very supportive as it is not nice to have people f’ing where there are young children
Any other comments and your Top Tip:
If you have young children definitely visit the NCT tent
Site and Facilities:
Camped in Wickets Field which had good facilities although a few more toilets would have gone down a treat especially some child only loos. Generally it was not cramped with space to move between tents to manouvre a buggy
Did you feel safe
Yes
Would you go again?
Definitely
10/10
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Review by: Vicky (1 child, age 2)
What was the weather like?
Apart from the Sunday, pretty terrible: once the rain starts at Glastonbury it turns the site into a mud bath. Not as bad as previous years we have been (but those years have not been with a 2 year old!)
Getting to the festival and setting up camp:
Thankfully it was a lot better than last year, did not take too long and with a stash of buttons and other sugary treats he was kept amused. Camped with friends not in family camping but everyone around us were very helpful and supportive. Site we camped in was empty on arrival but within couple of hours packed.
Entertainment – Line up and Kids Activities:
Kidzfield amazing for children of all ages. All sorts of activities going on all day and all free. Staff working there all lovely very helpful. Acts on eg Zingzillas great, he loved seeing them. Loved playing with the instruments and the soft play and gym kit was a big hit.
What would you change / improve (if anything)?
The weather!! cant be helped and we were very prepared for it but trying to push a pram in that mud was hard going thankfully we have a really good off-roader but still meant we were limited to what where we could get to. People were very helpful. Family camping next to everything was full at 10am on the weds morning so more family camping closer would be good (there was more, but miles away)
Any other comments and your Top Tip:
Get a good buggy. Take snacks for tent i.e. small cereals, tins of soup, tins of hot dogs, there can be a lot of waiting around at tent especially if wet so take some books, crayons, etc. for tent entertainment. Pack light! walk from car can be a long one. Get a good sack truck and pile everything onto it.
Site and Facilities:
Toilets terrible on site – not enough of them. Thankfully my little one is still in nappies. Kidzfield toilets were good though always clean and never saw a queue.
Did you feel safe?
Very much so
Would you go again?
Yes, but only in a campervan and with other friends with children
5/10
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Review by: Carrie Vincent (2 kids, ages 6 and 7)
Getting to the festival and setting up camp:
We had camper vans and we arrived at the entrance at 3 o’clock but then waited in non-moving traffic for hours, then got pulled onto site by a very friendly tractor driver at midnight! Luckily the kids were long asleep and it was well worth it!
Entertainment – Line up and Kids Activities:
My kids loved it! We have a whole box of goodies they made: hats, bunting, puppets, butterfly wings, drums, they had hair braided, faces painted and there was so much more. They loved it all Rastamouse, Gruffalo, Andy and friends from cbbc, clowns, loads – too many to mention!
What would you change / improve (if anything)?
The only thing was the getting in but that was soon forgotten.
Any other comments and your Top Tip:
Try not to get so involved in the Kidz Field that you miss an act you’re desperate to see LOL 😉
Site and Facilities:
The site is huge and a little hard when muddy lots of boots sticking in mud! But the kids field was a little oasis with lots of straw down and little mud. The Mamas and Papas cafe was cheap and tasty. The toilets were fine.
Did you feel safe?
Yeah – a few messy people, but harmless
Would you go again?
Oh yes! counting down to 2013!
10/10
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Review by: James Adamczuk (2 kids, aged 8 and 4)
Getting to the festival and setting up camp:
Had a pre-booked tipi and it was excellent- highly recommended, expensive but definitely worth it. Other campers were friendly and no problems at all.
Entertainment – Line up and Kids Activities:
Kidzfield was soooo good – amazing and my boys were entertained all day Saturday and Sunday – Sunday especially as it was super sunny and a load of stuff was undercover. CBeebies presenters were brilliant, my boys both joined in and got on stage. Tonnes of facepainting, climbing, you name it really. What was really good was that parents were also getting a break as the children were transfixed with the entertainment.
What would you change / improve (if anything)?
The mud on Saturday was horrific – it took over an hour to get back to tipi after Elbow on Pyramid stage but hey, that’s Glastonbury I guess.
Any other comments and your Top Tip:
Take a three-wheeled buggy, and a groundsheet for kids to play on when you watch bands in the evening.
Site and Facilities:
Mobile on 2G only mode – no data, rock solid on Vodafone and all good. Loos in Kidz Field excellent, only took boys to arena facilities a couple of times – to be expected for massive festivals.
Did you feel safe?
Totally
Would you go again?
100%