When it came to Glastonbury, there was a mantra that I was hearing over and over again. At first, I didn’t really take it seriously. By the end, I couldn’t emphasise it enough.
“Glastonbury Festival is a marathon, not a sprint.”
Various sources
As it turns out, it is a marathon in both the literal and metaphorical sense – in just three days, we had walked over 60,000 steps – which is equivalent to around 25 miles (a marathon is 26.2).
I was incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to attend Glastonbury this year, and I had an amazing time with my best friend. But… There are some things we definitely will do differently if we have the chance to go again.
These are the lessons I learned from my first time at Glastonbury Festival.
If you need to take time out, do it
It may seem like a given, but it’s crucial to take time out – don’t push yourself. It can feel like a lot of pressure, especially if you’re paying upwards of £300 for a ticket, to simply have the best time ever. You want to see everything, do everything, hear everything, eat everything, drink everything.
It’s just not possible.
I felt this way – I was so incredibly privileged to be there, but that meant I felt like I didn’t deserve it if I didn’t make the absolute most of it. But I also knew that trying to do that would ultimately take away from the experience.
I knew how important it was to chill a bit. We had time, and the festival wasn’t going anywhere. After one day of walking in the blistering heat (and my pasty self struggles in the heat at the best of times), even though I was wearing a cap and drinking water, I could feel a migraine coming on. To avoid becoming the absolute worst person to hang out with (the cranky complainer – you know the type), I went back to the tent with my friend and we honestly just had a nice time chatting and getting excited about what was coming up. It helped me so much and I felt like a new person with a new lease on life.
If you need to take a breather and chill out by your tent, it’s vital that you do so. You won’t enjoy the rest of your experience if you’re overheated, dead on your feet or anxious from all the crowds and socialising. It can be a lot, and no one will judge or blame you for needing a bit of a space.
Speaking of the tent, though…
Do not underestimate the tent situation
I made the schoolboy error of not giving our tent a test run before the festival. I didn’t know what our tent was really going to look like until we were in the field and being laughed at by other campers.
They were laughing at us. Well, not at us – at it. Our sorry excuse for a tent was tiny – though personally I prefer to think of it as humble.
I had read ‘two-person tent’ on Argos and thought, “Great! There’s two of us; job done”. Yeah, don’t do that. Trust me on this – only opt for a two-person tent if you’re going it alone. If there are two of you, go for a four-person tent instead.
I was also determined to pack as little as possible. While that is a smart approach (you will be carrying it all a very considerable distance), remember that you will be grateful for what little comfort you could offer your future self.
Naturally, you will likely be sleeping on the ground. My arm was my pillow, and my sleeping bag (which I also didn’t test out before we went) didn’t reach around over my body so I essentially didn’t have a cover either. And at night, it is cold.
So you can probably imagine the situation, but just in case you can’t, let me paint a picture for you.
It’s 2am. Earlier on this particular day, I had been suffering from heatstroke until 9pm when I dragged myself to Arctic Monkeys in my pyjamas. But now, we’re back in the tent (after being shamed by the stewards for going to bed so early!). The ground is rock hard, we’re using our arms as pillows. It’s not raining, and yet the inside walls of our tent are wet.
Needless to say, not a wink of sleep was caught.
Another thing worth noting is that the sun will blast your tent in the morning and feel like a sauna. People were sleeping outside of their tents on the grass – just something to be aware of and factor in to your plan.
But anyway. Don’t be like us. Trial-run your tent and bring what you need with you.
That applies to food and drink, too
My friend was so excited about the pop-up Co-op on the site. We knew that you could bring your own alcohol into the festival, but we didn’t want to have to lug around a bunch of cans in the heat, so we decided to seek out the Co-op when we got there to stock up. Big mistake.
After a dedicated hunt for the shop and waiting in the queue (which, to be fair, wasn’t the longest queue I waited in at Glastonbury), we were let in. Side note: Co-ops are renowned for their frankly freezing air-con, but unfortunately, this doesn’t extend to the pop-up version at Glastonbury!
The onsite Co-op does not sell alcohol. This is because – we realised, too late – it would take business from the other vendors around the site. Also, a bag of crisps was £4. Speaks for itself, really. I’ll say it again: bring what you need with you.
Pack something you know you will want to eat for breakfast – granola bars are a solid shout. My friend (would she still call me a friend after this?) will never forget the warm Co-op cocktail sausage I offered her at 6:30 in the morning. I thought I was being a good friend, offering her the last cocktail sausage in the packet – turns out, that’s not what she wanted to see upon (I wanted to say “waking”, but that would require sleeping!) removing her eye-mask. Granted, I looked like (was) a sleep-deprived, half-crazed witch, waggling a tiny sausage in her bewildered face like it was the last piece of food we’d ever see!
It’s worth noting that the Co-op sells raw meat (eg, bacon), milk and other refrigerated goods if you are fancy and bring a cooking stove and a cool box. We did not.
The food offered at the stalls around the site is very varied (plenty of vegan options, if that’s what you’re into – and the queues are shorter), offering anything you can think of. Very yummy, too. I didn’t have an upset stomach once, which, if you know me, is an achievement (and thank God, because those long-drop toilets really are legendary…for all the wrong reasons)!
The problems are the queues and the prices. While not absolutely extortionate in the grand scheme of things, you can expect to pay around £12 for a fairly small portion of anything, and around £2.50 for a 330ml can. No stall is without a queue – though luckily these do go by relatively quickly. Don’t let these put you off though, I would definitely advise trying something new – but bring some snacks with you, as well.
Practicality is key
It’s already fairly obvious, but you will be doing a lot of walking. The festival has an 8-mile perimeter and you likely won’t experience the entirety of it, even if you are there for the full five days.
However, if possible, give it your best shot. There is simply so much to see and do – and the best things are always unexpected. We had particular fun watching a Japanese fire show that we stumbled upon by accident. The craft fields (with wood carving and jewellery making, to name a couple of examples) are in the opposite corner to the main stages, which could be enough to put someone off the trek if they are camped by the big music hub.
To give it your best efforts to cover as much ground as possible, comfortable shoes are an absolute must.
If you’re buying new shoes for the occasion, do it well in advance so you have the chance to wear them in. But remember that most people wisely choose functionality over fashion for this week, so no one will judge you for wearing your trusty 10-year old trainers that have definitely seen better days.
Pack blister plasters, normal plasters, and painkillers to make sure you can keep the party going.
Glastonbury is an unforgettable experience, filled with amazing music, food, people and even more. Make sure you’re in the best possible position to enjoy it, as it’s going to be a long week!
