Glastonbury festival-goers face travel ‘nightmare’ as strikes cause chaos

Festival-goers have said they will face a travel “nightmare” on their way to Glastonbury Festival as rail strikes cancel services.

Around half of the trains to Castle Cary, Somerset, have been cancelled, while some of those travelling to the site in Pilton have complained that restrictions on their tickets mean they may not make it to the festival.

In a bid to avoid congestion, Glastonbury announced that car parks would open at 4pm on Tuesday but festival-goers have been urged not to camp in car parks.

Instead, festival organisers said they should remain in their cars until the gates open.

Footage showed hundreds of people arriving at the festival carrying rucksacks and tents on Monday morning - a full two days before the gates of the festival open at 8am on Wednesday.

The vast majority of people are expected to travel on Wednesday which is sandwiched between two days of strike action.

Sujeong Yoo is travelling from Seoul in South Korea to the festival – flying first to London Heathrow on Tuesday before getting a coach to Bristol, staying overnight and then catching a train on Wednesday at about 11am to Castle Cary.

The 37-year-old said the train is not currently cancelled but she is “very worried” after getting a message from Great Western Railway (GWR) warning against rail travel.

“(It’s) very worrying right now… train was the safe option but now it’s not (and) there isn’t another option for us,” the television director told the PA news agency.

Ms Yoo said she is worried delays may mean she is unable to collect her ticket from Glastonbury’s box office, which is open until 8pm from Wednesday to Friday.

“If there is delay or cancel train on day of departure, it’s going to be a nightmare,” she said.

“I have been to Glasto every time since 2015 except 2018. (It) means a lot to me… (It’s) not just festival, I feel like I am genuinely alive (there).”

Public transport to the festival will only begin on Wednesday morning.

Rosie Jacot, 30, booked a coach ticket from London to the festival in 2020 but has since moved to Wincanton in Somerset, just a short distance from the site.

The 30-year-old’s ticket requires her to travel via the bus service as it is there she will receive her entry pass to Glastonbury.

She is now taking a coach to London on Tuesday, where she will stay with her brother overnight before heading back to Somerset via one of the festival’s buses on Wednesday.

“Due to rail strikes I will spend all of tomorrow and all of Wednesday on coaches up and down to London, to arrive at the site less than 10 miles from my house,” she told the PA news agency.

“I don’t mind about the strikers, they have every right to strike… but I think Glastonbury should be more flexible with tickets and let coach people have ordinary tickets.

“I’ve got friends who live in London who really want my coach ticket… as they can’t get there as there are no trains.”

GWR told passengers: “We plan to maintain timetabled trains between Castle Cary and London Paddington throughout the course of the Glastonbury Festival.

“Some services might be subject to alterations to train times and we will be in contact with customers who have already booked seats on board those trains.”

National Highways said motorways and trunk roads were likely to be busy from Wednesday to Friday as people travel to the festival and again from Monday June 27 as they leave.

John Ingram, emergency planner for the south west of England, said: “We’re reminding road users to plan ahead for Glastonbury – around 200,000 people are expected to attend this year’s festival and roads leading to the event are likely to be very busy.

“Our aim is to keep the National Highways network running while keeping festival goers and other road users safe and informed.”