GDSF for yankees
 

Hi all

I am considering attending the GDSF this year. I have no idea how to get started with arranging for travel, hotels etc in England. Are there companies, sites etc that offer packages etc. I would like to fly in Thursday and
Leave on Monday

Any help to get started would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Doug

You need to tell us which airport you will be arriving at.

If you want to stay on site there will be camping (buy a tent on site) and Caravans to hire.

Either heathrow or gatwick. I would need lodging transport etc.

It largely depends on the size of your party.
If you are on your own, don't think that you will realistically be able to use public transport.
I have seen packages with accommodation and coach travel to and from the show daily; they would be a safe bet.
If there is a car load then it might be an idea to be self sufficient, accommodation within easy reach will be booked up well in advance, if not already.
GDSF not for faint hearted; lots of walking, it is a very extensive site , expect burning sun or squelchy mud (not usually anywhere in between), the activity starts as early as 09.00 and site still bouncing at midnight.

GDSF is very hard work . Not for the elderly nor the faint hearted . There are other very good events in UK which may very well float your boat , with none of the complications . Covid 19 may well alter things , but let us hope that normality will be returning by then .

Hi
Public transport is not out of the question,
nearest train station to GDSF is Salisbury which is on the Waterloo line out of London I believe local buses are put on pacifically to go from Salisbury station to GDSF, in London there is loads of public transport so getting from either air port to Waterloo station should not be to much problem.

As to were to stay,
As I see it there are two options on or off site,
off site has two problems, there is no were off site that is in walkable distance from site, so if you were to hire a car obviously you wouldn't need public transport and it would enable you to drive to a B&B or Hotel, there are a few b and b's and hotels in the area, but the second problem is it is my understanding they fill up fast!

The over option is to stay on site this has a lot of advantages the activity start at 9 and often go on to midnight
I guess there's a few options I believe Steam Fair do some glamping and I think you might be able to hire a caravan on-site I'm sure their website would have details, I guess you could also buy a tent on route to the show no and then bin it at the end of the show,
you can get most facilities on site there's showers, food shop, restaurant loads of food vans, I think about the only thing you can't do is wash clothes!

Hope this helps Chris

if youre flying into heathrow i would hire a car, which can probably be done from heathrow.

from heathrow its a few minute drive down the m25 to junction 12 which leads to the m3 which covers about half the journey.
then onto the A303 to Amesbury.
A345 to salisbury
A354 to the show ground!

about 2 hours in total

i drive down from Guildford which is close by.
from Gatwick would add another half hour to the time.

plenty of camping if you wish to stay on site.
some hotels nearby if you can drive off site, but then you cant enjoy the beer tents!

If i was doing it i would:

- Fly into heathrow
- Taxi to Dorset rally site (about £130 each way gatwick would be a bit more expensive but not a huge amount)
- Hire an on site Caravan for the weekend
- Just buy all food and drink on site, not as expensive as people complain about and anyway you are only there for a few days
- Taxi back to heathrow
- Sleep on the plane all the way home and detox your liver and kidneys!

To really experience Dorset you have to stay into the evening imo.

Went to New Zealand for a 4 week holiday a couple of years ago, never went near a single travel agent. Booked flights, accomodation, hire cars - one for the North Island and one for the South, booked inter-island ferry crossing, internal flight, sea kayaking, rail trip from Dunedin and a white water rafting trip, and a whale watching trip all online over a single w/end. Plenty of places to research a trip to anywhere on the globe.