Silverstone first timer - What to do and see
Discussion
Got grandstand tickets (Luffield, covered) and camping at Woodlands with 'leccy hook up.
Done plenty of events but never the F1.
What's the best time to turn up? We could go Wednesday if recommended, otherwise I was thinking Thursday AM? Drove up the A34 this weekend and all the yellow signs are already up.
Do you camp with your car? If not we will take a trolley of some sort.
Open fires allowed? Barbecues?
Is it generally miles to walk for water?
Regards the actual event - are there any things to look out for or times to bear in mind? Drivers parades, paddock access times etc or anything like that?
Best place to head after the race on Sunday night?
Done plenty of events but never the F1.
What's the best time to turn up? We could go Wednesday if recommended, otherwise I was thinking Thursday AM? Drove up the A34 this weekend and all the yellow signs are already up.
Do you camp with your car? If not we will take a trolley of some sort.
Open fires allowed? Barbecues?
Is it generally miles to walk for water?
Regards the actual event - are there any things to look out for or times to bear in mind? Drivers parades, paddock access times etc or anything like that?
Best place to head after the race on Sunday night?
I don't think you'll have too many travel issues if you go Thursday AM. It's still light late on so you could go Wednesday evening and set up ready for Thursday - swings/roundabouts really.
If each pitch isn't pre-allocated there may still be a good choice to be had if you turn up Thursday.
Your car has to fit on your pitch as well, I believe (not sure of the exact rules for this campsite). I've always left my car at the campsite and walked in with a trolley or rucksack.
Open fires - probably not. In a fire-pit, maybe.
Barbecues are usually allowed providing they are not touching the ground.
Facilities are usually really good and I imagine the walk won't be far at all for water/toilets/showers. RE: showering - we usually found the queues smaller at night, so we generally showered last thing at night, rather than queue in the morning.
Check here for timetable
See timetable above, usually a big gig after.
HTH
Scott
If each pitch isn't pre-allocated there may still be a good choice to be had if you turn up Thursday.
Your car has to fit on your pitch as well, I believe (not sure of the exact rules for this campsite). I've always left my car at the campsite and walked in with a trolley or rucksack.
Open fires - probably not. In a fire-pit, maybe.
Barbecues are usually allowed providing they are not touching the ground.
Facilities are usually really good and I imagine the walk won't be far at all for water/toilets/showers. RE: showering - we usually found the queues smaller at night, so we generally showered last thing at night, rather than queue in the morning.
Check here for timetable
See timetable above, usually a big gig after.
HTH
Scott
We went last year for the first time with Club corner tickets and lively camping at Woodlands. It was great, plenty to do at night - worth heading into the circuit for the music but Woodlands also have a big tent with a few acts on. Real Ale was good value at the Petrolhead, around £3.50 a pint.
We went Wednesday evening last time and we were quite far out on the campsite so we're going at lunchtime on Wednesday this year to get a bit further in. As you've got leccy (jealous!) then you'll be in a separate field so I'm not sure you'll have to go so early.
You camp next to your car and you can take your own drinks into the circuit so it's worth having a cool box on wheels or something to save a few bob. We borrowed one off a friendly campsite neighbour last year but have bought one this year ( Halfords Coolbag Trolley). It can be quite a trek around the circuit, Woodlands is at Club/Stowe end.
No open fires but we had a BBQ with no issues and there was plenty of water points.
As for timings, we got up early and headed in to the circuit about 7.30 each day. That enabled us to get decent seats on the days that were roving (International Pit Straight). You can then camp up there for the day and enjoy all the supporting action.
Finally, definitely stay until Monday morning, it looked a nightmare trying to get off the campsite on Sunday night.
Hope this helps!
We went Wednesday evening last time and we were quite far out on the campsite so we're going at lunchtime on Wednesday this year to get a bit further in. As you've got leccy (jealous!) then you'll be in a separate field so I'm not sure you'll have to go so early.
You camp next to your car and you can take your own drinks into the circuit so it's worth having a cool box on wheels or something to save a few bob. We borrowed one off a friendly campsite neighbour last year but have bought one this year ( Halfords Coolbag Trolley). It can be quite a trek around the circuit, Woodlands is at Club/Stowe end.
No open fires but we had a BBQ with no issues and there was plenty of water points.
As for timings, we got up early and headed in to the circuit about 7.30 each day. That enabled us to get decent seats on the days that were roving (International Pit Straight). You can then camp up there for the day and enjoy all the supporting action.
Finally, definitely stay until Monday morning, it looked a nightmare trying to get off the campsite on Sunday night.
Hope this helps!
Edited by Hitby on Monday 4th July 13:17
snotrag said:
Got grandstand tickets (Luffield, covered) and camping at Woodlands with 'leccy hook up.
Good spot for the race - was on the FIA lights there two years ago.snotrag said:
Done plenty of events but never the F1.
What's the best time to turn up? We could go Wednesday if recommended, otherwise I was thinking Thursday AM? Drove up the A34 this weekend and all the yellow signs are already up.
The roads are pretty quiet on Weds and Thurs. We normally arrive on the Wednesday as I'm trackside for the FIA systems test on the Thursday (you get a lot of autograph hunters hanging round the entrance gate to see the drivers turning up. or milling around inside the circuit to watch the Safety Cars and medical cars do their laps - gates 10, 15 16 open at 2pm)What's the best time to turn up? We could go Wednesday if recommended, otherwise I was thinking Thursday AM? Drove up the A34 this weekend and all the yellow signs are already up.
snotrag said:
Do you camp with your car? If not we will take a trolley of some sort.
Open fires allowed? Barbecues?
Barbecues will be, so long as they are raised off the ground, open fires no (also the FAQ says no glass bottles either in the campsite.Open fires allowed? Barbecues?
snotrag said:
Is it generally miles to walk for water?
within the circuit, there are fresh water taps at the main toilet blocks all round the circuitsnotrag said:
Regards the actual event - are there any things to look out for or times to bear in mind? Drivers parades, paddock access times etc or anything like that?
there will be a driver's parade that goes round at 11:30 on the Sunday, followed by a F1 legends Parade lap at 11:40 (TBC according to my timetable) The Typhoon will be displaying on the Saturday, at 12pm, the Red Arrows on Sunday at 12:20
There is a "Sky F1 Show" on the pit straight, with viewing from the International Pits Straight grandstand at 6pm Thurs,
snotrag said:
Best place to head after the race on Sunday night?
After the race i normally head to the "after party" show: normally a band, some x factor reject will do a song or 2, then there'll be a few drivers are brought out for a chat with Tony Jardine.There is no F1 paddock access, unless you have extra special passes (and some paddock tours are given away as prizes on silverstone radio) same with the pit walk.
There'll be things to see round by the live stage and that area - sometimes there have been vintage F1 car displays from the GP collection
Hi folks,
Another first timer here, we're camping at Whittlebury and have been to Le Mans plenty of times but haven't a clue about Silverstone so I'm after a bit of advice.
We don't have grandstand access so were wondering about the best place to watch?
Is it worth talking camping chairs into the circuit?
My ticket package included parking, I presume I wont need that if we're in Whittlebury?
What are the facilities like at Whittlebury? Do we need to take cool boxes, can you buy ice to keep them topped up?
Is it worth taking cooking gear or can we just buy food & drinks on site?
Sorry for the silly questions, there's a wealth of info online about Le Mans but I can't seem to find basic info on F1....
Another first timer here, we're camping at Whittlebury and have been to Le Mans plenty of times but haven't a clue about Silverstone so I'm after a bit of advice.
We don't have grandstand access so were wondering about the best place to watch?
Is it worth talking camping chairs into the circuit?
My ticket package included parking, I presume I wont need that if we're in Whittlebury?
What are the facilities like at Whittlebury? Do we need to take cool boxes, can you buy ice to keep them topped up?
Is it worth taking cooking gear or can we just buy food & drinks on site?
Sorry for the silly questions, there's a wealth of info online about Le Mans but I can't seem to find basic info on F1....
DJFish said:
Hi folks,
Another first timer here, we're camping at Whittlebury and have been to Le Mans plenty of times but haven't a clue about Silverstone so I'm after a bit of advice.
We don't have grandstand access so were wondering about the best place to watch?
Is it worth talking camping chairs into the circuit?
My ticket package included parking, I presume I wont need that if we're in Whittlebury?
What are the facilities like at Whittlebury? Do we need to take cool boxes, can you buy ice to keep them topped up?
Is it worth taking cooking gear or can we just buy food & drinks on site?
Sorry for the silly questions, there's a wealth of info online about Le Mans but I can't seem to find basic info on F1....
I think the footpath from Whittlebury brings you out near to the Maggots/Becketts area which has plenty of General Admission seating area (and big screen TVs facing them) or a short(ish) walk up to Copse where there is a concrete hardstanding which is stepped so you can still see at the back of the concrete. My missus used to watch at Copse in the years i havent been given a marshal's guest pass for a stand.Another first timer here, we're camping at Whittlebury and have been to Le Mans plenty of times but haven't a clue about Silverstone so I'm after a bit of advice.
We don't have grandstand access so were wondering about the best place to watch?
Is it worth talking camping chairs into the circuit?
My ticket package included parking, I presume I wont need that if we're in Whittlebury?
What are the facilities like at Whittlebury? Do we need to take cool boxes, can you buy ice to keep them topped up?
Is it worth taking cooking gear or can we just buy food & drinks on site?
Sorry for the silly questions, there's a wealth of info online about Le Mans but I can't seem to find basic info on F1....
Maggots is about as close as you can get to the cars passing by.
Race day - be there for gates opening about 6am (there is usually a queue at the gate when i'm heading to post at 5:45am on race day) to get a decent spot. and Yes take you camping chairs for watching in in the General Admission areas. alot of areas are just rough graveled areas, not pleasant for sitting on.
make friends with those around you and they'll look after your gear if you need to nip to the loo/get food. Missus never had an issue with being on her own losing out if she had to leave her seat.
If you have a little FM radio, you can listen to the commentary on that without having to rely on hearing the tannoys.
I've got a few questions myself, have been bought tickets by my work as a bonus...
I've got tickets for Woodlands 'Lively' camping, I've hired a van which we intend to sleep in (don't want to sleep in a tent and didn't want to fork out for a proper camper) so I don't need power but I do obviously want to park on my pitch, do you think this will be a problem?
Is it worth bringing bikes? I went to Silverstone a couple of years ago and it's bloody huge so we figured we'd bring our mountain bikes to get around the circuit, will we be allowed to bring them in?
Any other advice greatly appreciated.
I've got tickets for Woodlands 'Lively' camping, I've hired a van which we intend to sleep in (don't want to sleep in a tent and didn't want to fork out for a proper camper) so I don't need power but I do obviously want to park on my pitch, do you think this will be a problem?
Is it worth bringing bikes? I went to Silverstone a couple of years ago and it's bloody huge so we figured we'd bring our mountain bikes to get around the circuit, will we be allowed to bring them in?
Any other advice greatly appreciated.
RS404 said:
Is it worth bringing bikes? I went to Silverstone a couple of years ago and it's bloody huge so we figured we'd bring our mountain bikes to get around the circuit, will we be allowed to bring them in?
think you can bring bikes in. the Missus and I have got scooters to get around. Have in the past used my roller skates to get to and from post when i CBA waiting for the marshal's bus. (got a huge cheer from the Woodcote/Luffield stands a few years ago when i skated round from Maggots to the Live stage for the after party - that was a little embarrassing!)
lord summerisle said:
Maggots is about as close as you can get to the cars passing by.
I'd have to agree with that, first place I ever saw a GP was standing between Maggots and Becketts, I was stunned at the speed of the cars.You are very close to the track there and to watch the speed an F1 car can change direction going into Becketts is staggering.
DJFish said:
Brilliant!
I've been told to pick up my ticket at the gate, in which case I wonder if I can get rid of my surplus blue parking tickets.
When I've stayed at Whittlebury, I've sold/given away my Silverstone car parking ticket - I think there's always someone out there in need of one.I've been told to pick up my ticket at the gate, in which case I wonder if I can get rid of my surplus blue parking tickets.
S
I'm going with children this time, so just getting GA and no grandstand.
Getting in first thing is not an option. If we head to the circuit around 10-11am, where would be the best place to head and still find some space? We are camping in Woodlands.
Not too worried about the kids being able to see, they can go on my shoulders until they get bored....
Getting in first thing is not an option. If we head to the circuit around 10-11am, where would be the best place to head and still find some space? We are camping in Woodlands.
Not too worried about the kids being able to see, they can go on my shoulders until they get bored....
kybo said:
When I've stayed at Whittlebury, I've sold/given away my Silverstone car parking ticket - I think there's always someone out there in need of one.
S
I've tacked a free parking offer on the end of the "Parking-How much????" thread (in case anyone's interested).S
So what are the real highlights, what should a first timer endeavour not to miss?
Obviously there's a race on Sunday, what else is unmissable?
DJFish said:
So what are the real highlights, what should a first timer endeavour not to miss?
Obviously there's a race on Sunday, what else is unmissable?
Tricky, it's different for everyone.Obviously there's a race on Sunday, what else is unmissable?
For me, sounds corny but it's just the whole experience - from getting there to leaving.
Camping - be sure to make friends with your neighbours - great banter and adds to the experience
I particularly enjoy the Porsche racing
Do the F1 village - might catch a driver chatting in one of the merchandise stalls, do the Race sims.
Sky usually do something on the Thursday but don't know too much about it
Friday, walk the whole circuit, take the whole track in and take time to view the cars from every corner (not necessarily just the F1). Also good if you are General Admission - look for good spots to watch.
After show gig - there's a driver chat in between the bands
Try not to miss a thing, well anything you've liked the sound of, read up on, think you might like.
Most of all, soak it all in and enjoy it - it's one of the best weekends I've ever experienced, it's just so hard to put it into words.
Have fun!!
S
There's quite a good timetable of events on the Silverstone website.
What a bloody marvellous weekend!
We arrived a bit too late to catch the Texas concert, past the hotel with all the autograph hunters camped outside, to find the campsite (Whittlebury) was well marked out and not at all crowded, with excellent facilities, the loo roll & bin bags you're presented with on arrival are a nice touch as they're one of the things people usually forget.
You have use of the bar & changing facilities at the clubhouse, there's another bar in a neighbouring field with live bands, all the Abu Dhabi promo stuff like video games & free coffee (an absolute lifesaver at 6am on Sunday after not enough sleep) and big screen which we didn't actually find in our short time there.
All in all a great campsite full of really nice people and best of all it was just a short stroll to Gates 8 & 9 near to Maggots/Becketts.
We had a nice chilled evening on the site once we'd got our tents up, all the noise stopped at midnight, all very civilised.
After a bacon sarnie on Saturday morning we loaded up for the big walk, we started off at Becketts and headed round the circuit to the main drag, stopping to watch each time some cars appeared on track.
We took plenty of beer and food with us, but our bags were too heavy so we left the food behind, I wish we had taken bikes as (AFAIK) you can't cut through the infield and it's a fair walk, although in some places the crowds would've made cycling difficult, I really should've taken my chair with me as well. Some people obviously came prepared with huge 'Eskies' on wheels full of provisions, I'd imagine you can save a lot of money doing that.
I also wish I'd taken my kids as there was loads for them to do.
Qualifying was really interesting to watch live, plenty of screens all around the circuit, and the atmosphere was awesome! So much support from the fans, Mexican waves, HUGE roars when it seemed Jensen might get into Q2, even HUGERER roars as Lewis qualified on pole!
Then we took in the rest of the circuit up to the pit straight, caught most of the Fan forum which was really good and headed back to the campsite for a quiet night, which wasn't quiet at all as we ended up in the Lakeside beer tent with the band and the cider and more cider.....
05:30 on Sunday, I was rudely awoken so we could go and blag a good spot at Becketts, however my head felt funny so I left the others to it, as it happens people are very British & generally respect an unaccompanied chair and so it only really requires one of you to go and get a good spot, I ambled down at around 6:30 stopping to get steaming fresh coffee & pastries for the boys (who says I'm not a team player?) courtesy of the Abu Dhabi mob, and that was us until the end of the race, we only really moved when it started to pee down and when I realised I'd forgotten the wine (10 min round trip back to the campsite).....
Red Arrows were great and I just happened to be queuing up for lunch (Brisket roll & chips for £11) behind the Becketts grandstand so got a good view of the whole show.
Watching the live race was awesome and the atmosphere from the crowd was something else!
We didn't go to the winners ceremony, again if we'd had bikes we might have zipped round on the circuit but it was too far to get round in time, although I understand there's plenty to see around the pits long after the race has finished.
All in all a great weekend, very similar to the Le Mans experience but also very different, and I have the lovely people at PH to thank because I won the tickets in the PH Christmas competition!
I think I might have to go to another race now!
Cheers
Dave
We arrived a bit too late to catch the Texas concert, past the hotel with all the autograph hunters camped outside, to find the campsite (Whittlebury) was well marked out and not at all crowded, with excellent facilities, the loo roll & bin bags you're presented with on arrival are a nice touch as they're one of the things people usually forget.
You have use of the bar & changing facilities at the clubhouse, there's another bar in a neighbouring field with live bands, all the Abu Dhabi promo stuff like video games & free coffee (an absolute lifesaver at 6am on Sunday after not enough sleep) and big screen which we didn't actually find in our short time there.
All in all a great campsite full of really nice people and best of all it was just a short stroll to Gates 8 & 9 near to Maggots/Becketts.
We had a nice chilled evening on the site once we'd got our tents up, all the noise stopped at midnight, all very civilised.
After a bacon sarnie on Saturday morning we loaded up for the big walk, we started off at Becketts and headed round the circuit to the main drag, stopping to watch each time some cars appeared on track.
We took plenty of beer and food with us, but our bags were too heavy so we left the food behind, I wish we had taken bikes as (AFAIK) you can't cut through the infield and it's a fair walk, although in some places the crowds would've made cycling difficult, I really should've taken my chair with me as well. Some people obviously came prepared with huge 'Eskies' on wheels full of provisions, I'd imagine you can save a lot of money doing that.
I also wish I'd taken my kids as there was loads for them to do.
Qualifying was really interesting to watch live, plenty of screens all around the circuit, and the atmosphere was awesome! So much support from the fans, Mexican waves, HUGE roars when it seemed Jensen might get into Q2, even HUGERER roars as Lewis qualified on pole!
Then we took in the rest of the circuit up to the pit straight, caught most of the Fan forum which was really good and headed back to the campsite for a quiet night, which wasn't quiet at all as we ended up in the Lakeside beer tent with the band and the cider and more cider.....
05:30 on Sunday, I was rudely awoken so we could go and blag a good spot at Becketts, however my head felt funny so I left the others to it, as it happens people are very British & generally respect an unaccompanied chair and so it only really requires one of you to go and get a good spot, I ambled down at around 6:30 stopping to get steaming fresh coffee & pastries for the boys (who says I'm not a team player?) courtesy of the Abu Dhabi mob, and that was us until the end of the race, we only really moved when it started to pee down and when I realised I'd forgotten the wine (10 min round trip back to the campsite).....
Red Arrows were great and I just happened to be queuing up for lunch (Brisket roll & chips for £11) behind the Becketts grandstand so got a good view of the whole show.
Watching the live race was awesome and the atmosphere from the crowd was something else!
We didn't go to the winners ceremony, again if we'd had bikes we might have zipped round on the circuit but it was too far to get round in time, although I understand there's plenty to see around the pits long after the race has finished.
All in all a great weekend, very similar to the Le Mans experience but also very different, and I have the lovely people at PH to thank because I won the tickets in the PH Christmas competition!
I think I might have to go to another race now!
Cheers
Dave
Edited by DJFish on Thursday 14th July 10:43
Vaud said:
DJFish said:
I think I might have to go to another race now!
Monza or Spa...Monza - (relatively) cheap grandstands and very Italian.
Spa - amazing track and acceptable general admission.
You can get much closer to the cars at both of those tracks than you generally do at Silverstone.
Have fun.
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