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Me and the boy are going the Goodwood Festival of Speed for the Sunday.
Neither of us have been before.
Any advice on things not to miss and things to avoid would be very welcome especially about the least stress and quick exit parking options.
What you got?
Been a while since I went, so don't know if it's improved, but the longest queue I've ever passed on a bike was when leaving Goodwood FoS. So park elsewhere & cycle in?
Been a while since I went, so don't know if it's improved, but the longest queue I've ever passed on a bike was when leaving Goodwood FoS. So park elsewhere & cycle in?
Watch out for the drunk chavs later in the day especially in the heat
There are free water taps in a few places
There is little shade so wear a hat and suncream
Don't try to avoid the traffic queues by using the local roads as some of them are singletrack and the traffic management system is there for a reason
Food and drink is expensive
The last few years the Land Rover stand has worked pretty well for watching the Red Arrows if you are interested and they are performing
Getting across the track is hard work so try to do everything on each side in one go that you want to see
It's huge
get there sooner than you'd think you should, like way before breakfast.
wear decent shoes, did i say it's huge?
i'd highly recommend having roaming grandstand access, you'll appreciate the seating, the shade, and the views.
it's an epic day, don't forget the rally stuff at the top, the offroading bit in the middle, you can literally spend the whole day at the bottom
If you can, use the train to Chichester and get the free bus from the station
Id agree with the above. Get there very early leave a bit early to avoid the worst of the queues. These can be huge when leaving (although we parked in a “special car” park and got out easily).
There is so much to see from rally stage up on the hill and numerous grandstands, pits, car displays, shops etc
suncream, hat, water bottles and good comfy shoes
Thanks all. I'm considering using the shuttle bus from Chichester, presumably that has a dedicated route rather than having to sit in all the traffic trying to leave?
Or actually walking out of the circuit to parking in Chichester as it doesn't look that far.
Go early ideally by train and use the bus or if you've got the legs I think it's just about walkable from Chichester (never tried it). Aiming to get there for mid morning will see you arrive on the following Wednesday.
Exception with the train is if it's hotter than hell when the entire surrounding rail network will likely disintegrate.
You WILL queue for the bus at the end of the day unless you're very lucky.
There is NO quick parking / driving option. Tough it out, follow the signage and have a pee (or three) before you leave 😂
I go most years (a regular business development thing we host with work).
Water points are available at regular intervals.
Don't forget it's app ticket access only.
You cannot realistically do it all. Work out what you are interested in and see that. It's a long walk up to the rally stage but I think it's no worse than the tractor taxi thing. There's stuff to look at on the way up. The rally bit finishes earlier on the Sunday so don't leave until last if that's your thing.
If you leave later you can sometimes get discounted food and drink as you leave. We had a very reasonable fish and chips and some cakes going back to the car at about 6pm once as it was into the sell it or bin it period before some of the caterers closed for the night.
The Bus has partially dedicated routes but it'll feel like a eternity getting through Chichester itself. This is because (1) Chichester is miserable to drive through at the best of times and (2) people will be trying to avoid the main A27 for (mainly) non Goodwood journeys so it's even more clogged than usual.
With regard to walking there are no pavements until the edge of Chichester and given the volume of traffic, it would not be sensible. If you have normal bikes, then you could ride and they have bike parking at the entrance from the main car park
I would try to avoid Chichester, as there are road closures for gas main replacement works.
My suggestion would be to get a bus/taxi from Petworth/Midhurst/Fontwell to avoid trying to negotiate Chichester.
I would avoid coming from Midhurst as the queue for the junction in Singleton can stretch back over 2 miles due to the amount coming the other way from Petersfield. I think access from the A27 is best as it is dual carriageway until very close to the site.
Our flight back to Scotland is 22:10 from Gatwick, so I need to be handing the hire car back around 9pm. I'm assuming that if we aim to leave at 6, 90 mins to get off site and on our way sounds realistic? That then gives me 90 mins for the drive to LGW.
It generally takes just over an hour to get to Gatwick from Chichester so assuming no incidents you should be okay, just depends how long it takes to exit the car park.
Gatwick is on the direct train line to London from Chichester so could have done it avoiding a car hire, but timings and train punctuality are always a lottery
Gatwick is on the direct train line to London from Chichester so could have done it avoiding a car hire, but timings and train punctuality are always a lottery
I did look at this initially, but there was no ability to book at the time. I should revisit it as I've not yet booked the car.
If you have any interest in rallying, get the tractor lift the top at the start of the day and walk back down the hill to the rest over the next few hours using gravity to help you.
I’ve seen so many people walk up and turn around as they get to the trees at the top so miss the rally stage and rally display/pit area because they are fed up of walking up hill.
If you are near the rally stage at the time of the Red Arrows there a great view of the display from the “Barrel” on the edge of the forest (where the rally cars are in tarmac and are sometimes encouraged to do a doughnut)
I’m going this weekend too, albeit we are getting there on Thursday and have tickets for Friday through to Sunday with roving grandstand access. We’ve also booked the onsite camping so aside from getting out on Sunday evening, I’m hoping we have fairly easy access.
There was a comment on Pistonheads that getting in as the gates open is a good shout as you can see all the cars in the paddock before they start up at 8am.
Rally stage sounds like a definite to get to.
Nothing to add other than I went to the original FOS in a convertible car. They had a Harrier doing a display, and I had chosen to leave early via the lanes, which turned out to be a mistake even then. Harrier spotted us, and obv thought it would be funny to hover more or less overhead.
We went last year. Absolute blast but as said above hot and no shade.
Rally stuff is especially great.
Traffic was nuts but we were staying with a mate nearby so that made it more bearable.
Nothing to add other than I went to the original FOS in a convertible car. They had a Harrier doing a display, and I had chosen to leave early via the lanes, which turned out to be a mistake even then. Harrier spotted us, and obv thought it would be funny to hover more or less overhead.
To be fair, that is quite funny. Hairdressers getting all worked over by hot kerosene fumes 🙃
I went once though working. Nothing of note to add to the above other than to say, if you can get over the aggro of going, it's a fantastic event. Unusual in that it's someone's personal 'thing' rather than a Corporation - but like Glasto was without the annoying teenagers I suppose 😁
Ha, I have worked at the two big airports, airside more or less on the aprons, for almost 15 years. Love the smell of kerosene in the morning. But yes, my hair getting messed up was very annoying. And just to add to your p take, it was a Vitara. In white. But to counter, I am now what the papers refer to as an old man but still have all of my own hair.
Thanks all. I'b beginning to seriously question the wisdom of booking a flight home on the sunday night. I might just move the flights to monday morning and chill.
It is very much run like a corporation now. He is in it to rinse everyone of as much money as he can including how much he charges each trader to be there, and setting all their food and drink prices etc. which are really not cheap.
There is such a big waiting list to join the Goodwood members club, there is absolutely nothing to try to retain you as a member and the benefits keep reducing. If you don't like it there are plenty more who will take your place.
Also, they have moved to e tickets and generally the reception is so poor you will struggle for a signal. Worth taking a screenshot of your ticket before you get there. They had massive issues at the Members Meeting earlier this year
No air display at FOS this year.
No air display at FOS this year.
Having been several times (I live just down the road) oddly i've never had traffic issues... Just drove in, and drove out at the end of the day.
It gets hot, so hat and water is a must.
You'll fail to see about 80% of it! Just accept that!
DrP
Definitely take close-fitting sunglasses as it'll be dusty AF and there's lots of shiny reflective metal flooring in the main pathways down the bottom too so you'll be partially blind by midday if you don't have sunglasses 😆
If it doesn't ruin the rest of your week/cost you too much extra I'd be very tempted to move your flight to the Monday as strolling through just before closing and seeing all the things you've missed earlier in the day is a really nice way to round off the experience and you'll often see lots of drivers etc. doing the same once they've finished driving the hill/doing press stuff and people on stands are more likely to let you have a closer look at things or clamber into cars etc. because it'll be quieter and they'll be too tired to care by then too.
It's far more relaxing (if you're not pressed for time) to let everyone else fight their way out and stroll around picking up freebies and looking at things without being bustled around!
In terms of on the day, I tend to walk up one side of the hill to the rally stage stopping when I see something interesting/to watch specific groups of cars up the hill and then relax up there for a bit (it's one of the few places with shade too!) before winding my way down the other side. There's always a separate load of catering vans/stalls up there too so you can get everything you need up there with far less queuing.
Parking is a lottery, you'll be parked wherever they want to put you on arrival you don't get a say in it so I'd not worry about that and just go where pointed - I'd recommend using whatthreewords or similar to pinpoint where you're parked though and take a note of which entrance gate you arrive through as after a long day it's easy to completely forget where you're parked and you could be literally miles away if you go out the wrong gate 😆
Oh and either download the app in advance with the itinerary/map etc or be prepared to pay whatever extortionate cost a program is these days - Probably about £30 (or do both)
I work at Goodwood. It's already a baked dry dust bowl. The traffic is not like it was 5 years ago, better traffic management means less queues.
Not much to add really . To get the most out of 1 day I would go as early as possible . Mooch around the displays , try to catch the stunt show as it's always exciting. Then work your way up the hill to the rally cars . Grab a tractor ride down afters and see the F1 stands . Wear factor 50 , big hat , shorts , comfy shoes.
Everything is expensive, like £5.50 ice cream expensive.
Beware the speed traps on the way home , train to lgw is pretty quick so you could leave around 5pm for a 8pm flight.
It's an amazing event, I bumped into Mark Webber today at the circuit , if you're into car culture and Motorsport it's probably the best day out in the UK
Beware the speed traps on the way home
I've caught the train the last few years and I don't do speeding but I can imagine (once away from the hellish bit towards Fishbourne or the Eastern equivalent) that there's a few grumpy frustrated and enthusiastic right feet in some quite nice metal. 😂
A mate of EpicJnr is working in the Nugs chicken stall - red aprons and hats.Give them a look in, say hi to Dillon
My son and I are going for the first time on Saturday - super excited! This thread has been helpful! Looks like it's going to be really hot though...
Well that was fun! Didn't arrive quite as early as I'd planned yesterday, but I was still ogling the 959 and Muiras just after 8am.
As mentioned on here, far too much to see and do, with the paddocks, buggy track, rally and of course watching them go up the hill.
It seems to be incredibly well organised. Even though it must have been sold out, there were spaces at tables, and on the free viewing areas with no queues for the loos or water stations. Even the catering was reasonable with £10 for a decent burger and lower than some London prices for a pint. It also felt like there was just enough supervision without you feeling like being kettled or controlled at every turn.
The weather was good, it was hot, but there was a continual breeze, which kept things reasonable, and there was shade to be had if you wanted it. The only slight annoyance was the dust, up by allying and buggy track - luckily I'd packed a buff, so just used it as a face mask for the worst parts.
Hilights - too many, seeing the 959 and Group B rally cars up close, the sounds, the Mclaren Lamborghini, Travis Pastrana taking the Brataroo up the hill, the new Testarossa - just so much. Fantastic. Will definitely be going back.
Oh, and they have the traffic sorted - dual lane running into and out of the car parks so it only took 10 mins from getting in the car to getting onto the A27.
So if I were to go next year would you recommend a 4 day ticket or single days?
And how far out would you stay to get the best value on cost and with easiest access? Camping onsite isn't an option due to the wife's back troubles.
So if I were to go next year would you recommend a 4 day ticket or single days?
And how far out would you stay to get the best value on cost and with easiest access? Camping onsite isn't an option due to the wife's back troubles.
As good as it was, I'm not sure I would want to be there for more than 2 days.
We left booking very late, so ended up with accommodation in quite a way out, but travel in the morning was fine.
We parked in the Performance Car Parking, down near where the cars start on the track. Right next to a big tree. Big cool box with lots of cold drinks and food stuffs. Took a couple of chairs so could relax under the tree in comfort. It was bloody hot ( to be fair this was the third year we have been and its always been great weather). We also had the grand stand passes which allowed you to get out of the heat ( there was a nice breeze blowing towards the top ). That made all the difference to the experience.
I think you need a couple of days to see it all properly, so will look into taking the campervan next year. It was £300ish for an electric hookup for 4 nights I think. This year we stayed in a Prem inn near Havant and that was £140 ( booked early) , so that camping fee doesn't seem to bad in comparison.
We were there on Saturday and boy was it hot! Kind of took the edge off what was still an amazing day. We didn't have Grandstand tickets, and that would have helped, both with getting out of the sun and being able to watch the track better. We were able to find places to watch sections, but couldn't stay more than 10 mins each time in the direct sunlight - no one was giving up the shady spots!
Such a lovely atmosphere, plenty of driver and celeb spotting - they just wander freely about the place with such good access to talk, and the beautiful sensory assault of race engines everywhere was brilliant. Damon Hill was inches from running over my toes as he parked up his 96 Williams after a run up the hill! Where else would that happen?
We were there by 8am, and gave in to the heat exhaustion at 4:30. We felt we'd seen a lot of it, but would have liked longer or another day to maximise it. As said, the logistics worked really well, not much entry or exit traffic, the tractor lift service was brilliant with very little queuing.
Also got my bikes fix - a very good fun demo session from BMX, MTB and Freestyle motocross, with stands from Specialized and a few others!
Yep, it was a great show. We had three days of passes and camped on the official site, Campsite E.
First day for us was the Friday and we got into the show site around 9:30 using the shuttle bus. Walked miles it felt, did all the static stuff and then walked up to the rally stage. Dusty as heck, but great to see the Audis and 6R4 being thrashed.
Saturday was day two and we had grandstand passes. Left the camper at 8:30 and didn’t get to the show until 10. Massive queue for the shuttle bus and the stuck in traffic on the approach road. We got in and went straight to Molcombe Grandstand 1 and have a great view of the cars approaching that left hander before they pinned it up the hill.
But my jimminy, it was hot and busy and I had this niggling feeling it was going to take hours to get off the site in Sunday evening. So we made a call to stay until closing on the Saturday, and call it a do. We’d seen everything, all the groups of cars both static and racing, and the camper van we’d hired was uncomfortable and hot.
As above, great spectacle, saw Rossi spinning out in his custom car. Casey Stoner and John McGuiness giving it beans up the hill. Food and drink, I thought, was top quality and “reasonable”.
We gave our Grandstand passes away around 4pm to a lad and dad that looked to be struggling with the heat. Sold the Sunday grandstand passes on along with my entry ticket so we’ve lost some money overall.
Had it been cooler, I’d have probably stayed the Sunday but it took us six and a half hours to get down and I didn’t want to risk another journey like that listening off-road tyres rumbling on the tarmac. I’ve got a bit of FOMO now with all the instagram posts, possibly some extra stuff I could have ticked off, but I think we got 90%, if not more, done.
It’s a long way for us, so I’d probably not go again. But it’s a mad event, and the VIP car parks are insanse with what people turn up in.
We walked 13km on the Saturday - thought we’d go long so recorded it on Strava! @rockhopper70 glad someone got your grandstand tickets - we’d have stayed on if we’d got them off you!
